Most people driving to the Pentland Hills aim straight for the Flotterstone car park on the A702. That route is well-known, which is also why the main ridge path there fills with walkers on a clear Saturday morning. The western edge of the park — starting from Threipmuir Reservoir near Balerno — sees a fraction of that footfall, and the walking is just as good.
The Hare Hill circuit via Green Cleugh is the standout route on this side. It climbs through a sheltered valley, breaks onto open heather moorland, and finishes with a summit view taking in the Firth of Forth to the north and the full Pentland ridge to the south. Roughly 9km circular. About 285 metres of elevation gain. Three to four hours at a relaxed pace.
The Full Route: Green Cleugh to Hare Hill Step by Step
The walk begins at Threipmuir Car Park on Bavelaw Road, about 2km from Balerno village. From the car park, a well-maintained gravel track runs west along the north shore of Threipmuir Reservoir. It is flat, clear, and requires nothing beyond comfortable footwear for this opening section.
From the Reservoir to the Valley Entrance
After crossing the reservoir dam at around 0.5km, the track curves southwest. Green Cleugh opens to your right at roughly the 1.5km mark — a grassy valley with a small burn running through the middle, the path narrowing between low banks. This is where the terrain changes and where the footwear you chose at home starts to matter.
The valley floor follows the burn uphill. It stays damp throughout the year because it sits sheltered from drying wind and is continuously fed by hillside drainage. After significant rainfall in the preceding 48 hours, expect genuinely boggy ground from 1.5km to around 3km. The path is clear but unpaved and undrained. After wet weather, picking your line carefully through the soggier sections will save your footwear and your patience.
The Upper Moorland Section
At roughly 3km, the valley opens fully into open heather moorland. The gradient eases and the views start building — north toward the Firth of Forth, south along the main Pentland ridge. On a clear day, the Lomonds of Fife are visible across the water.
From here the path continues southwest, gaining height steadily. In clear weather the route is obvious. In mist above 400 metres, the path becomes vague on the ground and the summit cairn disappears into grey — this is where a downloaded OS Maps tile becomes genuinely necessary rather than just helpful. The Hare Hill summit cairn sits at approximately 500 metres and comes into view around 600 metres before you reach it on a clear day.
Returning via the Eastern Ridge
The simplest return avoids retracing Green Cleugh entirely. From the summit, head east along the broad ridge. The path drops gradually northward, with views opening toward Threipmuir Reservoir below and Edinburgh’s skyline visible on clear days. The descent runs mostly over grassy terrain rather than the heather bog of the ascent. The path rejoins the reservoir track about 1km east of the Green Cleugh turn-off, leaving a flat 1km gravel walk back to the car park to finish.
| Stage | Distance from Start | Approx Elevation | Est. Time | Terrain |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Threipmuir Car Park | 0 km | 215m | 0 min | Gravel car park |
| Reservoir dam crossing | 0.5 km | 205m | 8 min | Flat gravel track |
| Green Cleugh entry | 1.5 km | 280m | 28 min | Grass path, boggy in wet weather |
| Green Cleugh upper | 3 km | 395m | 60 min | Open heather moorland |
| Hare Hill summit | 4 km | ~500m | 80 min | Open moorland, summit cairn |
| Ridge descent junction | 6 km | 360m | 105 min | Grassy slope, easy ground |
| Threipmuir Car Park | 9 km | 215m | 145 min | Gravel reservoir track |
Times assume a moderate pace with occasional stops. Experienced hill walkers will move faster. Anyone new to hill walking should add a 30–40 minute buffer and factor in time for map checks and gear adjustments.
What This Route Actually Demands From You
The reservoir section is easy — flat gravel, suitable for any fitness level. Green Cleugh changes the requirements considerably. The terrain in the valley and upper moorland is the kind that separates prepared walkers from underprepared ones. Here is exactly what the route needs from you:
- Waterproof boots — The Merrell Moab 3 GTX (£140) and the Salomon X Ultra 4 Mid GTX (£155) are the two most-worn boots on Pentlands routes for good reason: both have Gore-Tex membranes, solid ankle support, and the grip needed for wet heather and bog. The Brooks Cascadia 17 (£130) is a capable trail runner in dry conditions but will not keep water out in a saturated bog section after a rainy few days.
- A navigation tool you trust — The OS Maps app (£29.99/year for offline tiles) pre-loaded with the Pentland Hills map tile before you leave home. The Harvey Maps Pentland Hills 1:25000 paper map (£9.99) as a backup that fits in a jacket pocket. Phones die in cold rain; screens blank in bright sun. Having both means you are covered either way without adding meaningful weight.
- Windproof outer layer — The summit is fully exposed at approximately 500 metres. A Rab Downpour Plus jacket (£130) or an equivalent hardshell handles the wind chill that a lowland city forecast won’t mention. The temperature differential between Edinburgh and the Pentland summit can be significant, especially with westerly wind.
- Food and water — No facilities anywhere on this route. Carry at least 750ml of water and a proper lunch or snack for the summit stop. The nearest café is back in Balerno village, about 10 minutes by car.
- Microspikes in winter — From November through March, ice is a real possibility above 400 metres on north-facing slopes. Kahtoola Microspikes (£65) grip iced-over paths and frozen heather securely. Yaktrax Explorer (£35) handle lighter rime ice adequately. Neither weighs much; both prevent falls that have no business happening on a hill this size.
