How to spend a long weekend in the Pentland Hills

FRIDAY

1pm An hour after our flight lands in Edinburgh, we plonk down on the velvet sofas in Penicuik House. Built in the 1770s as a stable block for Old Penicuik House, the 16-bedroom bolthole sleeps up to 32 guests (from £9,750 a night for the entire place, penicuikestate.com).

3pm We set out to explore the estate and its 12 hectares of parkland, walking past grazing Highland cattle, the stabilised ruin of Old Penicuik House, which burned down in 1899, and through the American Garden up to the High Pond for a view of the Pentland Hills.

6 p.m The property has an enormous, fully equipped kitchen, but as we’re here to celebrate a birthday, we’ve brought in The Edinburgh Catering Company for all of our meals. On tonight’s menu: grilled salmon, cauliflower cheese and hasselback potatoes.

SATURDAY

9am After a great night’s sleep and an even better shower (the Verden toiletries in the bathrooms are heavenly), we gather for breakfast in the sitting room. The full Scottish is tempting, but I go for porridge topped with mango, blueberries and flaked almonds.

12pm As we’re about to leave for a guided walk, it starts raining so we hit up the mud room for Le Chameau wellies and Patagonia waterproofs. Our guide Richard, a local PE teacher, leads us to the top of the Pentland Hills and back down in a couple of hours.

3pm Time for some rest and relaxation – and what better place to put our feet up than the cinema room? We draw the curtains, collapse on the comfy sofas with homemade hot chocolates and stream You’ve Got Mail on the giant TV. Bliss.

7pm Dinner is served in the candlelit sitting room. As the fire roars in the marble fireplace, we’re treated to a feast of venison, crispy potato pavé and celeriac purée paired with lots of red wine, followed by a baked Alaska.

SUNDAY

10am With plenty of hiking trails on Penicuik House’s doorstep, we head out on the four-mile Penicuik Paper Trail at the Low Pond (above) and follow the River North Esk into town, passing the Knight’s Law Tower in the distance.

2pm We make a pitstop at The Craigie Hotel for a Sunday roast with Yorkshire pudding and all the trimmings (£20.50, thecraigie.co.uk). After burning off lunch with another hour-long stroll back to the house, we pick up our bags and hop in a car to the airport.