Solo Hidden Gems in Edinburgh & the Lothians
Written by UK Hidden Gems Editorial
Updated 5 August 2026
The solo hidden gems in Edinburgh & the Lothians are Dr Neil's Garden, Bonaly Country Park, Brunstane Burn Tunnel Walk, Craiglockhart Hill, Hunter's Bog, Prestonfield Pond, Threipmuir Reservoir and Cambridge Street Wild Garden.
Edinburgh is a city of well-known sights, but step a little off the tourist trail and it opens into quieter corners made for wandering alone. This roundup gathers eight low-key, characterful spots across the city and the Lothians that suit an unhurried solo day, from hidden gardens to hill paths and reed-fringed water.
There is the secluded calm of Dr Neil's Garden by Duddingston Loch, the wooded climb of Bonaly Country Park into the Pentlands, and the surfaced burn-side path of the Brunstane Burn Tunnel Walk. There are the twin summits and Iron Age fort of Craiglockhart Hill, the hidden valley of Hunter's Bog in Holyrood Park, and the reservoir walks at Threipmuir on the Pentland edge.
A couple, like Prestonfield and Cambridge Street, turn out to be more about their surroundings than any pond or garden today, which is part of their curious charm. Each rewards a slow, solo visit at your own pace.
Here are eight hidden gems to seek out on a solo day in Edinburgh & the Lothians.
Dr Neil's Garden
Photo: Richard Webb via Geograph.org.uk
Dr Neil’s Garden is a secluded garden on the sloping glebe land beside Duddingston Kirk, running down toward Duddingston Loch below Arthur's Seat. A husband-and-wife pair of doctors, Nancy and Andrew Neil, began it in 1963 on rough ground, and it is now run by a trust and kept up by volunteers, with terraced beds, conifers, heathers, a physic garden and a pond.
On the site stands Thomson's Tower, an octagonal building of 1825 designed by William Playfair for a curling society, with a small curling museum inside. Open daily and free, with donations invited, it is a peaceful spot to seek out alone.
Bonaly Country Park
Photo: Richard Webb via Geograph.org.uk
Bonaly Country Park is a wooded hillside above Colinton on the northern edge of the Pentland Hills, run by the City of Edinburgh Council and one of the main gateways into the Pentland Hills Regional Park. From a car park at the end of Bonaly Road, paths climb through mixed woodland to open hill ground and a chain of small Victorian reservoirs, with walking and cycling routes and views back over the city.
The neighbouring hamlet of Torphin lies to the west. It is an easy, uplifting escape from the city and a fine gateway to walk alone and seek out.
Brunstane Burn Tunnel Walk
Photo: JThomas via Geograph.org.uk
Brunstane Burn Tunnel Walk is a surfaced walking and cycling path that follows the Brunstane Burn through the eastern edge of Edinburgh, near Brunstane and Newcraighall, forming part of the John Muir Way. The path runs beside the quiet burn and passes through a stone tunnel under the railway line before carrying on past a golf course toward the coast at Joppa.
It was upgraded to an all-weather, buggy-friendly path in 2013, ahead of the John Muir Way opening the following year. Level and low-key, it makes an easy solo stroll on the city's edge to seek out.
Craiglockhart Hill
Photo: M J Richardson via Geograph.org.uk
Craiglockhart Hill is a twin-topped wooded hill in southwest Edinburgh, one of the city's seven hills, split by a valley into Wester Craiglockhart Hill at 175 metres and Easter Craiglockhart Hill at 158 metres. Paths wind up through the trees to grassy summits with wide views over the city to the castle, Arthur's Seat and the Pentlands, past a reed-fringed pond on the lower ground.
On the higher, Wester summit are the remains of an Iron Age fort, a scheduled monument, while the lower slopes form a local nature reserve. Quiet and green, it is a rewarding hill to climb alone and seek out.
