7 Hills Of Edinburgh

Route guide: For those unfamiliar with the fine detail of Edinburgh's geography, the following is a very rough guide for getting safely round the course (it definitely does not claim to be 'optimal')...

From Calton Hill... west down the steps to Waterloo Place, up North Bridge, up The Royal Mile to the Castle Esplanade checkpoint. Through the gate and steeply down the grass bank, crossing the railway by one of the footbridges, along to the west end of the Gardens, up the broad steps onto Princes Street, cross over and go down Queensferry Street for a few hundred yards, then left into Belford Road, along and up past the art galleries, then left into Ravelston Dykes and all the way along to its corner where you go straight on up the path splitting the Murrayfield golf course (do not cross the course, or we'll be in trouble), the path tending rightwards at its top and leading you around the perimeter-fence of the zoo for several hundred yards until you descend some steps and veer right into a meadow area (water-station here), and then slightly rightwards again up to the Corstorphine Hill checkpoint at Clermiston Tower.

Retrace steps to the meadow, heading down and slightly right, over to the top of Kaimes Road, descending it steeply to its foot and across the main Glasgow road to find the path opposite/slightly left which leads past the right-hand side of the very large glass office building, continuing straight southwards, along Carrick Knowe Avenue to cross the railway by the footbridge, then swing leftish along Stenhouse Drive, straight over its roundabout, to reach Gorgie Road, crossing over and moving left to soon take a right into Chesser Avenue, following it to Slateford Road where you head right under the railway bridge and then immediately left up Allan Park Road leading to a footpath over the Union Canal, at the top of which veer left up onto Colinton Road, crossing it slightly right and taking the car-entrance of the Sports Centre and straight south through between buildings to the base of the hill, where superheroes go directly up the very steep bank to the cross-path at its top, then 50 yards right before taking a left through the big hole in the wall (whilst non-superheroes took the gentle track running around the right side of the hill), and then eastwards up to the checkpoint & water-station at the top of Craiglockhart Hill East.

Head downhill eastwards (do not run across the golf course), past an (open) metal gate and veer right, taking the hard path down the southern edge of Napier College's campus to exit by a gateway onto Craiglea Place, then turn right down Morningside Grove to Greenbank Drive, which take eastwards along to its junction with Comiston Road, turning up/right and crossing over to soon ascend the steps at the base of the Braid Hills Hotel and so onto Braid Road, continuing up it to the water-station at the entrance to the east-running track, remembering to take the right fork of this after a few hundred yards, this leading up to the checkpoint (trig-point) at the top of Braid Hill.

Head leftish (NNE) across the public golf courses (beware of golfers and their balls), aiming eventually to descend by paths and gorse bushes to hit Braid Hills Drive just opposite Lang Linn Path (between metal railings), and run down the path to its corner, where superheroes go straightish on down the steep bank and cross the Braid Burn by bridge or by wet feet and ascend the opposite bank to emerge in good position for the grassy-bank ascent up past the communications towers to the checkpoint (trig-point) and water-station at the top of Blackford Hill (whilst non-superheroes took a safe right at the path's corner, going gradually down steps to cross the burn by a large wooden bridge and coming on up steps and a path veering leftwards for a few hundred yards to the foot of the grassy bank).

Turning eastwards from the hill top, run down past the Observatory and down Observatory Road and under the arch, where a left turn enables you to quickly cross and enter a gate through some allotments down onto Watertoun Road and then turning right along West Saville Terrace, at its end turning left to head up Mayfield Road until taking Duncan Street to th

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