Walk of the Week: Torduff Water Walk, near Bonaly, The Pentlands

THE Pentland Hills are a fantastic asset to Edinburgh. Stretching to the south, they offer a variety of walks from long, high-level tramps across hills to short strolls, and they are a haven of peace and quiet as well as a place for wildlife to thrive.

The Pentland Hills Regional Park has done some marvellous work laying out guided walks. The route here is called the Torduff Water Walk and marker posts with water tap symbols show the way.

Torduff Reservoir is man made and feels like a secret of nature. Fed by a bubbling burn, plunging through lush vegetation, the waters lie beneath a steep escarpment studded with rocky outcrops.

As you make your way along, Salisbury Crags and Arthur's Seat come into view but for a stretch of the walk the rest of the city cannot be seen, lost in the lower ground between the two points. This gives a sense of what the country here would have looked like many centuries ago.

There is a bench at the end of the reservoir. If you don't sit down and take in the view and atmosphere of tranquillity then either your life is far too busy or someone else has already sat down.

If it's the latter, wait until the bench is free.

DISTANCE

1 miles.

HEIGHT CLIMBED

230ft.

TIME

1 hour.

MAP

OS Landranger 66.

PARK

Just west of Colinton in Edinburgh, on Woodhall Road, turn left, up Bonaly Road, following a brown sign "Pentland Hills Regional Park (Bonaly)". The road goes over the city bypass then narrows as it passes a Scout camp and reaches a car park.

IN SUMMARY

Go through a gate at the top of the car park and carry straight on, following a sign for Torduff Water Walk. The wide path goes straight up, into Sanctuary Wood. At the far edge of the trees, just before a gate, go right to follow a marker, along the wood edge.

When the trees end, go through a gate on the left and another marker pointing out the grass path ahead, running through heather. The path drops down and swings right before passing through a gate. After going through two more gates in quick succession you reach a minor road, where you go right. This road leads along the reservoir to a gate.

Go right once through it and walk across the reservoir dam. On the other side go through a gate then turn left, not up a hill ahead. The path leads round and down to the gate at the top of the car park.

REFRESH

Try the Colinton Inn, MacKenzie's Restaurant or Dante's Trattoria on Bridge Road (down the hill from the traffic lights). Another well-known pub is the Spylaw Tavern.

• This article first appeared in Scotland on Sunday, September 12, 2010