Hunter's Bog
Photo: N Chadwick via Geograph.org.uk
Hunter’s Bog sinks into the hollow between Salisbury Crags and Arthur's Seat, a grassy valley running right through the middle of Edinburgh's Holyrood Park yet missed by most who visit. Its floor is wet, boggy ground of rushes and seasonal pools rather than open water, though a loch did fill it back in the sixteenth century before draining away by the 1700s.
Since grazing stopped in the 1970s the ground has run wild into rough grassland and scrub. A low path traces the bottom, joining the crags to the hill and keeping you clear of the busy park roads above.
Few think to drop down here, which is its charm.
Prestonfield Pond
Photo: Richard Webb via Geograph.org.uk
Prestonfield Pond lies below Arthur's Seat and the Salisbury Crags on the southeast side of Edinburgh, an old estate whose grounds are now the parkland of Prestonfield Golf Club, with the 17th-century Prestonfield House, now a hotel, close by. Despite the name, there is no longer a pond here; the ornamental pond that once stood by the house was filled in by the mid-19th century.
The nearest open water is Duddingston Loch, a bird sanctuary a short way to the northeast below the hill. For a curious solo detour into the city's layered past, it is an intriguing corner to seek out.
Threipmuir Reservoir
Photo: Richard Webb via Geograph.org.uk
Threipmuir Reservoir lies at the northern foot of the Pentland Hills, about two miles south of Balerno on the edge of Edinburgh, a long stretch of water built in the 1840s to feed the Water of Leith. It is a popular gateway into the Pentlands, reached from the Harlaw car park and visitor centre, with mostly good paths and one boggy stretch by the water.
Its shallow western end, Bavelaw Marsh, is a protected wildlife site rich in breeding and wintering birds, from grebes and black-headed gulls to whooper swans and geese. The 16th-century Bavelaw Castle stands on the south side.
It is a calm, birdy walk to take alone and seek out.
Cambridge Street Wild Garden
Photo: kim traynor via Geograph.org.uk
Cambridge Street Wild Garden runs through Edinburgh's West End between Lothian Road and Castle Terrace, in a built-up block among the Usher Hall, the Traverse Theatre and the Saltire Court offices. Rather than a garden, this is city-centre ground of pavements, theatre entrances and a multi-storey car park.
The nearest real greenery is St Cuthbert's kirkyard and the western end of Princes Street Gardens, a short walk north below the Castle. It makes a curious stop on a solo wander through the West End, best paired with those greener corners nearby to seek out.
FAQs
Which of these Edinburgh gems are best for wildlife?
Threipmuir Reservoir, and Bavelaw Marsh at its shallow western end, is a protected site rich in breeding and wintering birds, from grebes to whooper swans. Dr Neil's Garden and Craiglockhart Hill also have ponds that add to their quiet, wildlife-friendly feel.
Are Prestonfield Pond and Cambridge Street Wild Garden actual gardens or ponds?
Not really. Prestonfield's ornamental pond was filled in by the mid-19th century, and Cambridge Street is city-centre ground of pavements and a car park rather than a garden. Both are more about their surroundings and history than the name suggests.
Do I need to leave the city centre for these spots?
Some sit within easy reach of the centre, like Hunter's Bog in Holyrood Park and Cambridge Street in the West End. Others, such as Bonaly and Threipmuir, lie out toward the Pentland edge and reward a short trip beyond the city.
Conclusion
Edinburgh and the Lothians reward anyone happy to wander a little off the beaten track. Slip into the secluded calm of Dr Neil's Garden, climb through the woods at Bonaly or up Craiglockhart Hill, or lose the crowds in the hidden valley of Hunter's Bog.
Follow the surfaced burn-side path at Brunstane, or walk the birdy shores of Threipmuir on the Pentland edge. Even the places that turn out to be more surroundings than garden or pond, like Cambridge Street and Prestonfield, add a curious twist to a day of quiet exploring.
Most ask only that you turn up unhurried and let the city's quieter corners come to you. Pick one for an afternoon or thread a few into a day: these are the hidden gems to seek out on a solo day in Edinburgh & the Lothians.
