A former paper mill, walks with distinct characters and a designed landscape give Penicuik several clear themes for a stay. Paper-making dates back to 1709; Penicuik’s cultural history, memorials and landscape can also be explored from different perspectives. If you choose a destination based on the things you can discover there, you can weigh up crafts and history, a route or the designed landscape here.

Paper-making and printing

Paper-making in Penicuik dates back to 1709. The first mill was founded by Agnes Campbell on the Esk. At the Penicuik Papermaking Heritage Museum, visitors can make a sheet of paper themselves. The museum is believed to be the only papermaking museum in Scotland. Here, the long history of the craft sits alongside the opportunity to work with the material yourself.

Pen-y-Coe Press is next to the museum and offers insight into pre-digital printing techniques. The two places have different focuses: the museum is about paper-making, while Pen-y-Coe Press is about printing. Together, they offer a direct introduction to two related subjects in paper history, without requiring a general overview of the entire industry.

Town history and remembrance

The Hearse House also explores Penicuik’s history and heritage. Nine display panels cover these subjects, and the building also contains a model of the Clerk Mausoleum. The panels and model give the visit a clear local focus: they connect the history of the place with a specific building, shown as a model inside the house.

The French Prisoners of War Memorial commemorates 309 prisoners of war who died in the neighbourhood between 21 March 1811 and 26 July 1814. The memorial is the centrepiece of a residential development on Bellerophon Drive in Penicuik. The development was built on the site of the former Valleyfield Mills. The memorial to the prisoners therefore stands in a place whose history is also shaped by the site’s former use.

Walks with distinct characters

The Penicuik-Dalkeith Walkway follows an 11.5-mile section of the former railway line from Edinburgh to Peebles. The path is paved and has a whin surface; it is suitable for wheelchairs and mobility scooters. The Penicuik Paper Trail is described differently: it is an easy walking route connecting the town of Penicuik with the Penicuik House estate. The former railway line and the path’s surface help define the Walkway; the Paper Trail is characterised by its easy walking route and named destination.

Penicuik House and the designed landscape

Penicuik House lies on the eastern edge of the Pentland Hills. The River North Esk flows through the house’s parkland. The Paper Trail leads to the Penicuik House estate, so the house is a specific point of reference both in the description of a walk and in relation to the landscape. This helps distinguish the information about the route from the information about the location: the walking route connects the town with the estate, while the location description sets the house in relation to the Pentland Hills.

The Penicuik Designed Landscape is considered an outstanding example of Sir John Clerk of Penicuick’s early 18th-century landscape design. Its established woodlands and water features are of high conservation value. Alongside the buildings and historical stories, the designed landscape itself also takes centre stage. These are distinct focuses to consider when planning a trip: paper history and remembrance on the one hand, walks and landscape on the other.

Discover more destinations: Bonnyrigg, Polton, Roslin, North Middleton, Rosewell, Gorebridge, Dalkeith, Loanhead.

For the regional travel guide: Midlothian.