Day Out in Gifford
Gifford is one of the prettiest villages in East Lothian. Being 40 minutes away from Edinburgh, it’s an easy day out from the city.
While there are longer walks out in the Lammermuir Hills and Hopes Reservoir (car park closed 1 November 2020 - 1 February 2021), there are good walks starting from Gifford.
One of our regular walks is Yester Path on the Yester Estate, parking on The Avenue and following signs to the entrance gate at the end of Park Road (pictured below). This is a beautiful woodland walk which you can take all the way to Garvald following Gifford Water.
At the other side of the village, at the end of Station Road there are a number of walks to do in the Gifford Community Woodland which has wide accessible paths with benches to rest at along the way. The woodland has been transformed in recent years and is a favourite for the younger family members who tell me they “don’t do hills”.
There is no public parking nearby so visitors to Gifford Woodland are encouraged to park in the village centre which is a short walk away.
Nearby is Broadwoodside which you can access through the woodland by following the Old Edinburgh Road and passing through the gate in the photo below.
The house and estate was derelict in the late 90s when it was bought by Robert and Anna Dalrymple who have transformed the building and along with gardener Guy Donaldson created elegant and inventive gardens. There are lots of surprises and humorous details to find walking around the farmland which I won’t spoil for you. The main gardens are private but as part of the Scottish Garden Scheme, the garden is open once a year and entry is usually a small charge which goes to charity.
Thankfully, the rest stops are just as attractive as the walks in Gifford. Lewis and Clarke is my favourite coffee spot. If you arrive early enough, you’ll be in time for a freshly baked Pistachio and Cardamom Bun which I highly recommend but then everything is delicious.
Opposite is Lanterne Rouge, a friendly cafe which has cycle racks outside, handy for the cyclists who make Lantene Rouge their refreshments stop while exploring the Lammermuir Hills. While I’ve not been working up that kind of appetite, I can still appreciate the delicious traybakes they make.
Do visit the cafes’ websites and social media channels to check the latest updates regarding how they are operating due to Covid-19 regulations.
Do pop into Beech and Birch next to Lanterne Rouge, a lovely Scandi homewares shop run by Helle who has an eye for beautiful interiors and accessories. Helle is Danish and as such the shop is full of hygge cosiness, I could happily cosy into one of the Icelandic Sheepskin rugs and stay in there all day.
Let us know if you make it to Gifford, it’s a lovely wee place.
Comment below if you find any other gems to share, I plan to report back on a different location every couple of months.