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 | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dec | Sun 2 | Bawsinch and Murder Acre | Reedbed management | |
| Sat 8 | Holyrood Park | Gorse cutting | ||
| Sun 9 | Falkland Estate | Rhododendron bashing (NOTE: Departure at 0900) | ||
| Sun 16 | Gore Glen Woodland Park | Tree thinning | ||
| Sun 30 | Penicuik Dalkeith Walkway | Woodland management and path work | ||
| Mon 31 | Penicuik Dalkeith Walkway | Woodland management and path work | ||
| Jan | Wed 2 | Gore Glen Woodland Park | Broom clearance and burning (TASK/SITE CHANGED) | |
| Sun 6 | Falkland Estate | Rhododendron removal (NOTE: Departure at 0900) | ||
| Sun 13 | Holyrood Park | Gorse cutting | ||
| Sun 20 | Falkland Estate | Rhododendron removal |
Rhododendron removal
2019-01-20
Unfortunately, there are no spaces remaining on this task. Please click to register your interest and find out how to join the waiting list!
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| Sat 26 | Gifford Community Woodland | Rhododendron removal |
Rhododendron removal
2019-01-26
There are plenty of spaces remaining on this task. Please click to view booking information
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| Sun 27 | Holyrood Park | Gorse cutting |
Gorse cutting
2019-01-27
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| Feb | Sat 2 | Gifford Community Woodland | Rhododendron removal |
Rhododendron removal
2019-02-02
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| Sun 3 | Spottiswoode | Birch thinning |
Birch thinning
2019-02-03
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| Sun 10 | Holyrood Park | Gorse cutting |
Gorse cutting
2019-02-10
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| Sun 17 | Abbey St Bathans Woodland | Woodland maintenance and tree planting |
Woodland maintenance and tree planting
2019-02-17
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| Sat 23 | Gifford Community Woodland | Rhododendron removal |
Rhododendron removal
2019-02-23
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| Sun 24 | Abbey St Bathans Woodland | Woodland maintenance and tree planting |
Woodland maintenance and tree planting
2019-02-24
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| Mar | Sun 3 | Granton Castle Walled Garden | Bramble clearance |
Bramble clearance
2019-03-03
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| Sun 10 | Addiewell Bing | Tree aftercare |
Tree aftercare
2019-03-10
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| Fri 15 - Sun 17 | Carsegowan Moss | Residential: Scrub clearance and beech control |
Residential: Scrub clearance and beech control
2019-03-15
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| Sun 24 | Donald Rose Wood | Path work or wildflower meadow creation |
Path work or wildflower meadow creation
2019-03-24
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| Sun 31 | Roslin Glen | Wildflower meadow management |
Wildflower meadow management
2019-03-31
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Task cancelled. This will only be done in extreme circumstances. |
| Space information last updated: Wednesday 16 January |
If you would like to print out our task list, here is our current newsletter, The Puggled Mucker (545K) 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.
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. Please note due to limited daylight we will be departing at 0900 from St Andrews Square, rather than the usual 0930.
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.
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 task we will be clearing invasive Scotch broom and burning the brash to permit tree regeneration in the cleared areas. Please note that this is a change from the previously advertised task at Penicuik-Dalkeith Walkway.
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 be continuing the ongoing invasive rhododendron removal to allow regeneration of the woodland. Please note due to limited daylight we will be departing at 0900 from St Andrews Square, rather than the usual 0930.
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.
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 be continuing the ongoing invasive rhododendron removal to allow regeneration of the woodland.
Find out how to book onto this task.
Gifford Community Woods was purchased by the local community in April 2017 with the support of the Scottish Land Fund and various other donations. It is an approximately 55 acre woodland near the East Lothian village of Gifford and comprises mixed and plantation woods on an ancient woodland site.
The Gifford Community Land Company is seeking to restore the area to native woodland supporting broad biodiversity which will be an asset to the local community now, and for generations to come.