The 285 metres of elevation gain is completely manageable for anyone who walks regularly. People who rarely exercise will feel the sustained 1km push through the upper moorland. That is the honest version, and it is worth knowing before you start rather than finding out halfway up.
Is This Route Worth the Drive?
Yes, without qualification. It is one of the best half-day walks within 20 minutes of Edinburgh city centre, the Green Cleugh approach is quieter than anything on the eastern Pentlands side, and the late August heather on the upper moorland is worth the trip on its own.
Getting There, Parking, and When to Go
The start point is Threipmuir Car Park on Bavelaw Road, Balerno. Free parking, roughly 25–30 spaces, and it fills fast on clear weekend mornings. Arriving after 10am on a sunny Sunday in summer often means parking on the road verge and adding an unnecessary 500 metres to your walk. Weekday mornings are nearly always empty.
| Travel Method | Details | Cost | Practical Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Car | Threipmuir Car Park, Bavelaw Road, Balerno EH14 | Free | Fills by 9:30am on clear weekends; arrive before 8:30am |
| Bus and walk | Lothian Buses route 44 to Balerno, then 1.5km on foot to car park | From £2.10 single | Limited Sunday service — check Lothian Buses app before travelling |
| Taxi or rideshare | Approximately 25 minutes from central Edinburgh | £20–28 each way | Useful for groups or one-way routes; no parking stress |
Seasonal Conditions at a Glance
| Season | Ground Conditions | Daylight Hours | Crowd Level | Best Reason to Go |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| March–May | Firming up, occasional frost on summits | 12–16 hrs | Low–medium | Clear skies, sharp long-distance views, minimal mud |
| June–August | Dry, heather lush and green | 17–18 hrs | High on weekends | Late August heather bloom on upper moorland |
| September–October | Ground wetting up, colours changing | 10–14 hrs | Medium | Autumn light, quiet after school holidays end |
| November–February | Boggy to saturated, ice possible above 400m | 7–9 hrs | Very low | Snow days, near-total solitude, exceptionally clear air |
Late August to mid-September is the sweet spot for this route. The heather on the upper moorland hits peak purple in that window, the days are still long enough to start at 8am and finish comfortably before noon, and crowds drop noticeably after the first week of September when school holidays end across Scotland.
Mistakes That Turn a Good Walk Into a Bad Day
Do you actually need waterproof boots, or is this overcautious advice?
You need them — not for the reservoir section, but for Green Cleugh in anything other than an extended dry spell. The valley floor holds water for days after rain. Road trainers and mesh-sided trail runners leave you with wet, cold feet by the 2km mark, and another 7km of open moorland in wet shoes is genuinely miserable. In winter it stops being about comfort and starts being about cold exposure risk. The Merrell Moab 3 GTX handles this section without issue. The fix is entirely the footwear decision made before leaving home. There is no practical solution once you are standing in a bog.
Does the weather forecast at Balerno reflect what you will find on the summit?
No, and this catches people out regularly. Edinburgh lowland forecasts significantly understate what summit conditions can be. Check the Mountain Weather Information Service (MWIS) Southeast Scotland forecast the evening before and again on the morning of your walk — it gives hill-specific wind speeds and visibility rather than lowland averages. A forecast showing 30mph or more on the hills is a reason to walk the reservoir loop only and skip the ascent entirely. The reservoir circuit is a pleasant 5km outing in its own right, not a consolation prize. Come back for Hare Hill on a calmer day.
Why do so many people abandon the route at the same section of the valley?
The bog midway through Green Cleugh. Around the 2km mark, the path becomes indistinct and the ground saturates after rain. People in non-waterproof footwear — road trainers, fashion boots, standard mesh-lined trail runners — step into ankle-deep water and make the sensible decision to turn around. That is the right call. Continuing in wet shoes through another 7km of open moorland is not a test of toughness; it is unnecessary suffering and in cold temperatures a genuine risk. The Salomon X Ultra 4 Mid GTX or Merrell Moab 3 GTX eliminates this problem entirely. The choice happens before the walk, not during it.
Is navigation on the upper moorland genuinely difficult, or is this overstated?
In clear weather, no. The path through Green Cleugh is obvious and the open moorland above is simple enough to navigate visually toward the summit cairn. In mist — which rolls in fast from the west on the Pentlands — the upper section above 400 metres becomes a different situation. Paths grow faint, the summit cairn is invisible, and the broad featureless plateau can disorient you quickly. Download the OS Maps tile for this area offline before you leave home. The app caches it for use without mobile signal, which matters because coverage on the upper moorland is unreliable. The Harvey Maps Pentland Hills 1:25000 paper map costs £9.99, weighs almost nothing, and works when a phone does not. Five minutes of preparation the night before removes the navigation risk completely.
The specific recommendation: walk this route in late August or early September, arrive at Threipmuir Car Park before 9am, wear the Salomon X Ultra 4 Mid GTX or Merrell Moab 3 GTX, and download the OS Maps offline tile the evening before. Those four decisions cover every meaningful way this walk goes wrong. Everything else is just a very good morning on the hills, 20 minutes from Edinburgh.