Lothians Conservation Volunteers
Please book with our Transport Secretary before the task. First you will need to learn how to book, then read about what to bring and finally where to meet us on the day,
If you would like more information about whether a task is suitable for you then please check our information about volunteering with us or if you prefer contact us by email.
Hover (or double tap on touchscreen devices) the mouse pointer over the coloured square next to the task you are interested in for information about the spaces remaining.
| Date | Site | Task and availablity | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sep | Sun 2 | Penicuik Dalkeith Walkway | Woodland management | |
| Sat 8 | Straiton Pond | Pond work | ||
| Sun 9 | Holyrood Park | Gorse cutting | ||
| Sun 16 | Red Moss | Birch pulling | ||
| Sun 23 | Gore Glen Woodland Park | Tree thinning | ||
| Sun 30 | Bawsinch and Murder Acre | Pond clearance/pathwork | ||
| Oct | Sun 7 | Easter Craiglockhart Hill | Meadow raking | |
| Sun 14 | Roslin Glen | Meadow management and hedge maintenance | ||
| Fri 19 - Sun 21 | Carsegowan Moss | Residential: Birch scrub and beech sapling removal | ||
| Sat 27 | Holyrood Park | Wildflower sowing and plug planting | ||
| Sun 28 | Leadburn Community Woodland | Bog and woodland work | ||
| Nov | Sun 4 | Saltoun Tip | Scything and grassland work | |
| Sat 10 | Yellowcraig Beach | Scrub removal | ||
| Sun 11 | Spottiswoode | Birch thinning | ||
| Sat 17 | Granton Castle Walled Garden | Scrub clearance |
Scrub clearance
2018-11-17
There are plenty of spaces remaining on this task. Please click to view booking information
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| Sun 18 | Penicuik Dalkeith Walkway | Path work and woodland management (SITE CHANGED 9/11/18) |
Path work and woodland management (SITE CHANGED 9/11/18)
2018-11-18
There are plenty of spaces remaining on this task. Please click to view booking information
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| Sun 25 | Gore Glen Woodland Park | Tree thinning |
Tree thinning
2018-11-25
There are plenty of spaces remaining on this task. Please click to view booking information
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| Dec | Sun 2 | Bawsinch and Murder Acre | Reedbed management |
Reedbed management
2018-12-02
There are plenty of spaces remaining on this task. Please click to view booking information
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| Sat 8 | Holyrood Park | Gorse cutting |
Gorse cutting
2018-12-08
There are plenty of spaces remaining on this task. Please click to view booking information
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| Sun 9 | Falkland Estate | Rhododendron bashing |
Rhododendron bashing
2018-12-09
There are plenty of spaces remaining on this task. Please click to view booking information
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| Sun 16 | Gore Glen Woodland Park | Tree thinning |
Tree thinning
2018-12-16
There are plenty of spaces remaining on this task. Please click to view booking information
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| Sun 30 | Penicuik Dalkeith Walkway | Woodland management and path work |
Woodland management and path work
2018-12-30
There are plenty of spaces remaining on this task. Please click to view booking information
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| Mon 31 | Penicuik Dalkeith Walkway | Woodland management and path work |
Woodland management and path work
2018-12-31
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| Jan | Wed 2 | Penicuik Dalkeith Walkway | Woodland management and path work |
Woodland management and path work
2019-01-02
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| Space information last updated: Sunday 11 November |
If you would like to print out our task list, here is our current newsletter, The Puggled Mucker (544K) which contains a task programme.
The map below shows the sites in the work programme this quarter
There is also an interactive map of all our work-sites.
The route of the old Edinburgh to Peebles Railway line now provides a welcome green corridor. In addition it supports a picturesque route for walkers and cyclists between several historic Midlothian towns.
On this visit we will be undertaking woodland management tasks at Rosslyn Station on the walkway.
Find out how to book onto this task.
