Penicuik · GB

Carnethy Hill

Carnethy Hill is one of Scotland's most rewarding upland walks in miniature: a broad, cairn-crowned summit at 573 metres (1,880 ft), the second-highest point in the Pentland Hills, standing just ten miles from the centre of Edinburgh. Its distinctive shape — a shapely hump on the southern ridge of the range — has made it a landmark for locals and hill runners for generations. The hill delivers a full day's sense of achievement in under two hours on foot. From the car park at Flotterstone, a steep grassy path cuts straight up the hillside to the summit, where a massive cairn and stone shelters mark the top. On a clear day, the panorama stretches from the Firth of Forth and Ochil Hills in the northwest to the Lammermuir and Moorfoot Hills rolling away to the south, with the twin reservoirs of Loganlea and Glencorse glinting in the valley below.