Penicuik Estate

In an exciting collaboration, the University of Edinburgh has partnered with Penicuik Estate in Midlothian to support long-term peatland restoration, monitoring and research as part of the Estate’s wider nature restoration programme.

Across the Estate’s 3,000 hectares, this broader programme also encompasses native woodland creation, river and wetland recovery and wider habitat restoration. The Estate provides a valuable setting for long-term ecological research and monitoring, while its proximity to the University creates opportunities for ongoing collaboration and field research.  

The partnership also includes working with the UK Centre for Ecology & Hydrology (CEH), whose long-term climate and peatland monitoring station is located on the Estate, providing an established scientific setting for understanding how the landscape changes over time.

Peatland restoration 

Peatlands are vital carbon sinks, and their restoration is essential in the fight against climate change. When peatlands are degraded, they release stored carbon back into the atmosphere. 

Restoring these areas helps to re-wet the land, preventing further carbon emissions, revitalising natural habitats and contributing to natural flood mitigation. Long-term monitoring and research are particularly valuable in understanding how these landscapes respond and recover over time. 

Working in collaboration  

Penicuik Estate is managed with a long-term, regenerative approach, bringing together hospitality, farming, forestry, nature restoration and heritage conservation as part of a single integrated estate. 

This approach recognises that the different elements of the Estate are interconnected, and seeks to balance environmental stewardship with the responsible management of the land and its wider economic and cultural value.

We are hugely excited to be working with a world-leading institution like the University of Edinburgh. The University’s expertise, combined with our long-term commitment to restoring and enhancing the Estate, creates a fantastic opportunity to build a deeper understanding of how we manage and improve the landscape for the future. By bringing research, practical land management and long-term monitoring together, we can make better-informed decisions and demonstrate the positive change taking place across the Estate.

Ed Clerk Managing Director, Penicuik Estate
A photo of the Penicuik Estate
The Penicuik Estate in Midlothian, close to the Pentland Hills.

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