I now have a zoo membership, which makes it much easier to drop in for short visits and to see which of the animals are in the mood to pose for me. This is just a small selection of the creatures you can see.

Edinburgh Zoo Top Tip: On arrival, get the free transport to the top of the hill and see everything as you walk back down. You also get great views over Edinburgh and the Pentlands at the top so have a good look first.

Click on the animal name for more detailed info from Wikipedia

Pallas Cat
The Pallas Cat is a fairly secretive wee soul so you’re going to have to be fairly patient if you want to get this good a look at him. In all the times I have been to the zoo, I’ve got a photo of it twice. Well worth the wait, it’s a lovely creature.

Jaguars
The big cats are always a big favourite at any zoo and the jaguars are always popular in Edinburgh. They are usually quite gregarious so you usually get a good view. The jaguars have recently moved into the former tiger habitat so they now have a lot more room.

Pygmy Marmoset
A firm favourite with the kids, the Rainbow Forest has an excellent collection of the cuter end of the primate scale. The smallest of them all is the Pygmy Marmoset. A very engaging wee soul you can usually find him lurking in the bushes.

Cottontop Tamarin
A slightly more dynamic groups of inhabitants of the Rainbow Forest are the Cottontop Tamarins. They are a vibrant family group and will usually be chasing each other about quite a bit. Keep a close-out for for small babies clinging on to their parent’s backs.

Chimpanzee
One of the newest areas of the zoo is the excellent new Chimpanzee habitat, The Budongo Trail. Edinburgh Zoo has a large group of chimps and you get a great view of them both indoors and out. They sway between large periods of lazing about and sudden bursts of charging about the place.

Great Grey Owl
The Great Grey Owl often lurks at the back of his cage but on a sunny day it comes out and puts on this striking pose.

Ring-tailed Lemur
On a sunny day there is no better sight than the ring-tailed lemurs sunning themselves. There is a large group in the zoo, lots of very cute babies usually. If you can’t see them outside, they will be huddled in their house not far from the Member’s Gate. The high viewing platform gives a good view of them (and most of Edinburgh).

Stellar’s Sea Eagle
Not the biggest bird on the zoo, but perhaps the most impressive, the Stellar’s Sea Eagles strike a very dramatic pose. There is a pair in the zoo and they are usually out and about in the centre of their enclosure.

Indian Rhino
If it’s that authentic zoo smell you’re after then seek out the Rhinos. They don’t run around much so don’t expect much of a show but they are impressive for their size alone. At the end of the day they move to their sleeping house a little further up the hill, this is the best place to see/smell them up close.

King Penguin
Edinburgh Zoo is probably most famous for it’s penguins and the daily penguin parade. A better thing to check out is the underwater flocking that is often on show. Stand on the bridge the spans the middle of the penguin enclosure and watch them whizz by back and forward underneath. Good to go and breeding time zoo and see the little chicks. The King Penguins will usually do you the favour of standing very still so you can get a good photo.

The penguins can also now be watched online via the new Penguin Cam.

Oriental Small-Clawed Otter
The otters are among the zoo’s most engaging inhabitants. Unlike many of the other creatures, they do react to the presence of visitors and, as you can see from this photo, are happy to get close and look at you. They tend to troupe about together but are most often found at the top end of their enclosure waiting on food.

Japanese Macaque
If you’ve ever seen the film Baraka, you’ll know there is something very zen about the Japanese Macaque. Their faces have a peaceful wisdom about them.

As I walked for 4 hours, I met many people, not surprising for such a glorious day. And, as you do, you say hello and chat in a way you only do in the Great Outdoors. Never happens in a street. It made me wonder how many Edinburgh people never consider a visit to these wonderful hills. Here’s a little photo showcase of what you can see in the Pentlands Hills. You don’t need to be an avid hillwalker type, there are plenty easy strolls. Hopefully it will encourage you to pay them a visit.

Harlaw is a great place to start if you don’t want anything too strenuous. Similarly, a walk from Flotterstone up through the filter beds isn’t too taxing and offers some great views, especially if you go all the way to Glencorse.

All these photos are linked to hi-res versions that you can download for free.

First things first. Check out the Pentland Hills website. Much of what I will describe is covered there and you can get a very useful map [PDF].

This is a view of East and West Kip taken overlooking Threapmuir reservoir. This at at the far end of the Harlaw Woodland walk. As you can see, on a nice day it’s a great place to be.

If you leave from the Harlaw Ranger’s station, you can go up over the ridge and down to the reservoir at the base of Black Hill. It’s usually very peaceful here and the bottom of Black Hill has a lovely red colour.

The woodland walk at Harlaw is one of the easiest loops you can do. Ideal for you first stroll in the Pentlands, it’s all flat, so great with small kids. There are lots of nice trees too.

Sometimes even Scotland can look at little bit like Africa. This photo can also be seen in the Harlaw Ranger’s Station.

At the far end of the Harlaw woodland walk you arrive at Threapmuir reservoir. If you carry on round to the left there is a lovely avenue of trees.

This is the same avenue of trees seen from the other side of Threipmuir Reservoir.

Pick the right time of year and you get the ever popular sight of a field of rapeseed.

The avenue up the hill at Bavelaw is very pretty in the sun. Easiest to approach from the car park at Threapmuir.