Site Visit
Midlothian Community Woodlands Site Visit: Leadburn & Three Hares
Friday 27th November, 2026 - 10:00am to 4:00pm (timings to be confirmed)
Morning: Leadburn Community Woodland
Packed lunch at Leadburn
Afternoon: Three Hares Community Woodland
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Join us for a day exploring two inspiring community woodlands in Midlothian, where local volunteers and community organisations are creating thriving spaces for nature, learning, health and wellbeing.
This joint site visit will showcase two very different approaches to community woodland management. In the morning, we'll visit Leadburn Community Woodland, a volunteer-led woodland creation and habitat restoration project. In the afternoon, we'll head to Three Hares Community Woodland, a community-managed woodland that combines conservation, biodiversity, education and creative engagement to connect people with nature.
Together, these visits provide an excellent opportunity to learn about community stewardship, volunteer involvement, partnership working and the practical realities of delivering woodland projects for local communities.
Overall Learning Outcomes
By the end of this joint site visit, participants will:
Gain practical insight into how community groups can plan, establish and manage successful woodland projects.
Understand a range of approaches to volunteer recruitment, community engagement and partnership working.
Identify ideas and techniques that could be applied within their own woodland or greenspace projects to improve biodiversity, accessibility and community participation.
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Leadburn Community Woodland is a former forestry plantation that has been transformed into a diverse landscape of native woodland, ponds, peatland and wildlife-rich habitats through the dedication of local volunteers.
What You'll Experience
During the visit, participants will:
Explore an extensive path network developed along former railway lines.
See how volunteers have planted more than 11,500 native trees across the site.
Visit several ponds and learn about their role in supporting wildlife and biodiversity.
Discover how the group worked with Peatland Action and Tweed Forum to restore two raised bogs.
View interpretation panels explaining the peatland restoration process and its environmental benefits.
Hear about the woodland's volunteer programme and the challenges and rewards of managing a growing community woodland.
Learn how a community woodland can develop accessible infrastructure, including wheelchair-accessible paths and rest points.
The woodland has an excellent path network, with wheelchair-accessible routes along the main paths and benches located at regular intervals for rest stops. One volunteer has described the woodland as offering more than 5km of walking without retracing your steps.
Meeting Point
Visitors arriving by car can park in the woodland lay-by, which has space for approximately 20 vehicles and serves as the usual volunteer meeting point.
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For those travelling by public transport, the X62 bus from Edinburgh serves the area. Visitors are advised to ask the driver to stop at the Craigburn stop, near the entrance to Kingside Farm, rather than alighting at the Leadburn Junction crossroads.
Following the morning visit, participants will enjoy a packed lunch at Leadburn before travelling to Three Hares Community Woodland.
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Three Hares Community Woodland is an 18-acre community woodland near Auchendinny, managed by a Community Interest Company. The woodland is owned by Crown Estate Scotland and is managed with a focus on conservation, biodiversity, education and health.
The visit will begin at the woodland entrance, offering views across the open woodland area where much of the recent planting and community activity takes place.
What You'll Experience
During the visit, participants will:
Hear the story of how Three Hares Community Woodland was established and how the group works with Crown Estate Scotland.
Explore recently planted areas and community event spaces.
Visit the Community Orchard and the site where the new pond will be.
Learn about woodland management planning, fundraising and volunteer engagement.
Discuss the group's experience of delivering community learning opportunities and monthly volunteer days.
Discover how creative activities and wellbeing initiatives are used to encourage participation and strengthen connections with nature.
Explore the group's future aspirations for the woodland and current conservation projects.
Walk a circular route that includes riverside paths along the River Esk.
Depending on time and ground conditions, there may also be an opportunity to visit the older woodland areas where plans are underway to restore historic alder coppice stools and where the woodland's unique Musical Forest Shelter is located.
Facilities and Accessibility
Three Hares has:
A woodland hut with the option of attaching an awning during wet weather.
A compost toilet.
No drinking water on site.
Please note that, due to slopes, uneven ground and the absence of surfaced paths, Three Hares is not wheelchair accessible.
Some sections of the woodland may be muddy, slippery or uneven underfoot.
Getting There
Three Hares Community Woodland is bordered by the Penicuik-Dalkeith Walkway (National Cycle Network Route 196) and the River Esk.
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Grid Reference: NT 25894 61791Parking is available at:
Glencorse Centre
Old Dalmore Drive
To help maintain good relationships with local residents, please do not park on the road beyond the Glencorse Centre or in residents' parking bays on Old Dalmore Drive.
Bus services 15, 37, 40, 47 and 68 all stop near the road leading down to Auchendinny.
Further travel information, including a video guide to accessing the woodland, can be found at:
https://three-hares-woodland.org/how-to-find-us/
Website:
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From restoring peatlands and planting thousands of native trees to creating orchards, ponds and community learning opportunities, this site visit showcases the breadth of activity that community woodland groups can achieve.
Delegates will leave with practical ideas, inspiration and first-hand experience of two successful woodland projects, while hearing directly from the volunteers and community leaders who continue to shape their future. Whether you are involved in an established woodland group or just beginning your community woodland journey, there will be plenty to learn, discuss and take away from the day.
Please note: The programme will run from approximately 10:00am to 4:00pm, with a packed lunch at Leadburn before travelling to Three Hares Community Woodland. Final timings and joining instructions will be issued to registered participants in advance of the visit.