Roslin Glen Country Park

Woodland
Walk Leader
Colin Balfour
Co-Leader
Viv Cotton
Capacity
10
Roslin Glen Country Park - remains of gunpowder mill

UPDATE: Optional private visit to Rosslyn Chapel is available before walk – more details below. 

Roslin Glen, near Edinburgh, is the largest and most diverse surviving example of ancient woodland in Midlothian and is a Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI). The River North Esk flows through a 1.5km gorge with sheer cliffs up to a height of 30m of pinkish red Roslin sandstone. Midlothian is covered in 270 hectares of gorge woodland. This ancient semi-natural habitat is rich in biodiversity and the upland oak-birch woodlands found in the Country Park support a wide variety of plants of animals. At one time, the river was very polluted due to the industries that have long gone. The river is now home to dippers and kingfishers with otters making their home along the riverbank.

Roslin Glen has a rich industrial and cultural heritage. It was once home to Scotland's largest gunpowder factory. The River North Esk provided a power source to drive the waterwheels for early production. The mill closed in 1954 after 150 years of business. Part of the walk takes in the remains of the mill complex. There was also a carpet factory which produced world famous tapestry carpets for over 100 years. The carpet factory closed in 1968 and the factory site is part of the Country Park.

Rosslyn Castle and Rosslyn Chapel are nearby.

More details can be found here: https://www.midlothian.gov.uk/directory_record/171/roslin_glen_country_park

UPDATE: An optional private visit to Rosslyn Chapel is available from 8am to 9am just before our walk. Photography is not normally allowed inside Rosslyn Chapel so this is an unique opportunity to photograph the interior. Tripods and flash are allowed, and photographs should be for personal use only rather than any commercial use. Normal admission will apply (£10.50 full price, £9 reduced price). More details about Rosslyn Chapel are here: https://www.rosslynchapel.com/

 

Walk Location

Roslin Glen Country Park

Walk Directions

We will meet in the courtyard outside the Rosslyn Chapel Visitor Centre Cafe. There are toilets in the cafe. As there are essentially two parts to the walk, we will split into two groups and reconvene at the cafe at 12:30pm.

There is free car parking at Rosslyn Chapel. Public transport options are also available.

Accessibility

The path down from Rosslyn Chapel and Rosslyn Castle is quite steep and care needs to be taken. There is a road crossing on a sharp bend to reach the remains of the gunpowder mill. Other paths are mainly flat but could be muddy. Walking boots are recommended as are waterproofs and layered clothing.

Feedback Meeting Type
Zoom
Feedback Talk Date and Time

Webform

Please note:

  • There is no charge for RPS members, non-members are charged £10.
  • You are booking the initial Zoom talk, the walk and the follow up discussion.
  • You will receive a link to the initial Zoom talk which will be recorded, a link to which will also be sent to you.
  • You may only book one person at a time using this form. If you wish to add several people, ensure you have all of the information you need at hand and visit this page for each person in turn.
  • If you book more than one person using the same email address then you will only receive one invitation to the initial Zoom talk because Zoom works on email addresses and not names.
  • You do not have to belong to either the Digital Imaging Group, Landscape Group or the RPS to take part. These events are jointly organised by DIG and Landscape.
  • A confirmation email will be sent to the address given here. Ensure that it is correct. If you don't receive a confirmation within 24 hours please check your spam folder and if it's not there use the contact form and we will investigate.
  • Either use the contact form or email TWT [at] rps.org (TWT[at]rps[dot]org) (include the walk title) for any enquiries you may have.
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