Calton Hill Conservation Trust

Breaking. Liz Truss wins this year's FIFA Prize for Economics.

Volunteer group criticises “paltry” grant scheme agreed by council EDINBURGH Council has agreed to set up a pilot grant scheme for conservation groups and trusts, but the scheme has met criticism.

Thank you DEADLINE NEWS: “City councillors say many wonderful and fine things about the volunteers who work for free to maintain the green spaces, which we deeply appreciate — but to quote or misquote George Bernard Shaw, ‘why don’t they try money?’” CHCT
www.deadlinenews.co.uk/2025/12/05/v...

SYSTEMIC UNDERFUNDING in Scotland's capital? FYI @edinburghminute.bsky.social @edinreporter.bsky.social @scotsman.com @spurtle.bsky.social @thatstvofficial.bsky.social @smcarthurreports.bsky.social @telegraph.co.uk @scotnational.bsky.social @ntbcc.bsky.social @thecockburn.bsky.social

No community groups were at the council meeting. There appears to have been a failure in the council outsourced notification system. Had we been aware earlier, the Trust would have wished to make a deputation to present the case for allocating resources more effectively. 4/end

City councillors speak warmly about the invaluable contribution of volunteers who give their time unconditionally and freely to care for Edinburgh’s green spaces — indeed appreciated — but to quote (or misquote?) George Bernard Shaw, “why don’t they try money?” 3/

Draft Edinburgh Council Parks and Open Space Volunteer Action Plan, December 2025

Entitled ‘Grant Funding for Friends of and Trusts’, its main recommendation was actually to endorse the VAP (Parks and Open Space Volunteer Action Plan, allocating £1.25 million to Council strategic planning, rather than direct support to community groups. 2/

Report to the City of Edinburgh Council Culture & Communities Committee on 5 December 2025 on ‘Grant Funding for Friends of and Trusts’.

UNDERWHELMED at CEC CULTURE & COMMUNITIES: The Trust were disappointed by a council committee offer of a hypothetical grant of £50k, to come from an unidentified source, at an unspecified date, to be divided among 85 community groups (Thurs. 5 Dec). #cityofedinburghcouncil 1/

Time Ball on top of the Nelson Monument, Calton Hill 1861

PLACES still available for ASTRONOMY walk with Prof Andy Lawrence. Start 12.45 on Saturday (6 Dec) from the Portuguese Cannon, watch the falling of the black time ball, learn about great Victorian astronomers and more. Free for members, donation for non-members. Contact <chair@caltonhilltrust.org>.

Story about Calton Hill in the Spurtle, 1 December 2025

Thanks again to the excellent SPURTLE @spurtle.bsky.social for their hands-on, in-depth coverage. We hope our grass will indeed prove "tough-as-old-boots" in due course. May the SPURTLEGEIST be with you, as we frequently say on the hill!

Notice for the online geology talk by Angus Miller for Calton Hill Conservation Trust, 25 November 2025

A RECORDING of Angus Miller's @geowalks.scot online talk on 25 November, 'WHERE'S THE VOLCANO? The story of the making of Calton Hill' is now posted on Vimeo:
caltonhilltrust.org/recording-of...

Clip used to secure fencing used on Calton Hill, 25 November 2025

Clip used to secure fencing used on Calton Hill, 25 November 2025

Thanks to City of Edinburgh Council for finding CLIPS TO SECURE THE FENCING surrounding the new turfing. So now the fencing will not blow over or be used (and broken) by people climbing onto the National Monument. A step forward!

Looking forward to finding out about the #geology and history of Calton Hill with @caltonhill.bsky.social & @geowalks.scot at this event next week! 🌋

"Where’s the volcano? The story of the making of Calton Hill", Tues 25 November, 6pm, online
www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/wheres-the...

Booking for 'WHERE'S THE VOLCANO?' is now open on Eventbrite.
www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/wheres-the...