Straiton Pond was a clay pit until the 1950s and was designated a Local Nature Reserve in 1991. This popular site, adjacent to the Edinburgh City Bypass, is a haven for wildlife and demonstrates a remarkable amount of biodiversity. The vegetation is home to many bird species and the pond supports populations of little grebes and mute swans. In the summer this reclaimed industrial site is ideal for wildflowers such as St John's wort and northern marsh orchid.
On this visit we will be carrying out pond management tasks. This involves waders.
Find out how to book onto this task.
Holyrood Park is the Koh-i-Noor in the crown jewels of Edinburgh's stunning landscape. Comprising 650 acres of mixed grassland and encompassing Arthur's Seat, the iconic Salisbury Crags as well as some of the oldest exposed rocks in Edinburgh this is a vital island for wildlife in the heart of our majestic capital.
On this visit we will be creating firebreaks in the gorse to reduce the spread of wildfires on the site.
Find out how to book onto this task.
The main feature of Red Moss, which is an Scottish Wildlife Reserve above Balerno on Edinburgh's south-west corner, is a raised bog. Over time, the sphagnum moss has built up. It now acts like a sponge as the water level at the centre of the raised dome is considerably higher than the nearby Bavelaw reservoir. To prevent the bog drying out, over the past 15 years we have pulled up any birch which has self-seeded. This site can be wet so wellies are recommended if you have them.
On this visit we will be removing birch scrub to increase the water retention and thus enable the regeneration of the peatland habitat on this important site.
Find out how to book onto this task.
Gore Glen Woodland Park is a good example of land restoration. This former coal bing ten miles south-east of Edinburgh has been landscaped into an attractive area for both wildlife and visitors. The park was planted in 1979 with a variety of species and is mainly woodland in character. The Gore Water runs through the park and supports kingfishers, dippers and herons.
On this visit we will be thinning out the tree plantings on the site to ensure the remaining specimens mature correctly
Find out how to book onto this task.
Bawsinch and Duddingston Loch are found in the heart of Edinburgh on the southern edge of Holyrood Park, just below Arthur's Seat and only three kilometres from the city centre. Formerly a derelict industrial site, Bawsinch is a triangular area next to the south shore of the loch. This 26 hectare reserve, partly owned and managed by the Scottish Wildlife Trust, is a bird sanctuary and has been designated a Site of Special Scientific Interest. The area boasts breeding and wintering wildfowl, marshland with reedbeds and willow, patches of scrub and woodland, some freshwater ponds and an area of grassland named Goose Green. In the past LCV has felled trees, cleared ponds, built log bridges and cleared invasive vegetation. In recent years an additional area of land known as Murder Acre has been leased from Historic Scotland to extend the reserve.
On this visit we will be clearing the ponds on this site to help keep them attractive to waterfowl and other creatures. If water levels are too high for this, the task will be pathwork
Find out how to book onto this task.
Craiglockhart Hill is above Craiglockhart Sports Centre and as one of Edinburgh's seven hills, offers excellent views across the city towards the castle and Arthur's Seat. The area is owned jointly by the City of Edinburgh Council and Napier University. We will be working with the Friends of Craiglockhart Nature Trail - a local group supported by the Scottish Wildlife Trust - who have produced a management plan and a trail leaflet, and continue to manage the site for wildlife.
In previous tasks on this LNR LCV has raked two cut meadows and cleared rubbish from the habitat enhancement pond areas - two large areas of vegetation have been planted to add to the biodiversity and give cover for the breeding birds.
On this visit we will be doing the final raking of the year on the meadow areas at this popular Edinburgh green space
Find out how to book onto this task.
