So easy to get to on the bus from the city centre and only takes around 45-55 mins and a 10 min…read morewalk but more importantly during these hard times there are public toilets OPEN, to my relief! Cramond beach is stunningly beautiful, more rocky than sandy but lovely looking out to sea and towards Cramond island which you can reach by walking along Cramond island causeway at certain times throughout the day. There are ice cream vans, cafes along the prom, cyclists, joggers, walkers, picnickers, dog walkers, rogue dogs. sun shining and planes flying low from the nearby airport which personally I loved. Had a really enjoyable day at Cramond especially since we are all going through difficult and strange times at the moment. Keep safe people!

i've long been a fan of the promenade at cramond. it's a really lovely paved walk way along the…read morebeach that has great views out to fife and is just beautiful on a sunny day. sadly sunny days don't happen too often in scotland, but i still find this promenade to be a great place! at any given time you can find people strolling with their kids or dogs, cycling or running along the path. on those rare sunny days i'm sure that i've seen people with picnics on the green or walking along with an ice cream from the nearby tea shops. also every saturday morning there is the park run, a free time 5k run, that has grown immensely in popularity. friday night i ran along looking out along the coast and even in the drizzling cold weather it was still a really pretty sight. and i think that view is what keeps me coming back. keeping my fingers crossed that the next run along the promenade will be a drier one though!

Very clean on the edge of The Meadows. There are swings, slide, and climbing structure. Lots of…read moreparents and young children. Did not see any snack counters.

Ok, so I'm obviously not a five-year old child anymore. (I can type and spell and use words like…read moreincongruous, though I haven't had the opportunity yet). But I like play parks. There comes a point when people stop making fun things for you. I mean, I'm in my early 20s, so people give me clothes and books instead of water-guns. Which is totally valid. But I think every now and then people should give their friends bouncy balls and hoola-hoops and frisbees. Seriously. So, this playpark is not half as cool as the one on the Meadows, but it's in a quieter less crowded part of the park. They have slides and monkey bars and all sort of fun things. I've many a time seen children having fun on them. (I've also seen older teenagers having fun on them. At night. With beer). If you feel like you're tired of being 20, maybe have a visit. If you're a parent, then take your children there, 'cause that's where it looks like the party is.

This is a place that I didn't think I could do because of climbing hills but It's not all that bas…read moreas you can walk on the lower ground and still get a good view of things. I didn't climb any high hills for a bigger view, that's something I can go back to the Pentland Hills and do another day. Just walking about in the forest was pretty cool, i like that kind of thing plus it was so relaxing and peaceful. There was a sign that I passed, it was funny because someone altered the sign and it said "no parking, pissing place only" lol hehe. Did you knew that Amy Soldiers do exercise in Pentland Hills with firing there guns, a sign posted for warning, just in case you get a bullet in you bum. A great atmosphere at the Pentlands as everybody would pass you and say hello, it was nice, everyone was enjoying there day out. Ideal for walking your dog's or just hanging out with family/friends. Would consider going back again sometime very soon. https://socialsandi1.com/2018/08/05/pentlandhills-regional-park/

Wilderness, Waterfalls, Rivers and Raccoon's (well, maybe not these ;-) )…read more I was looking for a place to enjoy a nice afternoon stroll and which should be in proximity to Edinburgh city. Well, I am so lucky to live in a town surrounded by "mountains" which are called the Pentland Hills. There are several lakes/ water reservoirs in the Pentland Hills Regional Park which are accessible using several walking routes. We walked towards the Glencorse reservoir. A good start or end for the journey is the Flotterstone Inn and the Information centre nearby. Take your rucksack, get good walking boots, warm clothes and off it goes. Follow the paths which are clearly marked and you can't get lost. You might even pass an occasional waterfall! For the travelers without a car, you can hop on a bus and get off at Flotterstone Inn (but be careful - buses are a rare occurrence and you could be stranded) Lovely place!

Holyrood Park is a large park home to a number of historic sites and landmarks accessible via a…read moretrail system, including Arthur's Seat, Hunter's Bog, Dunsapie Crag, St Anthony's Chapel, Duddingston Loch, and The Radical Road. I approached on foot the morning of Friday 19 July 2019, reaching a sign of the park and its trail system at approximately 9:31 a.m. There were a number of cars coming and going already. It was my first visit to the park, so I opted to walk and skip any hassle I might encounter with parking. I was happy with that decision as it was a quick look at the map to get my bearings and I was on my way without needing to find parking. For my final destination in the park for the visit, I chose to hike to the top of Arthur's Seat - remains of a volcano that was active over 300 million years ago. The trails were well maintained and well designed for handling a large number of hikers.

This hike was perfect!! Beautiful weather in June, over looked the city, not crowded at all, and…read moreeasy for a family to tackle together (just keep small ones away from the edges as some areas are steep drop offs abruptly).

Lewisvale Park has changed slightly since I was last here 20 years ago but it's great to see that…read morethe band stand and the birds still remain. This is a beautiful wide open space, great for relaxing on a sunny day as well as great for kids to play in the play park or run around and play on the bandstand or look at the birds. It's probably one of my favourite parks to be honest, it's simply stunning.

