Red Moss of Balerno

Edinburgh & the Lothians

Originally the bed of a shallow loch that existed in the early Ice Age, Red Moss is largely composed of peat built up over thousands of years. Its domed top is covered by heather, cottongrass and varieties of sphagnum moss. Dragonflies and damselflies inhabit the small ponds, as well as common frogs toads and newts. The reserve is part of the Balerno Common SSSI mainly due to its Raised Bog habitat.

Best time to visit:

May - August for flowering plants

Visit for:

Peatlands
Wildflowers

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Access

Information
From the car park continue on foot on the road until the reserve entrance about 100m on the right.
Directions
Take the A70 west from Edinburgh across the city by-pass. West of Currie take the left turn for Balerno, after the school take the next left follow this road for about 3km and turn left into the car park.

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Reserve location

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OS Landranger Map: 66
OS Grid Reference: NT164636
Latitude: 55.85836139
Longitude: -3.33572870
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Balerno (2 miles)