Regional Park - Hillend And Flotterstone
Right on the County boundary where the City of Edinburgh meets Midlothian is Hillend Ski slope. This is one of the largest all weather artificial ski slopes in Europe and the largest in Britain. It caters for ski-ers at all levels. It is very accessible even from public transport. At the entrance to the ski slope is the bus terminus. Do keep in mind it is fair old climb up to the slope from the bus terminal. For the young bucks amongst us that should not be a problem, but if like me you are knocking on in years, or disabled, it could be a bit of a problem. Details of bus timing can accessed here. for Lothian Region buses and here for First Bus. By private car simply get your self onto the Edinburgh City Bypass (A720) and exit at the Carlisle ramp. That brings you to a round-a-bout where you will get the view as seen on the attached photograph and you can see the ski slope running up the centre of the Pentland Hills.
By taxi the cost of the fare from Edinburgh City centre to the ski slope would be in the region of £10. The ski centre is run by Midlothian County Councils and offers courses and training to suit all needs. Safety is a issue and your ability will be tested before you are let loose on the slope. What is available can be found here and as can be seen, it covers all aspects of skiing. The slope has a lift that takes skiers from the bottom right to the top of the slope. Do take time to study the ski slope web site. All details of what is available is published and it will save you time and money to book your requirements from the comfort of your own home. You will be of to a flying start and maximize your holiday time, reduce stress as everything would have been arranged before you even left the comfort of your own home.
The road that runs past Hillend Ski Slope is the A702. If you follow this road for about 2 miles towards Carlisle (southwards) you will see a turning of to your right that takes you into the Inn at Flotterstone. Turn right here and it will take you to the start of the of the Pentland Hills Regional Park. If you are into Hill walking, Mountain Biking, Wild life and Fishing this is the place for you to be. There is a car park at the Ranger Station on the right just past the entrance to the Inn. A tourist information office and toilets are within the car park. Just at the entrance to the car park is a barbecue and children's play area. The road leads you right into the heart of the Regional Park. About a mile or so into the park you will come across Glencorse Reservoir, as can be seen in the background on the photograph on the left. A mountian biker is making his way across the Regional Park.
Glencorse Reservoir is a Fishery. It has a small car park and you can drive up to it. The reservoir stock brown and rainbow trout. You must fish from a boat at this venue and no bank fishing is allowed. Continue on the same road keeping Glencorse Reservoir on your left, after about 2 miles you will come across Loganlea Reservoir. This is the home of Loganlea Trout Fishery. Once again it stocks brown and rainbow trout. On this fishery you can either fish from a boat or from the shore. The photograph on the left shows the reservoir. Both those fisheries contain some very big fish. Midlothian does not have a shore line and it goes without saying there is no sea fishing. The metal road that runs between the Ranger Station at Flotterstone takes you right into the heart of the Pentland Hills. It continues on past Loganlea Reservoir and the setting is just ripe for hill walking and mountain biking. At various points along the road there are exit point that take well defined track further into the hills and are used by hill walkers, both here and at Hillend.
Follow the links and it will give access information to more routes. Many of the routes used by hill walkers follow the same route as that used by mountain bikers. On parts of the route mountain bikers can be traveling at a high rate of knots. Keep safety in mind. A map of the area around Flotterstone can be found here and a map of the area around Hillend can be found here. Both the areas around Hillend and Flotterstone are used all the year round. As you can see on the photograph on the left of this paragraph. It was taken in January. The area in question is a house called the Howe, just on the west side of Loganlea Reservoir. You can see a distinct track running up the hill and if you check the map you can see it is very evident. Do keep in mind that the reservoirs are public water supplies and the hills are used for sheep farming. During the lambing season be aware of new born lambs. A squashed lamb can upset your family and ruin a good day. The area is also teaming with bird and wild life. While out for the day do take a good pair of binoculars with you and of course a camera is a must. Your day here for what ever reason, can be planned well before you even leave home and this saves valuable holiday time, not to mention money. I hope you find those few links of use.