The Hughs Volume 1 by Andrew Dempster sampler

caerketton hill and allermuir hill
of the range and there is a walkers’
car park at the end of the public road
near the golf course.
Follow the path from the left-hand
extremity of the car park which soon
emerges from trees to the environs of
Swanston, a picturesque collection
of thatched cottages and colourful
gardens. The path continues upwards
through a gate and passes to the right
of the so-called ‘T’ Wood.
By now the craggy north face of
Caerketton Hill is very prominent. It
is the only part of the Pentland Range
having a substantial amount of bare
rock. At a T-junction, turn left and
then fork right soon after on a good
path which traverses round to the
top of the Hillend Ski Centre. Before
this, take a minor path which goes off
to the right, climbing steadily to the
summit of Caerketton Hill.
Alternatively, continue on round to
Hillend and take another ascent path
which traverses the eastern shoulder
first before ascending to Caerketton
Hill. The view of Edinburgh and the
Firth of Forth is absolutely stunning
on a clear day. Stevenson wrote with
great fondness: ‘you look over a great
expanse of champaign sloping to the
sea… So you sit, like Jupiter up on
Olympus, and look down from afar
on men’s life’.
The grassy cone of Allermuir Hill
lies 1km to the east and is easily
reached from Caerketton by following
the twisting ridge by a fence down
to a grassy col and a further ascent.
25
This hill is another fine viewpoint
and contains a trig point and a view
indicator of dozens of other hills both
near and far.
The quickest return route to
Swanston is by a path which descends
the north-eastern flank of the hill to
reach the T-junction just above the
‘T’ Wood met on the ascent. The time
shown above is based on this route.
Alternatively, for a more prolonged
outing, descend west by a path to
join a well-made vehicle and bicycle
track, where you turn right to steeply
descend the wooded defile formed
by the Howden Burn. Turn right at
an old Water Feeder building and
follow a grassy track which meanders
pleasantly through stands of new
trees and passes some established
plantations. Note that this is an mod
area and access may be restricted at
certain times. Go through a gate and
follow a vehicle track past the golf
course to reach Swanston Steading.
Go left here and right at the road to
reach the car park. This alternative
route will add around an hour to the
total time.
Edinburgh from Caerketton Hill