Please contact <chair@caltonhilltrust.org> if you are interested in coming on the astronomy walk. It will be free for members, non-members will be asked to make a £10 donation on arrival. 3/

Andy Lawrence is Regius Professor of Astronomy at the University of Edinburgh, based on Blackford Hill. His research concentrates on quasars & the supermassive black holes they contain, but he also specializes in survey astronomy, space environmentalism, and the history of Astronomy in Edinburgh. 2/

Memorial to the astronomer Thomas Henderson (28 December 1798 – 23 November 1844), City Observatory, Calton Hill, Edinburgh

ASTRONOMY on CALTON HILL: Saturday 6 December starting at the Portuguese Cannon at 12.45.

Please join the Trust and Prof. Andy Lawrence as he tells the history of the Astronomical Institution, Royal Observatory, Henderson & Piazzi Smyth, time ball & time gun, Maria Short, and City Observatory. 1/

"Some of the topography is hidden under bridges and buildings, but we will try and strip that away to appreciate the low, craggy, stream-lined hill that plays such a big part in the landscape of Edinburgh.” 5/end

"The other part of the story involves eroding rocks, over a long period of time, to create the shape of the hill that we know and love today. " 4/

"... but there are clues that help work out the relationship between Calton Hill and Arthur's Seat, and the architecture of the volcano or volcanoes of central Edinburgh. Along the way we'll meet some lovely rocks, including the smoothest rock in Edinburgh and some of the youngest." 3/

Angus Miller writes: “Calton Hill is made of a pile of tough igneous rock: lava flows and layers of debris, all volcanic in origin. But Calton Hill is not a volcano in its own right, because there is no crater here. Where was it? We don't know for sure . . . 2/

Volcanic rocks smoothed by the last glaciation, Calton Hill, Edinburgh

ANGUS MILLER @geowalks.scot, the well-known geologist, is giving a programme about Calton Hill’s geology on Tuesday 25 November 18.00. entitled: 'WHERE'S THE VOLCANO? THE MAKING OF CALTON HILL'. Online/Zoom. Free public event. All welcome. Contact <info@caltonhilltrust.org> for info/ invitation. 1/

Three hundred square metres of turf laid in front of the National Monument, Calton Hill in response to the Erosion Emergency, 12 & 18 November 2025

THANK YOU to our volunteers & our donor, Alan Lawson & the Seven Hills Race, for +60 square metres (m2) of turf laid today (18 Nov.) on the top of the hill. 300 m2 in total — responding to Erosion Emergency. Statement by the community & local media. @spurtle.bsky.social @edinburghminute.bsky.social

We are hoping future turf laying will all be at this time of year as it makes the maintenance so much easier. We have laid 300 square metres in total — all paid for by the community, Calton Hill Conservation Trust, Café Calton, Collective Gallery and Seven Hills Race.

We reported the incident to the police. They came to see us and followed up with some patrols on the hill over the weekend. Many thanks to @policescotland.bsky.social for taking action.

No, fortunately not. The dirt bikers were further east, near Hume Walk.

FYI @spurtle.bsky.social @ntbcc.bsky.social @thecockburn.bsky.social @policescotland.bsky.social @collective-edin.bsky.social @edinburghcouncil.bsky.social @edinburghminute.bsky.social @edinreporter.bsky.social

BALACLAVA-CLAD DIRT BIKERS on Hume Walk, Calton Hill on Wednesday 12 November 2025 at 15.40. They were using both electric & petrol motorbikes to do stunts and cut up the turf. One rider sprayed us with mud. One bike had a number plate, but it was not possible to read it from the video.

Completed turf laying in front of the National Monument, Calton Hill, 12 November 2025

Completed job from the top of the Nelson Monument — after fencing erected around the new turf. The turfed area had been barren & compacted for the past decade. The turf was bought by the Trust, Café Calton and the Collective Gallery, with rotavation & top soil provided by Edinburgh Council.

BRAVO & THANK YOU to all our skilled, hard-working volunteers. We laid 240 square metres today (12 November 2025) in a great concerted effort. The turf came late — and the weather forecast was bad for tomorrow — but the job was completed just in time!

Thanks to THAT'S TV and Rachel Kinnear for making available our chair's interview on the EROSION EMERGENCY on 24 September. There was a follow-up interview yesterday (10 November).