So recently went paddleboarding with a few friends up to Gladhouse reservoir (Moorfoot loch) in Midlothian Scotland. As you might expect, the weather was grey, but with occasional sunshine, so it promised a great day out for us all.

The reservoir is the largest body of fresh water in the Lothians, and it has a huge variety of water-fowl including moor-hens, mallard duck, tufted duck and canadian & pink-foot geese – so there is lots to see as you leisurely paddle around the water.

If you are extremely lucky you might even catch a glimpse of the Ospreys that nest on at least 1 of the 3 islands. For this reason the Islands are out of bounds during the nesting season so don’t go there!

It’s not a huge body of water, 460 acres – about 5 miles around – and you can get off your board and go for a hike around it that will only take a couple of hours or so.

As for location, it is about 40 minutes south-side of Edinburgh, just about 5 miles from Penicuik.

Can you swim in Gladhouse reservoir?

Yes indeed you can. Although it once supplied Edinburgh city and surrounding area with drinking water, it is now only an emergency supply and is not used for this anymore.

As usual with Scottish lochs and reservoirs, be very careful if you do go swimming. The water just below the surface can be extremely cold – potentially leading to cramps and disaster!

Is paddleboarding allowed?

Yes it is. There is a general ‘right to roam’ agreement in Scotland overall which includes public waterways, lochs, canals, & reservoirs. This means that you are allowed to paddleboard or use your Kayak in Scottish water as long as you are not causing damage to the local environment in any way.

On the issue of damage…I was dismayed to see that some folks are ignoring the rules around Gladhouse – which is surrounded by forest.

It is against the law to light fires in the Forest surrounding the Reservoir, but this does not seem to inhibit some thoughtless knuckleheads from doing so!

Not content to light a small portable barbeque on the stony beach, some had cut down healthy trees and lit a fire in the forest itself, burning a large area of heather and undergrowth in the process.

It’s no wonder that the locals to the area are up in arms, and there have been quite a few ‘incidents’ recently that have caused the police to be involved.

Parking around Gladhouse:

There is no designated parking area around the reservoir as such. However you can park alongside the metal fence that surrounds the water – just be aware that this is causing a lot of anger amongst locals as badly parked cars are nearly blocking the road at times.

The road around the reservoir is particularly narrow in places so do try and tuck your rear-end in (a life’s lesson really!). However watch out you do not get bogged into the mud at the same time.

Is Gladhouse a good place to go Paddleboarding?

The water is excellent and fairly clear – as you may expect from a reservoir that used to supply drinking water to the Lothians – as is the scenery. And the chance of seeing an Osprey is always a good thing, however…

Quiet it is not! When we were there on a Sunday morning/afternoon visit, I was shocked to see at least another 100 paddleboarders on the water!

So if you like lots of company when you are in the water then you will like this.

To be fair the reservoir seemed to cope with these numbers well enough – you were by no means bumping into other users – but it was a bit noisy at times, especially when the scouts arrived en-mass.

Unfortunately super-busy scenic areas is one of the down-sides of the whole ‘staycation’ idea (yea I can be a bit anti-social!).

Is Gladhouse a safe area for paddle boarders?

The water is used as a outdoor activity location by several groups including Driftwood Adventures which we have used several times for paddle board and Kayak lessons and I cannot recommend them highly enough.

They’re always very helpful – even if you are not using their services at that time.

If you see Hugo or Niall (founders) when you are at Gladhouse say Hi for us!

True – they bring along the numbers that maybe cause some problems – but there is always a trade-off in life!

The reservoir is very shallow in places – only about waist height for an adult, and so it makes an excellent choice for beginners or just folks who want an easy paddle without having to worry about their balance too much – unless of course the wind is howling down from the Moorfoot hills!

Of course – always wear a PFD (Personal flotation device) in any water – even if it looks quite unfashionable! Sadly, Gladhouse reservoir has seen it’s fair share of drownings over the years – and you do not want to add to them I’m sure.

As for the fact that it can be busy especially over a weekend – at least you are seldom left on your own, on a spooky loch, as night draws in!

Gladhouse reservoir amenities for paddleboarders and kayakers

PARKING	YES/NO	No designated parking bay – but free roadside
TOILETS	NO	Hmmm
CAFE	NO	Are you kidding me!
ACCESS	YES	Access to waterside by foot only
EMERGENCY	NO	No emergency or medical service
SCENIC	YES	Great for wild-life enthusiasts & twitchers
CAMPING	YES/NO	No camping facilities, but folks still do it

Would we recommend Gladhouse for SUP?

Much as we hate to encourage more traffic…we would have to say YES! Despite the lack of amenities, Gladhouse is just a great day out – especially if the sun shines!

If you are looking for an easy SUP experience in relatively safe waters with great scenery, then Gladhouse certainly will live up to your expectations