On this visit we will be working to remove invasive rhododendron scrub from this ancient woodland
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 continue creating firebreaks in the gorse to reduce the spread of wildfires on the site.
Find out how to book onto this task.
Gifford Community Woods was purchased by the local community in April 2017 with the support of the Scottish Land Fund and various other donations. It is an approximately 55 acre woodland near the East Lothian village of Gifford and comprises mixed and plantation woods on an ancient woodland site.
The Gifford Community Land Company is seeking to restore the area to native woodland supporting broad biodiversity which will be an asset to the local community now, and for generations to come.
On this visit we will be working to remove invasive rhododendron scrub from this ancient woodland
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. As a side benefit the cut stumps provide habitat for the large red-belted clearwing which has been seen at this site.
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 continue creating firebreaks in the gorse to reduce the spread of wildfires on the site.
Find out how to book onto this task.
Abbey St Bathans is a series of seven woodlands which together comprise more than one-third of the ancient deciduous woodland in Berwickshire. The woodlands are one of the most important sites in the Borders for lichen and are home to several rare and declining species. It is a SSSI for its upland oak woodland and lichen assemblage.
This is our first visit to this site and we will be helping protect woodland regeneration and opening the canopy to help ground flora development as well as adding missing species through planting.
Find out how to book onto this task.
Gifford Community Woods was purchased by the local community in April 2017 with the support of the Scottish Land Fund and various other donations. It is an approximately 55 acre woodland near the East Lothian village of Gifford and comprises mixed and plantation woods on an ancient woodland site.
The Gifford Community Land Company is seeking to restore the area to native woodland supporting broad biodiversity which will be an asset to the local community now, and for generations to come.
On this visit we will be working to remove invasive rhododendron scrub from this ancient woodland
Find out how to book onto this task.
Abbey St Bathans is a series of seven woodlands which together comprise more than one-third of the ancient deciduous woodland in Berwickshire. The woodlands are one of the most important sites in the Borders for lichen and are home to several rare and declining species. It is a SSSI for its upland oak woodland and lichen assemblage.
On this visit we will be continuing the work started on the 17th.
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 reducing a large and unruly bramble thicket to manageable proportions, allowing the garden volunteers access for further plantings (and of course fruit-picking in the autumn)
Find out how to book onto this task.
Addiewell Bing is a long, narrow reserve of 21 hectares 20 miles from Edinburgh just south of Bathgate in West Lothian, which is leased and managed by the Scottish Wildlife Trust. It is an excellent example of how a derelict industrial site--part of the oil shale industry--can be converted into an important wildlife refuge.
Most of the reserve is covered by woodland and scrub, but there are also patches of bracken, heather, open grassland and marshy ground with a rich variety of plants and birds. Originally, the area was planted with lodgepole pine to help stabilise the steep sides of this old spoil heap. More recently, these trees have been replaced with native species including oak and ash. In the past we have felled lodgepole pine, upgraded the footpath and cleared invading broom from areas of heather.
On this visit we will be weeding and if necessary de-caging trees previously planted on the site which are now getting too big to need protection
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 to ensure the bog remains a peat bog and not woodland. On the Sunday we will be removing beech saplings from Carstramon Wood to encourage a natural succession back to tree species expected at this latitude. We will be staying at the Carlingwark Outdoor Centre in Castle Douglas.
Find out how to book onto this task.
Donald Rose Wood near Markinch/Star in Fife is conservation-volunteer owned and planted-from-scratch native species biodiversity woods that LCV has been helping establish on nearly annual tasks since 2000 (on your host Tim Duffy's part of the site).
On this visit, depending on weather conditions we will either be preparing the ground and seeding a wildflower meadow or constructing access paths in this reserve.
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 mowing one of the meadows previously planted in the lower glen. This aids the dispersal of seeds from the wildflowers and reduces the nutrient levels of the ground, ensuring that grasses and scrub do not overwhelm the flowers.