Woodhall Dean - Scottish Wildlife Trust Wildlife Reserve

Lovely afternoon walk. The paths are narrow and steep at parts. I had to turn back as I'm a little unsteady but hubby and kids loved it.

Beautiful walk, woodland, river and meadows. Lots of plants to see. Great bluebell display today.

This is a charming but relatively small wildlife reserve notable for adders and plentiful woodland wildflowers, gnarled oaks and quiet. It is owned by the Scottish Wildlife Trust and a designated as an SSSI, so pretty special - a national treasure. It feels much larger by nature of the undulating and occasionally v steep topography, and includes a gurgling burn and an old bridge among other relict path features. The nicely designed path network (not all abilities though) means you can enjoy longer circular and shorter out and back walks. Far from being untouched, it is nevertheless a very fine example of what we think of as ancient woodland (it has been around for a long time). All the valleys in this area would have looked a little like this. Walk in any direction and you'll see that bluebells still hang on after the woodland has gone, but only just - waiting for an enlightened landowner to think big and stop pheasant shooting, which is ruinous for the wildlife. The current management at SWT means that when a tree falls it is often left there, don't be alarmed. There are some coppiced areas and there are some new plantings here and there. As it is a wildlife reserve stick to the paths and if you must bring a dog it should be on a short lead not running riot in the undergrowth (adders are not agressive but could bite in self defence). The wood is also reachable on foot from Thurston Manor, but waterproof boots are needed, esp. in winter as you'll need to cross the burn multiple times. There's another SSSI a few miles further up the valley at Halls. I sometimes imagine what if these habitats were connected and easily accessible on foot?

Loved this walk and it was a really beautiful time with all the bluebells and birdsong.

Lovely walk 2.8 miles if you do full thing. Requires good mobility due to the ups and downs involved. Signs about adders and game birds.

A great place to get away from it all for a wee while. A gorgeous setting and a well looked after path with numerous benches to stop for a rest and admire the view.

A lovely spring walk but some extra signage would be helpful

Stunning walk beautiful untouched area very easy to drive to just off A1

Absolutely love walking Caley around the gardens. It’s nice to get out of Edinburgh, but not too far away, to explore the beautiful grounds and stream. Big views of the surrounding hills. We only go on Wednesdays between 12 and 5 so make sure you check their website first.