Swanston: the thatched village and the Pentland edge
A thatched conservation village, Stevenson's summer cottage, and the climb to the Pentland edge. This is a Claude-drafted route awaiting the editor's walk.

1. Swanston village
Start in the cluster of whitewashed, thatched cottages at the foot of the hills — a conservation village so tidy it feels staged, except people live here. Walk the loop of the green slowly. There is no shop, no pub; that's rather the point.

2. Swanston Cottage (Stevenson's house)
The larger house just east, where Robert Louis Stevenson's family spent summers from 1867. He wrote of these hills all his life, even from Samoa. You can't go in — it's private — but the gate and the setting are the thing.

3. Swanston golf course edge
Skirt the edge of the golf course on the marked path — the fairways climb the lower slope and the views back over the city open as you rise. Stick to the path; the golfers have right of way but the right of way is yours.

4. T Wood and the hill path
Climb the path beside the plantation the locals call the T Wood for its shape. The trees give shelter on the way up; above them the open hillside of the Pentlands begins. This is where the city walk becomes a hill walk.

5. Caerketton flank (the turn)
The path rises toward Caerketton Hill, the Pentlands' city-facing summit. You don't have to top out — the shoulder gives the whole panorama, Edinburgh to the Forth to Fife. Turn here unless your legs want the summit; the brae is steep above.

6. Bow Bridge and the burn back
Come down by the old stone Bow Bridge over the burn and follow the water back toward Swanston and the road. The descent is gentle and green; the city rises to meet you the whole way down. Bus 4 from Hunters Tryst.

Swanston: the thatched village and the Pentland edge