Roslin Glen is a 19 hectare reserve south of Edinburgh to the east of Roslin village and on the south bank of the River North Esk in Midlothian. The site is owned and managed by Midlothian Council. It is a relatively undisturbed mixed deciduous woodland largely made up of native sessile oak, wych-elm and ash, with a shrub layer of hazel and holly. There are also some introduced sycamore, beech and Norway spruce trees which are gradually being removed. The area boasts a rich woodland flora which includes dog's mercury, ramsons, wood-rush and various ferns. Dippers and kingfishers can be seen in the fairly clean waters of the Esk. The area has been put under a Millennium Forest for Scotland grant scheme to return the woodland to a native mixture of trees such as ash, alder, oak, pine and birch.
On this visit we will be raking the meadows in the lower glen and maintaining the hedgerows and tree plantings we've made there in the past
Find out how to book onto this task.
Around four hours south-west of Edinburgh, Carsegowan Moss is one of the best examples of a lowland raised peat bog in Galloway. Cranberry and bog rosemary grow in the Sphagnum carpet and adders bask in the heather. Hen harriers, merlins, short-eared owls and barn owls can be seen occasionally hunting across the bog.
On this visit we will be removing birch scrub from Carsegowan Moss and beech saplings from Carstramon Wood. We will be staying at the Carlingwark Outdoor Centre in Castle Douglas.
Find out how to book onto this task.
Holyrood Park is the Koh-i-Noor in the crown jewels of Edinburgh's stunning landscape. Comprising 650 acres of mixed grassland and encompassing Arthur's Seat, the iconic Salisbury Crags as well as some of the oldest exposed rocks in Edinburgh this is a vital island for wildlife in the heart of our majestic capital.
On this visit we will be planting a meadow in the park, this time by stripping turf and reseeding and inserting wildflower plugs in existing grassland
Find out how to book onto this task.
Leadburn Community Woodland, 13 miles south of Edinburgh, was recently purchased from the Forestry Commission by a small group of individuals known as the Friends of Leadburn Community Woodland. The group intend to replace the previous plantation of conifers with native trees such as silver birch, ash, oak and rowan, among others, and planting at the site has recently begun. The area is boggy in places, so wellies are recommended if you have them.
On this visit we will be removing scrub from the regenerating peat bog at this community woodland site and maintaining the existing tree-plantings in non wetland areas.
Find out how to book onto this task.
Saltoun Tip is a small area of grassland/scrub just outside the village of East Saltoun. In the late 19th century (and perhaps a lot earlier) it was a limestone quarry and associated kilns. Since then it's been a conifer plantation and later a municipal rubbish dump. This led to its alternative name of Saltoun Tip.
The area in which we will be scything is dominated by tall grasses (cock's-foot, false oat), willowherb, thistles and other species. It is hoped that cutting and lifting will, over time, knock these species back a bit and allow a more diverse grassland to develop. This may become a long-term project, with a spring and autumn cut each year.
Find out how to book onto this task.
Yellowcraig is situated 23 miles east of Edinburgh just north of the attractive East Lothian village of Dirleton and is a Site of Special Scientific Interest. It comprises a variety of habitats, including mature and developing woodland, sand dunes, coastal grassland and rocky outcrops, as well as its long sweeping sandy beach with views to Fidra island.
On this visit we will be removing sea buckthorn and other scrub from the sensitive duneland habitat.
Find out how to book onto this task.
Dr David Long from the Royal Botanic Gardens, Edinburgh, has purchased land near Lauder that contains a spruce plantation. He has gradually removed the spruce and replaced it with natural broadleaf woodland to increase biodiversity. LCV has visited Spottiswoode a number of times in the last few years, clearing and burning spruce and planting trees.
On this visit we will be thinning birch saplings to ensure the remaining trees have the space to grow well.
Find out how to book onto this task.
This site is a category B-listed medieval walled garden that once belonged to Granton's lost castle. Whilst the castle may be gone its two acre walled garden has survived through many centuries of change thanks to its fertility and the unique microclimate created by its high stone walls.
On this visit we will be continuing to help clear this popular community garden of scrub plants to allow further extension of the garden itself
Find out how to book onto this task.
