view from the braid hills edinburgh
Edinburgh,  Hikes & Walks,  Scotland

A Walk Around The Braid Hills In Edinburgh – Your Complete Guide

Disclosure: Please note links on this page may be affiliate links. If you have any questions, please read my full disclaimer here. Thank you for your support!

Last Updated On 13th July 2021 By Lauren | Wild Lovely World

In this post, discover the beautiful Braid Hills in Edinburgh – a lovely spot for a walk.

Braid Hills is No. 3 in our Quick Guide to The Seven Hills of Edinburgh series. Check out the full series here: The Seven Hills Of Edinburgh: A Quick Guide

Quick Guide To The Braid Hills In Edinburgh

Summary Of The Braid Hills Walk

The Braid’s are, in a word, beautiful!

Relatively open in themselves, at 213m (699ft) they sit within a primarily residential area which is quiet and secluded. There is, however, a huge golf course along the top of this hill, which is great if you love golf but for walkers it can kind of get in the way.

Nevertheless, the main trail goes all the way around the hills by skirting the edge, so with the golf course being in the middle you only really need to cross over it once as you circle around the other side (at this stage there is also a little picnic table to stop for lunch).

The trail is also popular with pony trekkers and is a dirt track so can get quite muddy in places.

I advise to wear boots, or trainers if you stick to a sunny day when there’s been a few days of good weather.

  • Distance: Around 4.5 km / 2.75 miles loop.
  • Time: Around 1.5 hours at an easy, relaxed pace.
  • Terrain: Relatively flat once on the path. The path can be quite muddy in places.
  • Highlights: Beautiful views across Edinburgh. Vibrant gorse bushes.
  • Dogs: A nice place to walk the dog. Be mindful of golf players and horses.
  • Start: Braid Hills Golf Club, Braid Hills Approach.
  • Finish: Braid Hills Golf Club, Braid Hills Approach.
  • See below on how to get there.

How To Get To The Braid Hills In Edinburgh

A walk around the Braids can easily be combined with Blackford Hill as it is directly opposite.

Bus: To get there, take the Lothian Bus services 11, 15 or 15A to Comiston Road and follow the Braid Hills Road and then Braid Hills Approach. Approach to the car park of the Braid Golf Club.

Car: There is public parking at the Braid Hills Golf Club.

braid hills edinburgh summit
Braid Hills summit, Edinburgh

Where To Start Your Braid Hills Walk

You can start the trail from the golf car park at the top of the Braid Hills Approach road and follow the signs to the left which read “Braid Farm Road Entrance”.

IMG_9138
Braid Hills Approach. To the left is a little museum in an old Police Box.
IMG_9141
Start of the circular trail from the golf car park

What You’ll See On The Braid Hills

The best thing about the Braids is that they covered with bright yellow gorse, which fills the air with that lovely sweet coconutty smell – yum!

In addition, there are great views panoramic views over the city, Blackford Hill, the Pentlands, Arthur’s Seat and all the way out to sea.

IMG_9143
Blooming gorgeous gorse
IMG_9169
Great opportunity for nice photos with the city
IMG_9177
Panoramic view from the top of the Braids

At The Top Of The Braid Hills

At the summit is a viewpoint area and also a sign pointing to all Seven Hills of Edinburgh, and all seven are visible from the top – neat! Having climbed all seven this is the only one I saw which has a sign like this.

There are also benches which makes a nice place to stop for a picnic.

the braid hills edinburgh summit sign seven hills of edinburgh
Seven Hills of Edinburgh – on Braid Hills

Quick Guide To The Braid Hills

Braid Hills is No. 3 in our Quick Guide to The Seven Hills of Edinburgh series. Check out the full series here: The Seven Hills Of Edinburgh: A Quick Guide

Did you find this article useful? Let me know in the comments or join me on Twitter, Facebook, Pinterest and Instagram. Buy me a coffee here!

Looking for more awesome stuff to do in Edinburgh? Check out these posts:

Disclosure: Please note that links on this page may be affiliate links. If you decide to make a purchase through one of these links, I may earn a commission at no additional cost to you. I use all of the companies I recommend and I use them because they are awesome and help make my travels better. If you are ready to book and would like to support Wild Lovely World, using these links is one way to do that. Visit my Travel Resources page for my top travel recommendations. Thank you for your support! If you have any questions, please contact me or read my full disclaimer here.

Lauren is a coffee and cat obsessed travel writer from the U.K., specialising in solo female, couple travel and budget backpacking. She has previously lived in Australia, New Zealand, Japan, England and Scotland. Follow her adventures around the world on her blog WildLovelyWorld.com

One Comment

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

5 × 3 =

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.