10 of the best outdoor activities in Edinburgh

Edinburgh and its beautiful surroundings are perfect for outdoor pursuits such as cycling, walking, boating, and even a seaside trip. Here are Michael MacLeod's favourites? As featured in our Edinburgh city guideHillwalking in the PentlandsThere are no mountains here but 100km of signposted paths with rewarding views. As with cycling, local walking groups and the ranger service welcome visitors. When it snows in Edinburgh, this is the place most likely to get the white stuff. Easily accessible from the city centre by bus, the Pentland hills are a peaceful sanctuary on the city's doorstep, but come prepared for changeable weather. ? Midlothian Snowsports Centre, Hillend, midlothian.gov.uk/info/200131/snowsports_centre. Open 9.30am-9pm Mon-Fri, 9.30am-7pm at weekends. Pentland Hills ranger service: 0131-445 3383Picnic at Cramond seaside villageA favourite for rollerbladers, Cramond's promenade links to its landmark causeway ? a stunning walkway over the River Forth to Cramond Island where you can take lunch and throw the crusts to the seabirds. Before you set foot on the causeway, check the signs displaying tide times ? useful if you don't want to get stranded. If the tide is in, visit the 15th-century Cramond Kirk, built on the site of a Roman fort. The number 41 Lothian Bus will get you back to the city centre in around 20 minutes. ? Cramond beach, CramondSprint, swing and skate at Saughton ParkAs well as a 400m running track, grass and artificial football pitches plus adventure playground, this council-run sport complex now has a new skatepark. Its 2,100 sq metres of concrete bowls and street features are proving so popular that the Focus skateboard shop left its city centre location to set up in new premises here, in the west of the city. ? Stevenson Drive, 0131-444 0422, Saughton Sports Complex, Edinburgh Skate Park. Open from 8.30am-10.30pm Mon-Fri, 8.30am-6.30pm at weekends. Football pitches from �46 per hour, skatepark is free Sailing on the Union CanalThe Lochrin Basin is an ideal place to start your exploration of the canal as it curves out of the city's Fountainbridge area. A barge can be hired from Re-Union Canal Boats. Rowing boats can be hired on Sundays from the Edinburgh Canal Society's boathouse at Ashley Terrace ? weather depending. Its picturesque setting in Polwarth is shared with the Forth Canoe Club, the oldest of its kind in Scotland. The club produced slalom canoeist David Florence who won a silver medal for Team GB at the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games. If you just want a legal excuse to get in the canal for a swim, a community-run raft race takes place every July. Getting fit in the MeadowsThe heart of the Scottish capital is surely the Meadows, providing a full range of sporting activities. While strolling the Meadows' criss-cross paths, be careful not to get hit by a golf ball. The 36-pin short-hole course on Bruntsfield Links is free to use and a popular place to walk off a hangover. At the west end of the park are 16 pay & play outdoor tennis courts, which inevitably fill up during Wimbledon but offer coaching sessions year-round. Each spring 1,000 runners take part in the Meadows Marathon and most summer weekends the Meadows Cricket Club players can be found using the pavilion, which has its own community-owned cafe. ? Melville Drive, 0131-444 1969/0131-443 0101, Meadows Tennis. Tennis courts �8.50 per hourA classic British seaside experience at Portobello beachSeek out a past-time of yesteryear on this mile of sandy beach, popular with kite-flyers and bucket and spade wielding toddlers. There are plenty of decent cafes and pubs along the promenade. Visitors keen to hit the waves should head to the boat park at the foot of Bath Street where they'll find the RowPorty project: two community skiffs available for everyone to use. Porty, as it's known, is also home to an organic market held in Brighton Park on the first Saturday of the month. ? Portobello Sailing and Kayaking Club, 57 Bath Street, sailporty.org.uk. Rowing lessons open to all, no experience necessary. After two weeks of lessons, membership is required, starting at �20 per year for children and �40 for adultsBirdwatching at Duddingston LochSituated in the shadow of Arthur's Seat, this natural freshwater loch is home to a wide range of species. Late afternoon is a good time to visit as the birds create an almighty chorus of noise. The northern shore of the loch is always accessible by foot, while the southern shore includes the Scottish Wildlife Trust's reserve and bird hide, only open by prior arrangement but well worth making the effort for a truly unique experience just minutes from the city centre. Sturdy walking boots or wellies are recommended. ? The Scottish Wildlife Trust reserve entrance is at Duddingston Road West, 0131-312 4775. Admission freeOff-street cycling on the Edinburgh InnertubeThe city's defunct inner-city railway lines are now popular bicycle routes. Visitors should definitely download or order a free Innertube Map, designed in a London Tube style by a local charity. While most routes are adequately maintained, the Innertube's team of volunteer "ambassadors" use social media to report problems on the paths and share stories from the communities around them. The team is creating new, clear colour-coded markings/signage. The Leith Cycle Co is a reliable place to hire a bike ? from as little as �12 for half a day. The Edinburgh 20 Milers riding group welcomes visitors who just turn up to their guided rides. ? Leith Cycle Co, 276 Leith Walk, 0131-467 7775, leithcycleco.com. Open 8.30am-5.45pm Mon-Sat and noon-5pm SundayLearning in the Royal Botanical GardenThe events calendar at the Botanics is packed all year round with workshops, cultural performances, walks, talks and exhibitions. "Show and tell" sessions offer the chance to quiz the experts for tips on keeping your own garden looking good. The recently built John Hope Gateway building hosts a brilliant range of participation initiatives, allowing kids to study plants through top-spec microscopes while the grownups can learn new pruning techniques from the Botanics' professionals. Go to the top of the Chinese rock garden for one of Edinburgh's most incredible panoramic views. ? Entrances at Inverleith Row and Arboretum Place, 0131-248 2909, rbge.org.uk. Open from 10am with glasshouses closing at 5.30pm between February and October and 3.30pm between November and JanuaryHistory walks in Holyrood ParkManaged by Historic Scotland and free to enter, Holyrood Park's archaeological history means it's a scheduled ancient monument. At its heart is Arthur's Seat, an extinct volcano that's relatively easy to climb. The park's ranger service is very active, holding regular archaeology days and guided tours. Start your exploration at the Holyrood Park education centre ? designed by the city's own architectural superstar Malcolm Fraser ? on Queen's Drive just behind Holyrood Palace to find out what's on. ? Ranger service, 1 Queen's Drive, 0131-652 8150, historic-scotland.gov.uk/index/learning/ranger ? Michael MacLeod writes for the GuardianEdinburghTop 10sShort breaksCity breaksBoating holidaysWalking holidaysCycling holidaysUnited KingdomEuropeMichael MacLeodguardian.co.uk © 2011 Guardian News and Media Limited or its affiliated companies. All rights reserved. | Use of this content is subject to our Terms & Conditions | More Feeds

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