Having had my eye on the Pentland Hills for quite some time, I’d intentionally planned our first visit for August with the aim of catching the heather in full bloom. And catch it we did! After being rained off on our first day (we were not expecting to need the log burner in August, but that’s Scotland for you), day two turned out sunny and a balmy 17 degrees Celsius – perfect for hiking. As you can never rely on the Scottish weather to stay good, we seized the moment to tackle Scald Law. The highest point in the Pentland Hills, the route promised excellent views, a reasonable length and lots of lovely heather. Expectations set and met!
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Walk Summary: Scald Law & The Kips
- Distance: 7.5 miles
- Route type: Hill
- Time: 4 hours
- Parking: Threipmuir Reservoir car park, ///developer.supposing.volcano
- Dog friendly: 3/5
- Difficulty: Moderate to strenuous
Setting out for Scald Law
We followed a route from our Pocket Mountains guide for the Pentland Hills. Starting from the large car park at Threipmuir Reservoir, the route summits not just Scald Law but also East Kip and West Kip, clocking in at around 7.5 miles. Being mid-summer holidays, we arrived early, expecting the reservoir car park to be busy later on. Unbelievably it was still quiet when we got back – mad for a walk just 5 miles or so from Edinburgh. The route we followed was the same as this one on Walkhighlands, reversed.
This walk was a sheer pleasure from start to finish. After a brief foray through a beautiful dappled woodland and a short section of road walking, you’re on the hill path. It’s a steady, flat walk of a few kilometres through a gorgeous heather-cloaked glen before any real climbing starts. There’s a few burn crossings which the dogs and Sam both enjoyed: the dogs had a paddle and Sam spotted some bees burrowing into the riverbank. Everyone happy!
Easier than advertised?
Before long Sam was commenting on what an ‘easy’ walk this was. I did keep reminding him we were climbing to the highest point in the Pentlands! But it was only when the path up Scald Law appeared that he conceded ‘this is actually quite steep’. The book describes the climb as ‘sustained’ – it’s steep, but if you can manage the Lakeland Fells you’ll be fine.
In the book description a few stiles are mentioned, however, these all seem to have been replaced by gates or removed entirely. You’ve got to take the wins when you can as a dog owner! Once the climb starts it’s not that long at all until you reach the top of Scald Law. The views are panoramic with the Kips in front of you, Edinburgh to one side and the hills of the Borders and Galloway featuring too. Make sure to bag the trig – if you didn’t get a photo of your dog on the trig, it doesn’t count!
Having stripped down to my T-Shirt on the climb up, a chilly breeze at the top had me layering back up. This was a theme of the day – the walk along the ridge from Scald Law to West Kip could fairly be described as following the same trajectory as a rollercoaster track. Good for views but make sure you’ve got the right layers!
Lunch with a view: new level unlocked
Once you’re up there, it’s really not long before you reach the summit of East Kip. For a rather unremarkable grassy summit, the views are again superb. We settled down here and had our lunch overlooking the flipping lovely view of Loganlea Reservoir below. On a day of non-stop views this was my favourite, and its position bang on halfway around makes it the perfect lunch spot. It’s hard to believe somewhere this rugged and remote has the city of Edinburgh tucked away behind a hill. We saw a few planes taking off from Edinburgh airport which was a mildly surreal experience while walking along a ridge which would put many other walks to shame.
Finished with lunch, it was time for our final ascent of the day: West Kip. Our guide book describes West Kip as having an ‘airy ridge’ which immediately freaked me out. Long term readers will know that I am not a fan of any kind of exposure. Happily, it turned out to be completely fine and manageable for even me. It’s similar in width and terrain to the Cat’s Back in Herefordshire, and wider than Chrome Hill in the Peaks. Not scary at all (phew).
A lovely return
The walk back is a 2.5km stretch across a moor. At first it’s a little featureless, with the main view being back across to the ridge you’ve just walked. Soon though passing through a gate leads to fab views of Edinburgh, framed by the bright and beautiful heather. Usually I find that views of towns spoil walks a bit, but this was different. The Queensferry crossing was unmistakable and just made it ‘pop’ that little bit more. I think Sam got a bit sick of hearing me say what a lovely walk this was by the point! Eventually this path joins up with the outward route and it’s an easy walk back to the car. I couldn’t believe that we only saw about ten people on this walk when it’s so close to Edinburgh: wild.
If you’re looking for an introduction to the Pentlands, I couldn’t recommend a better walk than this. Not only does it bag the highest summit (compulsory homework for hill walkers), the views are varied and non-stop. The paths are decent all the way around and I’d be surprised if they’re ever horrendously boggy. Best of all, it was lovely and quiet when we did it on a Monday in August. It feels like I’m telling you about a secret walk when really it’s got no business being this quiet! If you’re visiting in August, the heather makes this a must-visit, too.
Dog Friendly Rating: Scald Law & The Kips
Dog friendly rating: 3/5. There are two sections on a quiet road at the start and end – we didn’t see any cars here, just some cyclists. Dogs need to be on the lead for most of this walk due to sheep throughout. The walk is stile free and there’s a burn they can paddle in near the start. We carried extra water for our dogs and they were grateful for this – there’s no more water once you’re on the hill.
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