The Pentland Hills run southwest from Edinburgh towards Biggar, covering an area of 210 sq km, and their generally rounded appearance is a result of sculpting by glaciers and meltwater. They reach a maximum height of 579m at Scald Law, although most lie between 400m and 550m in height.

The Pentlands offer good variety for the walker, with excellent path systems that are interesting but not too rugged, and proximity to civilisation adding up to a superb introduction to hillwalking in Scotland. These hills are especially suitable for beginners, although the longer and more remote routes in the southern end, a more openly exposed remote landscape, with less obvious waymarking and more challenging navigation, should satisfy the more seasoned hiker.

In this guidebook there are 30 walks which are suitable for all levels of experience. The routes described have been chosen to give a flavour of the hills at their best to ensure that you enjoy your walks. The Pentlands do not cover a vast tract of land, and inevitably routes cross and cover some of the same ground, but every walk is different in character, and the experience of walking it is influenced by weather, mood, companions and so on.

As far as possible the routes are circular as this reduces the need for additional transport and reflects the fact that most walkers prefer not to retrace their steps. For some walks you may need to retrace your steps for a short way back to the start point, but none is linear. There are optional links with other routes in the book included to lengthen some walks and informative ?points of interest’ are found throughout.