A hidden gem which your Julia Donaldson loving little ones will love to visit!…read moreWe call this Gruffalo Wood because of the Gruffalo-themed carvings dotted near the entrance of the Loch. The Loch itself is fairly small, taking only 15-20 mins to walk around. There is lots of nature and wildlife to explore here from toadstools to frogs to wild raspberries to dragonflies... We met a particularly large, and bold, swan today whilst feeding the ducks! On our last visit we stumbled across hundreds and hundreds of baby frogs migrating across the pathway to the Loch. This has become a regular location for us to visit with our little Julia Donaldson fan. There is a play park at the far end of the Loch from the little car park off Kilmardinny Avenue and if you need something to eat or liquid refreshments after your walk there is a recently opened Waitrose with a lovely cafe minutes away by car or foot!

We visited here after discovering Gruffalo Wood through Ali's review :)…read more My friend was visiting with her 6 and 3yr old girls and we took A in his pram. We really enjoyed walking round the loch in the sunshine, the path is pretty easy going for littles and the pram alike, and there are a few places to stop along the way and see the ducks or discover the awesome carvings. We couldn't find the play park, perhaps a little sign would help, but we asked someone and soon found the little path leading up to it. There were some different play areas to explore including an awesome rope swing that the adults enjoyed too! We had a great, free day out and it worked well to tire out the kids. Would highly recommend.

This place is fantastic for a sunny day out (if you're fortunate enough to catch one)…read more It's an unusual place to visit in that you have the combined attractions of forest walks with one of the longest beaches in Scotland (around 5 miles). There's also a large picnic table area which permits BBQ's, so you really could spend the whole day here. Access to the site is currently a very reasonable £2 per vehicle and there is plenty of parking as well as toilet facilities. If you've not been before, I'd definitely recommend it for a relaxing day trip!

Excellent country park not too far from the city of Edinburgh. Vogrie has a lovely children's…read moreadventure playground, and a miniature railway which runs during the summer. There are lovely woodland walks and a decent cafe in the old Vogrie House. Or bring a picnic and relax in one of the barbecue areas. If you want to have a barbecue you have to book in advance. Some nice sculptures in the grounds too. We love the big chairs and the big tricycle! Our children always love a visit to Vogrie Park, and several of the after school clubs we know of always make a visit there part of their holiday club programme, and there's enough to keep adults happy too!

Vogrie is a great park for all the family maintained by the council…read more Vogrie is a large park with walks through woodland area and grassed areas. There are play parks,picnic area and a BBQ area. Vogrie house sits within the grounds and has a cafe in the summer time. Children love Vogire it is a very safe place for them to run around and play, needless to day it can get very busy in the school holidays. Vogrie host a summer open day in August each year which has shows, stalls, competitions, a train that takes you around the park etc etc. Other attractions are the big chairs which are giant sizes and the big trike sculpture.

We came to visit the impressive and historically important Dunfermline Abbey. And to pay respect to…read moreRobert The Bruce. We didn't know about this park though which is right across the street from the Abbey. And it's a wonderful park. There are several sights along the way, the small "Tower Burn" river goes across the park, there's a café, a playground and several trails leading you through woodland and open spaces. Some urban wildlife as well. A good number of pretty tame squirrels too. A nice place to spend some time in. Alone, with family, with your dog.... Really enjoyed it.

Pittencrief Park or as locals call it "The Glen" is a huge park in the heart of Dunfermline. The…read morepark was gifted to the town back in 1902 by Dunfermline's famous son, Andrew Carnegie, a philanthropist who made his millions in the States (think Carnegie hall in NYC). Before internet, reality TV and crime dramas people actually used to flock to the park on sunny days from across Scotland to spend in the 70 something acres of manicured lawns and gardens. It may not have the same draw today, but when the sun is shining it can still be really busy. Not only is 'The Glen' a wonderful park, but it has some other very interesting features such as Pittencrieff House Museum, the remains of the 11th Century King Malcolm Canmore's Tower, (when it was the royal residence of Malcolm and his queen, Margaret), greenhouses, woodland walks and a statue of the man himself, Andrew Carnegie. There are also fantastic views of Dunfermline Abbey and Palace from the gardens. The Glen Pavilion in the centre of the park holds many local events from gigs, to arts and craft fairs. The Pavilion is also where you can get a quick caffeine fix as here you will find the park's cafe. There are also 3 kiddies play parks, ideal if Mum and Dad fancy a wee break from entertaining the kids. Anyone who grew up in the area will have such fond memories of the park. It's still really easy to spend a good day here. There is also a great chance to see peacocks and squirrels, so take a bag of nuts for some close up fun of these cute little critters.

I'm pretty much in love with how much green space this city boasts. They should put that front and…read morecentre on the tourism boards: Edinburgh: walk two blocks and find a park... like, actually. (apparently, the tourism board should also sound like a 14 year old girl...) I'm not going to beat around the bush here (heh), I walked 15 minutes out of my way to go to this park. Sure, I was headed in the general direction but this gal can't pass up a good FTR (First To Review), and so park trekking it was. And as parks go, this one is pretty spiffy. Maybe not walk 15 minutes out of your way spiffy, but it's clean, the play space is bright, spacious and apparently "not for adults" and they've got a nice little set of picnic benches for when it isn't crazy cold/windy/raining (i'm told this magical moment happens in June). Not a destination park in any sense, i'm sure it would be a lovely find if I lived in the neighbourhood and a great spot to take the little ones!

Great park... Always busy. Great to meet up with friends with the kids. It would be good if the…read morecouncil could add more things for the kids to play on. Lots of space that could be used. Feel very lucky to have it on my door step!