The Tall Trees of the Hermitage of Braid

The valley floor of the Hermitage of Braid holds some of the tallest trees in Edinburgh, beech and sycamore that clear 130 feet in a steep sided gorge between the Braid Hills and Blackford Hill. Some date to the early 19th century, though no formal survey has dated any single specimen precisely, and the claim rests on the reserve's own management history rather than a ring count. What makes the height plausible is the terrain. It is a sheltered river valley along the Braid Burn, protected from wind on both sides, exactly the kind of site where trees reliably outgrow their exposed neighbours on Edinburgh's open hills. The walk beneath them passes an 18th century doocot with nearly two thousand nest holes and the remains of old mills that once used the burn's power, and enough tree cover that the Hermitage feels closed in and green in a way most of Edinburgh, built on volcanic rock and open to the wind, does not. It is free to walk, all year, and the entrance off Braid Road is a short bus ride from the city centre.