if anyone is in Edinburgh, Im looking for a bit of help please. Can you tell me if there is some nice, attractive (scenic?) park in central Edinburgh, where people can walk their dogs (can be national trust though). Thanks on advance and if you prefer to pm me thats fine.

http://walking.visitscotland.com/walks/centralscotland/holyrood_park_arthurs_seat

Its lovely round this area Sam.

yes that looks ideal thanks. (btw.original post should have read CANT be NT....sorry) Just what im looking for for my location , thanks.

another question, sorry.......would you say this is a generally "safe" place for people??? Odd question I know, but had one lady email me and say she wouldnt want to leave her car parked there unattended!!!!!

It's absolutely fine, my oh used to live next to the park and I often parked there overnight with no problems. I still stop at Holyrood to give the dogs a run if I've taken them into town. From a dog walkers point of view though there are some hazards - the road all round arthurs seat and the suicidal swans! It's a lovely park though :-)

some more walks here. My daughter lives near the observatory which is on Blackford hill and its a nice area to walk. Wouldn't really want to walk any of these places 'after dark' as I don't know them well enough but during daylight hours I wouldn't have a problem walking or leaving my car - just take normal precautions ie nothing valuable left on view etc but that's the same for any city :-)

Thats a good link M :-)

Sam, if you look at Dakkobears link then the John Muir park at yellowcraigs is really nice, it's my favourite walk, about 45mins drive from town. Long, sandy beach with large area of grass and dunes.

Corstorphine hill is fine to give a dog a quick run, but I wouldn't really recommend it, there are a couple of small fields and then a wooded walk. The walled garden is pretty but quite small.

The Pentlands are ideal is you want wide open spaces, rugged terrain - watch out for sheep though.

Granton I would not recommend at all, I can't work out why it's on that list. It has a very narrow beach which disappears completely when the tide comes in. On the other side of the sea wall is a narrow strip of grass next to a busy road? Silverknowes is a far nicer beach :-)

Portobello is ok, good if you want beach photos with the town in the background, again I'd prefer Silverknowes for dogs though.

The Braids and Blackford Hill are lovely, only been a couple of times but enjoyed the walk and the view.

Inverleith Park is a nice inner city green space, as is Pilrig Park.

Musselburgh is pretty but not suitable for hounds, it's a landscaped area of ground on either side of the river through the town centre, it isn't fenced from the road though.

thanks for all the ideas/links......It has to be somewhere within walking of central Edinburgh, as Ill have no transport on the day im there, other than public transport, and must be dog friendly, and ideally a place where people are familiar with walking their dogs there and are comfortable with.

> It has to be somewhere within walking of central Edinburgh

I'd say that you're choices are a bit limited then, Holyrood Park definitely springs to mind as probably your best bet from central Edinburgh.

I guess it depends how far you are prepared to walk to get there and where exactly you are starting from.

Silverknowes, Cammo, or The Braid Hills, would be my suggestions if you had transport to get there.

Anyway, I hope you enjoy your trip and your visit to "Auld Reekie" ! 

I live in Edinburgh, if you're in the city centre then Holyrood Park is your best bet, I've walked there loads and it's safe, during the day it's usually very busy with walkers, joggers etc. and once you're away from the road there's heaps of space for the dogs to bomb around. If you can get transport then Harlaw and Threipmuir reservoirs in the Pentlands near Balerno is a fantastic place to walk and Cammo out to the north-west of the city is also great. Hope you enjoy Edinburgh!

If you're walking then Princes Street Gardens is scenic?

Public transport is of course my speciality :-)

Lothian Buses...

No 36 from Waverley Bridge (outside train station) to Holyrood & Arthurs Seat, No 41 from this stop to Blackford for the observatory and Braid Hills.
No 16 from Princes Street or South St David St (corner of Jenners) to Silverknowes beach.
No 10 from the gardens side of Princes Street to Torphin or Bonaly for the Pentland Hills.
No 44 for Balerno and alternative access to the Pentlands.
No 26 for Portobello beach.

All buses £1.20 a journey, no matter how far you're going. We like passengers who have their exact fare ready ;-)

oooooooo do you drive the 41? That's the bus my daughter gets back and forward to uni I think :-D :-D

Tell her to look out for the driver covered in dog hair :-)  I do try to de-hair my fleece but it's a losing battle!

will do :D - I'm always covered in cat hair!!

great info....and can I ask our resident bus expert please.....:).......is there a bus from waverly train station to the park? That will be my mode of transport!

No 36 from Waverley Bridge (outside train station) to Holyrood & Arthurs Seat

This is the one you want Sam - Holyrood/Arthurs seat is the park  :-)

Or walk it (under a mile) taking in sights such as the Royal Mile, Holyrood Palace and the (ugly) Scottish Parliament Building on the way.....

MAP HERE

normally wouldnt hesitate to walk it....but ill have 2 very large heavy bags of equipment and no where to leave the heavier stuff so have to carry it with me on the day....so bus will be easier i think:)

> normally wouldnt hesitate to walk it....but ill have 2 very large heavy bags of equipment and no where to leave the heavier stuff so have to carry it with me on the day....so bus will be easier i think:)

Yep, bus would be sensible in that case.  :)

You do know though that there is a secure "LEFT LUGGAGE" facility at waverly station should you feel the need to unburden yourself of any of the heavy items for a while whilst walking the dog, just thought I'd mention that in case it's of use to you.  :)

PS The link within the link I provided is wrong, best phone the number in the link if you want more info !

the link does work....what a good idea.....im not sure how their insurance etc would cover my equipment though...Ill have to call them and ask (not walking a dog BTW....working....hence all the gear LOL!).......Hope its  a good weather forecast for Edinburgh on thursday????? :(

Accuweather says rain!  :-(

brilliant thanks dakkobear...and one more question if I may.....I need to tell my clients where ill meet them. if i get the No.36 from the station, whats the name of the place it stops at holyrood park? And if anyone else fancies coming along for a calendar photo shoot please do....so far we have about 6 boxers but all breeds would be welcome!!

When is it Sam??

Might nip down, it's only an hour away!

The 36 stops right outside the parliament building, this is the 36s last stop and it's at the edge of the park. Your clients could park in the Holyrood Palace car park opposite, you just cross the road to meet them. Alternatively you could get off the stop before and meet them at Dynamic Earth.

The 36 runs every 20 minutes during the day, due at Waverley at 5, 25 and 45 minutes past and takes about 8 minutes to get to the park.

I'd love to have brought the silken along but am working :-(

Is it this coming Thursday? What time? I could bring my 3 along, they're well used to having their photos taken :-)

No problem Sam - Tigger2 our real bus expert has answered - hope it keeps fair for you - rather overcast today!

Sam, I've just heard that the 36 is currently diverted (and will still be on Thursday). The last stop at the moment is outside The Scotsman HQ, near Dynamic Earth. It's still on the edge of the park but you'd be better meeting your clients at the front of The Scotsman. If they are driving there is pay and display parking on street there. This pic gives you a rough idea of the area, the purple balloon is the 36s last stop and the A the Scotsman building.

Sam, can we view the pictures taken at Holyrood??

just to say thanks for the bus info, it was perfect and spot on....although the driver obviously thought i was foreign as i tried to hand him the money (instead of putting it in a slot!) and then not realising there was no option to be given change :(    (how unfair is that???) and then on the way home i stood on the same side of the road as I had got OFF the bus....and wondered why non were stopping!!! Oh well, cities and me dont really mix, but i was mighty impressed by the park in the middle of the city, and met some great folk on my job there. my only gripe for Edinburgh is spending 30p to use the loos in the station!!!!