Dog-Friendly Parks in Edinburgh

An extinct volcano in the heart of Edinburgh, rising to 251 metres with panoramic views over the city, the Firth of Forth, and on clear days the Highlands beyond. Dogs can run completely off-lead across the open hillside and summit plateau. Holyrood Park covers 260 hectares and includes Dunsapie Loch (a popular dog-swimming spot), St Margaret's Loch, and the ruins of St Anthony's Chapel. This is the single best off-lead dog experience within any European capital city. Allow at least two hours for a proper summit circuit.

The Meadows is Edinburgh's most sociable park, a broad open space of 56 hectares flanked by Victorian tenements and the buildings of the University of Edinburgh. On any dry day it is populated with dog walkers, picnickers, frisbee players, and students. The open grass areas permit off-lead dogs and the park is large enough that there is always space. The tree-lined avenues at the perimeter are popular for morning runs. Bruntsfield Links, adjacent to the south, adds additional open space. The Meadows Market on Sundays adds a pleasant atmosphere for a morning walk.

Princes Street Gardens run along the base of the Castle Rock, dividing the medieval Old Town from the Georgian New Town in one of the most dramatic urban settings in Europe. The gardens are formally managed and dogs must remain on leads throughout, but the walk itself is exceptional: the view up to Edinburgh Castle from below is one of the most recognisable in Britain, and the formal flowerbeds, the Ross Bandstand, and the Scott Monument provide constant points of interest. East Princes Street Gardens and West Princes Street Gardens connect seamlessly.

The Water of Leith Walkway follows the river of the same name for 12 miles from Balerno, on the edge of the Pentland Hills, through the heart of Edinburgh and down to the Shore at Leith. The path passes through some of the most beautiful urban river scenery in Scotland: steep wooded gorges, old mill buildings, the Dean Village, the Scottish National Gallery of Modern Art, and the tranquil Stockbridge section. Dogs can swim in the river at multiple points. The most popular dog-walking section is Stockbridge to the Dean Village — about a 40-minute round trip.