Green shoots of recovery on Arthur's Seat after summer wildfire

Historic Environment Scotland has said that Arthur's Seat in Edinburgh is making a good recovery from the large fire which broke out in the summer.

The famous hill, which is a key feature of the city's skyline, went up in flames on August.

Smoke could be seen from miles away and it took firefighters more than a day to contain the outbreak.

Four months on, large sections of the hill are still blackened. But there are encouraging signs and green shoots appearing through the damaged landscape.

Martin Gray, who is the ranger and visitor services manager at HES, told BBC Scotland News: "We're getting the start of the regeneration, the natural succession from a fire site.

"There are nettles and grass regrowing, and as we move into spring we will see some rosebay willowherb and maybe some fox gloves.

"They'll get the opportunity to flourish now and growth will progress across different plants and species until potentially you're back with the gorse again covering it."

At its height the fire covered 30 hectares of the hill, which is the equivalent of about 22 football pitches.

The fire service has confirmed that the blaze was caused by human activity, although no single source has been identified.

However investigators found a disposable barbecue and remnants of a campfire, and there was anecdotal evidence of a group sitting in the gorse areas with cigarettes which they were not extinguishing properly.

Martin Gray said climate change means people visiting the park need to be aware of the greater risk of fires.

"The drier weather is extending, so you're getting drier periods of time earlier in the year and for longer.

"People want to come and enjoy the view and spend time here but we want them to be conscious that they have to do so responsibly.

"This isn't the place to light a barbecue or a fire. If you're a smoker please take a method of extinguishing."

Martin said HES wanted people to enjoy themselves but be mindful that there are "much wider impacts from something that might be good fun for one night".

"Months down the line we're still having to manage the fire that occurred in August," he added.

Wildlife that was displaced because of the fire is beginning to return, and Martin said there has been quite a lot of bird activity.

"For birds of prey it's a new area for them to explore and exploit because it's not got as much cover.

"There's a lot of kestrel and sparrowhawk activity in this area."

Martin said wildlife like rabbits, voles and mice moved back into the site quite soon after the fire.

One unexpected result of the blaze was the discovery of a large collection of animal bones in an area which was difficult to access before because of the gorse.

HES said they were trying find out more about them.

"Our archaeological teams have taken them away and are going to look at them in more details and carbon date them and give us a much better understanding of what those bones might be and where they're from and potentially how they came to be there," said Martin.

Arthur's Seat is a nationally important site for archaeology and plant species, and experts are carrying out surveys across the fire area to see how it has been impacted.

While the hill is recovering it is still fragile and the rangers in the park have urged people hoping to climb Arthur's Seat over the festive season to take extra care.

Martin added: "I'd be inclined to say to people to stay off the fire site. It's still fairly sensitive and it's still moving underneath.

"The whole area around about it is still accessible and there are plenty of other paths to use."