Pentland Hills

Crawford Macnab

4 November 2025

The forecast for Rubers Law was a lot worse than nearer Edinburgh (or the Ochils!) so a decision was made to switch to a circular route in the Pentlands.

The number of walkers was reduced but still a respectable 8 - Graham, Jan, Stuart, Moira, Willie, Sarah, Denise, Crawford and Cosmo.

Plan was to start from the less well used Boghall car park, head along to the monument at Woodhouselee, round the edge of Castle Knowe, Fala Knowe before a short steep pull up to Allermuir Hill. Then optionally go part way along the ridge before descending or to drop down from Windy Door Nick.

The walk follows some trees at the edge of a field before climbing gradually to the Woodhouselee monument.

The monument is a 20-foot-tall Celtic cross erected in the late 1800s as a memorial to the Tytler family of Woodhouselee. It stands on a hill overlooking the site where New Woodhouselee once stood, about three-quarters of a mile from the author’s cottage and accessible via the Pentland Way path. The cross faces towards Edinburgh and features the names of several Tytler family members engraved on its base, along with a brass plate displaying the family crest. The family burial vault is located at Greyfriar’s Kirkyard in Edinburgh’s Old Town.

The New Woodhouselee house was built in 1796 using stones from the earlier Old Woodhouselee, a 16th-century tower house. The original house was associated with Lady Bothwellhaugh, the wife of James Hamilton of Bothwellhaugh, who was allegedly expelled from the property during a harsh winter by Sir John Bellenden, a favorite of Regent Moray, leading to her alleged madness and death. This tragic tale is linked to the legend that her ghost haunts the area, with the belief that the spirit followed the stones used in the construction of the new house. The story was immortalized by Sir Walter Scott in “The Gray Brother”.

New Woodhouselee was demolished by the Ministry of Defence in 1965, and its stones were likely repurposed after demolition. The ruins of Old Woodhouselee, located near the River North Esk, are now limited to a small barrel-roofed room and are considered unsafe to access. The area is also associated with other historical features, including a former gunpowder mill and a tunnel that once protected the railway line from sparks igniting explosives.

Not long after the monument the views open up to the South.

On reaching the track we headed north past the military firing range that was being used. (not great for poor Cosmo!) Dropping down from Fala Knowe we then did the short climb up to Allermuir Hill.

A bit of a wind now but dropping slightly off the top a sheltered spot was found for lunch. We were now back in the busier part of the Pentlands with a number of runners, walkers (some with accompanying sound track) passing by as lunch was taken.

With the temperature dropping a bit and the threat of rain coming in from the south we chose to take the quicker descent via Windy Door Nick back to Boghall.

Of the many cafe options we chose the Klondyke Garden Centre at Mortonhall where we feasted on scones, cake and giant strawberry tarts.

The garden centre had its christmas display where one of the action models looked like a resting Mike after his epic battle getting out of the gully at Hartfell Spa!

Despite the weather starting wet the concensus was it was good to get out and about for a walk.

The Loch Ore walk will be in December, led by Sarah.