The route of the old Edinburgh to Peebles Railway line now provides a welcome green corridor. In addition it supports a picturesque route for walkers and cyclists between several historic Midlothian towns.
On this visit we will be maintaining the paths along the popular Penicuik-Dalkeith walkway and undertaking other woodland managment work in the surrounding woodland. Please note that this is a change from Roslin Glen as advertised in our paper newsletter.
Find out how to book onto this task.
Gore Glen Woodland Park is a good example of land restoration. This former coal bing ten miles south-east of Edinburgh has been landscaped into an attractive area for both wildlife and visitors. The park was planted in 1979 with a variety of species and is mainly woodland in character. The Gore Water runs through the park and supports kingfishers, dippers and herons.
On this visit we will be thinning trees in the replanted areas of the glen to ensure the remaining specimens develop correctly
Find out how to book onto this task.
Bawsinch and Duddingston Loch are found in the heart of Edinburgh on the southern edge of Holyrood Park, just below Arthur's Seat and only three kilometres from the city centre. Formerly a derelict industrial site, Bawsinch is a triangular area next to the south shore of the loch. This 26 hectare reserve, partly owned and managed by the Scottish Wildlife Trust, is a bird sanctuary and has been designated a Site of Special Scientific Interest. The area boasts breeding and wintering wildfowl, marshland with reedbeds and willow, patches of scrub and woodland, some freshwater ponds and an area of grassland named Goose Green. In the past LCV has felled trees, cleared ponds, built log bridges and cleared invasive vegetation. In recent years an additional area of land known as Murder Acre has been leased from Historic Scotland to extend the reserve.
On this visit we will be removing scrub from the reedbed in the Bawsinch reserve and helping to ensure this valuable habitat is preserved
Find out how to book onto this task.
Holyrood Park is the Koh-i-Noor in the crown jewels of Edinburgh's stunning landscape. Comprising 650 acres of mixed grassland and encompassing Arthur's Seat, the iconic Salisbury Crags as well as some of the oldest exposed rocks in Edinburgh this is a vital island for wildlife in the heart of our majestic capital.
On this visit we will be cutting firebreaks into the gorse scrub within the park. This helps to reduce the impact of wildfires and also creates new habitat for plants and insects
Find out how to book onto this task.
Falkland Estate covers around some 1900 hectares, just under one-fifth of which is wooded, with the rest divided between arable farmland on the low ground and rough grazing on the hills. There have been settlements here from at least the time of the Iron Age people who built hill forts. It was a favourite royal hunting ground of the Stuart monarchs and home to Victorian leaders of rural and architectural style.
On this visit we will once again take on the vast quantity of rhododendron present at this site. A very big but rewarding job
Find out how to book onto this task.
Gore Glen Woodland Park is a good example of land restoration. This former coal bing ten miles south-east of Edinburgh has been landscaped into an attractive area for both wildlife and visitors. The park was planted in 1979 with a variety of species and is mainly woodland in character. The Gore Water runs through the park and supports kingfishers, dippers and herons.
On this visit we will be continuing our work thinning out trees in the planted areas of the glen to ensure the remaining specimens develop correctly
Find out how to book onto this task.
The route of the old Edinburgh to Peebles Railway line now provides a welcome green corridor. In addition it supports a picturesque route for walkers and cyclists between several historic Midlothian towns.
On this, the first of our New Year tasks we will be maintaining the path and associated drainage, clearing scrub and otherwise helping to maintain the woodland adjacent to the path
Find out how to book onto this task.
The route of the old Edinburgh to Peebles Railway line now provides a welcome green corridor. In addition it supports a picturesque route for walkers and cyclists between several historic Midlothian towns.
We will continuing the work begun the previous day.
Find out how to book onto this task.
The route of the old Edinburgh to Peebles Railway line now provides a welcome green corridor. In addition it supports a picturesque route for walkers and cyclists between several historic Midlothian towns.
Our final new year task will complete our woodland maintenance activities