What's the connection between Dolly the Sheep, a remarkable Scottish victory and The Da Vinci Code? The answer is Roslin.

This village, seven miles south of Edinburgh, was the setting for the Battle of Roslin, where a force of 8,000 Scots defeated an English army numbering about 30,000. (As an Englishman, I can only hope that there were extenuating circumstances). Local place-names such as Stinking Rig and Shinbanes Field attest to the blood spilt during the three fierce engagements on 24th February 1303 which together constituted the Battle of Roslin. The Roslin Institute, passed in the walk's early stages, cloned poor Dolly, whilst the denouement of Dan Brown's international bestseller takes place in Rosslyn Chapel, which has stimulated an increase in 'cult' tourism. This exquisite 15th Century chapel contains the famous 'Apprentice Pillar', plus evidence that Henry St Clair, Earl of Orkney, reached America a hundred years before Columbus.

This fine river and woodland walk was apparently a favourite of Wordsworth's sister Dorothy and packs a lot of interest and variety in its five-mile length. Classified 'moderate' because of several long flights of steps, some paths will be slippery after rain, especially in the beautiful Roslin Glen, where the undulating path also needs care as it rises high above the sometimes fast-flowing River North Esk.

Scotland - Midlothian - Countryside

View a road map to the starting point of this walk.