Four reservoirs loop

The top of Currie’s Kirkgate is the starting point for my foray into the Pentlands today, a westerly morning breeze bringing a welcome coolness to the air as I set off.

Wild rose bloom

I begin by taking the stony track that continues uphill from the end of Kirkgate, following the sign indicating ‘Glencorse Reservoir 2.5m’. Wildflowers are in joyful abundance by the sides of the path as I ascend, from wild roses in delicate pinks and whites, to tangles of meadow vetchling, swathes of swaying yellow loosestrife, and the exquisite spear-shaped flower clusters of common spotted orchid.

Common spotted orchid

This floral spectacle is sound-tracked by cheerful calls of chaffinch, chiff-chaff and yellowhammer. Gradually, as I near open country, the beeches by the path give way to birch and Scots pine.

A small, crystal-clear burn meanders beneath the open canopy to my left. Then, leaving the trees and hedgerows behind, I follow the path over heathland towards Maiden’s Cleuch, traversing what was once the old Malleny Rifle range.

I admire Carnethy Hill’s camouflage colours between the green of Bell’s Hill and the darker slopes of Black Hill.

A skylark, larger than expected when seen close-up, alights on the drystone wall just ahead. It has a beak jammed full of insects and, despite this mouthful, is calling to its young to come and be fed. It stays close as I pass, parental instinct stronger than the fear of my presence. Soon, the air fills with the sound of larks all around. I see a kestrel speed through the air in the distance, rust-red wings catching the morning sun. It’s not close enough to silence the larks though.

Once over the col at Maiden’s Cleugh, the view opens up south-eastward down the valley to Glencorse Reservoir, with its pine-topped Swallows-and-Amazons island tempting in the distance. A bench by the shore would make a nice lunch stop were it later in the day, but today, just before reaching the reservoir, I turn sharply left and upslope, following the sign marked ‘Colinton by Bonaly’, heading over Knightfield Rig. Pausing to catch my breath, I turn to look back and am rewarded with a fine vista of the Pentland range, extending from Turnhouse Hill all the way to Scald Law and the Kips.

I continue through the valley between Harbour Hill and Capelaw Hill for a mile or so. On reaching a conifer plantation, I pass through a gate on my left, following the sign to Bonaly.

Emerging from the trees, I find myself by the spillway of Bonaly reservoir - smaller, and a little more windswept in character than Glencorse. I perch on the concrete parapet and scan around. An angler stands on the far shore, while little grebes and tufted duck dabble and dive amongst rafts of water plants that patchwork the surface. Closer by, a pied wagtail pecks amongst the shingle at the water’s edge and, as I sit contemplating this scene, a female mallard glides in to land in the shallows and begins to waddle up the beach towards me. She is clearly accustomed to taking advantage of the crumbs tossed by the walkers and cyclists who stop here. I make my apologies that I have no such treats this time before setting off on my way again.

Pied wagtail

Coming over the rise at the northern end of the reservoir, a panoramic view of the city is revealed, which I soak in at leisure during an easy descent down the next section of path. On reaching the woods above Bonaly car park (another possible starting point for this walk), I take a left, following the sign for Torduff Reservoir. The root-latticed path leads me along the wood’s southern edge and, on emerging from the trees, I bear left. Initially, rocky bluffs shield the steep-sided reservoir from view, their southern slopes blushed with the purples of foxgloves and early flowering heather. Then, the sheltered waters of Torduff’s southern reaches come in to view, still and dark below banks of dense bracken and bramble. A burn runs from the higher altitude Clubbidean Reservoir down to Torduff and, with the sound of its gushing falls in my ears, I begin my ascent to the fourth and final reservoir of the day.

The roadway takes me up the northern side of the Clubbiedean dam, beneath power lines that fizz and crackle, before turning left at the little lodge and café to continue along the northern shore. Here, the tranquil Clubbiedean offers up its own host of life. Three swans are gracefully navigating the calm waters, mature woods their backdrop. The song of willow warblers fills the air, each phrase beginning purposefully before seeming to drift off in an ever-descending lilting reverie, as if lulled by the very summers days which have brought them north once more. A goldfinch takes an impromptu bath in a puddle and swallows swoop and dive to collect insects over the adjacent fields.

The final leg of this walk is an easy roadside march taking me past the steadings of Easter and Middle Kinleith to arrive back once more where I started. This gives me time to reflect on the four reservoirs, each with its own different attributes and welcoming cast of characters - a little like the human towns which they serve and which we, living nearby, are lucky enough to call home. 

The walk offers easy hillwalking along established tracks, paths and roads. Allow 3.5 – 4 hours.

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Published in Konect August 2024

Author: William Weir

All photos by William Weir