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Dreghorn Woods training trenches is a First World War military earthwork located in Midlothian, near Redford Bridge in Edinburgh. The trenches were constructed as a training facility to prepare soldiers for the conditions they would encounter on the Western Front, forming part of the defensive infrastructure established around Edinburgh during the war. The site lies on bedrock of the Inverclyde Group, a sequence of sandstone, siltstone and mudstone deposited during the Osagean period, which would have provided a stable foundation for the trench system.
The trenches represent the practical methods used to instruct troops in siege warfare and trench combat techniques before deployment overseas. Such training camps were established throughout Britain to give soldiers experience in digging, maintaining and defending linear earthworks, essential skills for modern industrial warfare. The sandy and silty soils of the Inverclyde bedrock would have presented realistic working conditions for excavation and construction practice.
The monument is protected by Historic Environment Scotland under the reference SM13717, recognising its significance as evidence of Britain's military mobilisation during the First World War. The survival of the trench system in Dreghorn Woods provides an important record of training methods and the scale of military preparation undertaken in Scotland during 1914–1918.
Dreghorn Woods training trenches, 425m WSW and 350m SW of Redford Bridge, Edinburgh is a scheduled monument protected by Historic Environment Scotland under reference SM13717. View the official record →
Dreghorn Woods training trenches is a First World War military earthwork located in Midlothian, near Redford Bridge in Edinburgh. It is designated a Scheduled Ancient Monument by Historic Environment Scotland under reference SM13717.
Dreghorn Woods training trenches, 425m WSW and 350m SW of Redford Bridge, Edinburgh is a Scheduled Ancient Monument, legally protected by Historic Environment Scotland — the body responsible for designating and safeguarding heritage sites in Scotland. The official designation reference is SM13717.
Several scheduled monuments lie within 10 km, including Lawhead Hill,fort 630m NNW of Lawhead (6.3 km), Rullion Green,stone circle (6.3 km), Howlet's House,towerhouse and enclosures (6.6 km).
This page is just one thread. A full Aubrey report pulls together 14 strands of Dreghorn Woods training trenches, 425m WSW and 350m SW of Redford Bridge, Edinburgh's history, each drawn from the record and mapped to the exact spot:
Every location is different. Not every section appears for every place, only what the historical record actually holds turns up in a report.
Dreghorn Woods training trenches, 425m WSW and 350m SW of Redford Bridge, Edinburgh stands on Inverclyde Group, bedrock that formed in the Osagean. The rock here is sandstone, siltstone and mudstone.