Flotterstone Inn

A great wee Inn to stop at after an energetic walk, run or cycle up the Pentland Hills. Nice food, good beer and friendly staff. In the warmer weather you can also sit out in their beer garden. Plenty seats and easy parking is a bonus.

A great place after you’ve been walking/​running/​whatever you’re having yourself-​ing in the Pentlands!
Maybe my opinion of the food and drinks on offer here are skewed ever so slightly as by the time I make it here I am usually starving, thirsty and badly in need of a pee. But this place is lovely. Very cosy and warm, there’s a stove near the bar which pumps heat into the main room. I’ve never been in to the back.
The food is decent pub grub. Not central Edi pub grub mind, but proper old school pub grub. I recently had some pheasant which was delicious (I did spend time picking the shot pellets out my teeth) but had a fair bit of grease on the plate. So when I say the food is good please keep the previous paragraph in mind!
The staff are really nice, we headed here after a recent race n the Pentlands and knew we wouldn’t be sitting until 9pm so they took our orders in advance and cooked the food so the chef could go home. The food was then simply heated up when we trickled in. It was a great set up and they were super accommodating.
Additionally they’re dog friendly and there’s some dog bowls for water behind the bar.
Overall give it a go if you’re in the area, though actually, you won’t have much choice…

The Flotterstone Inn is beautifully situated in a picturesque corner of Midlothian. Framed by tall trees and overshadowed by the soaring Pentland Hills, it’s a building built of rough stone and old wood beams. It’s warm and inviting, with a welcoming fire roaring and the promise of modern sensibility. Outside is a beautifully kept, dog friendly beer garden complete with a rippling stream, which makes for an idyllic setting for a summer’s day.
I began with the ‘Flotterstone stack’, a wonderful layered combination of rich black pudding and haggis, smothered in a topping of sweetly smoked bacon and onion confit. My partner opted for the homemade chicken liver paté with a tangy pear chutney and generous serving of smoked oatcakes. The paté was rich and luxurious, with a scattering of fresh salad and a splash of fine balsamic vinegar completing the experience.
The mains were equally impressive, with the grilled ‘smoked haddock Cleopatra’ proving a fine exemplar of the seafood choices; it was delicately cooked with a topping of succulent prawns and salt capers, which gave the dish punch without overpowering the subtlety of the haddock. The more familiar cheese macaroni was an indulgent take on a classic dish, while the desserts were our final delight — the homemade cakes and cheesecakes and a variety of ice creams presented a somewhat tricky decision.
It’s well worth veering off the beaten track to find The Flotterstone Inn — a true treasure.
(first published on The Food & Drink Guide)

There is nothing quite like a pint after a long walk.
The Flotterstone gets 4 stars from me for a few different reasons — it has a beer garden, it has tasty Stewart Brewing beers, it has a beer garden, it’s wonderfully located near a plethora of walking trails, and it has a beer garden.
Ok, the décor could possibly use a bit of a pick-​me-​up but then again, it’s honest and doesn’t have an air of somewhere that’s too clean/​posh for muddy walkers and their wet dogs.
I’ve not tried the food in ages but the menu looks good and the pricing is pretty standard.
The Flotterstone definitely gets my vote for best Pentland pub/

At the Flotterstone you would be excused for thinking there has been some kind of invasion of gaiters and walking boots as everywhere you look there is some one dressed to the nines in walking gear (usually without a speck of mud on them!)
The pub is right next to a fab walk up the hills and around a reservior and perfectly placed for a pre or post stop off. The food is average pub grub but perfectly nice if a little overpriced. The best thing is it is dog and kid friendly, you can cozy up in front of the fires, beer is good and the staff are very laid back while mayhem reigns all around on a sunday afternoon!

Do you like country pubs — far away from the buzz of a town?
Then you are at the right place.
The pub is situated outside of Edinburgh at the bottom of the Pentland Hills and an ideal base to start or end your hiking/​walking trip, be it with friends on two or four legs.
I found the pub clean and inviting with a bit of an «old flair» to it’s interior. Two fireplaces are situated on either end of the restaurant. There is a pub adjoined to the restaurant, so even more seats to choose in case you are only after a small pub lunch.
The food portions were large and the taste really good. There was plenty of space in the restaurant and you did not feel squeezed in. I had a bit of a Mexican style dish and my friends had a traditional soup and a Ploughman’s. Nothing wrong with that :-)
The menu offered various UK and foreign choices.
You get food worth your money!
Enjoy the walking tours and fresh air as soon as you leave the pub!

Like Veronika B. said, Flotterstone Inn is the perfect stop for a pub lunch /​drink after strolling on the beautiful Pentland Hills.
My friends and I actually did it the other way round: pub first and then some hiking.
Nevertheless, I enjoyed Flotterstone Inn. It has a wonderful, cosy atmoshpere and it just feels like a traditional country pub with fireplace and all.
We ordered lunch. There was plenty of choice on the menu. I went for the soup of the day with an egg & watercress sandwich, and my friends chose beef enchiladas and Ploughman’s lunch. (see picture)
Food was good and service very friendly. The only little issue was that it took a long time for them to clear up the plates and come and pick up the bill.
Go and try Flotterstone Inn next time you are in the Pentland Hills — you won’t be disappointed :)

Everything you could possibly want at the end of a Pentlands hike or bike ride. Delicious, great quality food, friendly service and good beer.
And a warm, cozy pub atmosphere.
If you’re up for something warmer than beer — their hot choc is amazing, and comes with giant marshmallows, and they have a selection of desserts to tempt you with too.