Braid Hills

Braid Hills, Edinburgh.
©2022 Gazetteer for Scotland

Braid Hills, Edinburgh.

The Braid Hills rise as a group of summits which reach 213m (698 feet), along an east-west axis, 2½ miles (4 km) south of the centre of Edinburgh. Established as a park by the city fathers in 1890, two municipal golf courses are now draped over the hills which serves as an important part of Edinburgh's green belt and a wildlife refuge. Geologically, the Braid Hills are composed of Lower Devonian lavas (erupted from ancient volcanoes around 410 million years ago), similar to those in the Pentland Hills to the south. These differ from the Carboniferous plugs and intrusions which form all of the city's other hills, with the exception of Blackford Hill.

There is an Ordnance Survey triangulation pillar and a geographical indicator on a lesser summit that reaches 208m / 682 feet. The indicator was the work of cartographer John C. Bartholomew (1923 - 2008), who lived nearby.

A well-preserved World War II anti-aircraft battery remains at the eastern end of the hills, overlooking Liberton. This comprised four gun emplacements for 3.7-inch guns, arranged around a command post, with a magazine and gun-laying radar, together with a substantial accommodation camp to the west that is now used as kennels.


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