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Swanston, Edinburgh

Swanston is a village and residential area on the southern edge of Edinburgh, Scotland, noted for its picturesque thatched cottages set around an informal village green. Because of its relatively isolated position at the foot of the Pentland Hills, it has remained largely unaffected by commercial or suburban development. The village grew up in the 18th century, originally to provide accommodation for farm workers on Swanston Farm. The farm, in turn, can trace its origins back at least to the 13th century and possibly earlier. The area has also played a role in supplying Edinburgh with fresh water. Its most notable resident was the young Robert Louis Stevenson, whose family leased a holiday home in the village during the late 19th century.

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1.1 km

Caerketton Hill

Caerketton Hill ( kər-KET-ən) is a hill in the Pentland Hills range of Scotland. Standing at 478 m, it is at the northeast end of the approximately 25 km (16 mi) long chain of hills on the border between the council areas of the City of Edinburgh and Midlothian. The nearest town is Loanhead, 2 kilometers to the east while Edinburgh's southern suburbs start about a kilometer to the north. The nearest hills are Allermuir Hill to the west and Woodhouselee Hill to the south. The Swanston Burn and Lothian Burn rise on the northern slopes while the Boghall Burn receives water from the southern slopes. Their waters meet in the Burdiehouse Burn and, eventually, as the Brunstane Burn, drain into the Firth of Forth at Eastfield, Edinburgh. On the crest of the hill are the scattered remains of a cairn now consisting of small stones, 16 meters in diameter and 1.5 meter high. The cairn is protected as a scheduled monument.
1.1 km

Hunter's Tryst

Hunter's Tryst () is the name of a long-established inn in Edinburgh, Scotland; it has lent its name to the surrounding area, near Fairmilehead. The inn, once well outside Edinburgh's built-up area, was a popular leisure destination and was a meeting place of the Six Foot Club. The area was written about by Robert Louis Stevenson who, along with Sir Walter Scott were honorary members of the Six Foot Club (being too short to be full members). Today the inn is surrounded by modern housing estates and is next to a Morrisons supermarket. It is served by several Lothian Buses routes - services 5 and 27 commence or terminate at Hunter's Tryst , with services 4, 16 and Skylink 400 passing nearby. Hunter's Tryst was also formerly served by service 16 (now serving Colinton, Bonaly and Terminating at Torphin), service 17 (terminus was later changed to Craighouse and Granton before later being withdrawn), service 18 (running from Fort Kinnaird to Gyle Centre, later extended to Edinburgh Airport and renumbered to Skylink 400), service 32 (inner circle) and service 52 (outer circle) (Oxgangs - Wester Hailes - Granton - Leith - Portobello - Niddrie - Kaimes) which were partially replaced by service 18.
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1.3 km

Fairmilehead

Fairmilehead is a district of southern Edinburgh, Scotland. It lies approximately 3 miles (5 km) due south of the city centre and borders Midlothian. The area comprises the neighbourhoods of Buckstone, Caiyside, Caiystane, Swanston, Frogston and Winton. The centre of the area is the crossroads between Buckstone Terrace/Biggar Road and Frogston Road/Oxgangs Road where Fairmilehead Parish Church, a parish church of the Church of Scotland, is located. This area contains some of the most expensive houses in Edinburgh, with an average home value of £562,806 and the most expensive streets being Frogston Road West (average £810,000), Margaret Rose Crescent (£856,000) and Galachlaw Shot (£815,276). In 2017, the area was named by the Edinburgh Evening News as being in the top four 'happiest places to live in Edinburgh', with a 96% satisfaction rate. The eastern part of Fairmilehead contained the Princess Margaret Rose Orthopaedic Hospital from 1932 to 2002, when it was demolished to make way for new housing. Recently, the Scottish Water Fairmilehead water treatment works have been converted into housing built by Cala and David Wilson Homes. Scottish Water retain offices there, adjacent to the Charwood Grill restaurant (previously Tusitala Italian restaurant, which was named in recognition of Robert Louis Stevenson's connections with the area). The local school catchment areas are Buckstone Primary, Pentland Primary (non-denominational) and St Peter's RC Primary and for secondary schools Boroughmuir High, Firrhill High (non-denominational) and St Thomas Aquin's RC. The area is represented by: Scottish Parliament by Gordon MacDonald MSP (Scottish National Party), United Kingdom Parliament (Westminster) by Ian Murray MP (Labour) On the City of Edinburgh Council (Colinton/Fairmilehead ward) by Cllrs Conor Savage (Labour), Neil Cuthbert (Conservative) and Jason Rust (Conservative)
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1.4 km

Hillend, Midlothian

Hillend is a small hamlet in Midlothian, Scotland. Lying just south of Edinburgh, it is close to the boundary between Midlothian and the City of Edinburgh council area (partly denoted by the A720 Edinburgh City Bypass road) and takes its name from being situated at the end of the Pentland Hills. It was the site of a fort, but all the stone has been removed and the land is now cultivated. Today, Hillend is best known for the Midlothian Snowsports Centre (formerly the Hillend Ski Centre), an artificial ski slope. Swanston Golf Course and Lothianburn Golf Course are located nearby. The terrain is well suited to paragliding and is flyable in NE and SE winds, although care needs to be taken when landing in the relatively small landing field. It is also a well known camping spot among teenagers from Edinburgh.