Edinburgh Castle stands proud on Castle Rock in the city centre, but this promontory is in the shadow of Arthur’s Seat, a volcano that overlooks Scotland’s ancient capital. Fortunately for the city’s residents, and its almost 5 million annual visitors, the volcano is long extinct. But the explosive power of an eruption is easily imitated on a smaller scale at various locations in the area. We’re talking about the thrilling combat sport of paintball. Whereas the driving force of volcanic activity is red hot magma, paintball guns, known as markers, take their power from compressed air. With the pull of the trigger, the air is released, launching a ball of paint 100 feet through and - hopefully - exploding on the body of your enemy.

It’s not just Arthur’s Seat that makes the area around Edinburgh dramatic. The volcano itself is part of the Pentland Hills, and on the other side of the city is the Firth of Forth, a huge inlet of the North Sea which is crossed by an impressive suspension bridge. While it can’t rival the highlands in terms of sheer altitude, the 650 metre high peak of Blackhope Scar dominates the zone. Castles are frequent sites on hilltops and rocky crags throughout the area, and they overlook valleys, rivers and ancient forests. One of the pleasures of paintball is getting into the great outdoors and pitting yourself against not just the opposing team but the landscape as well. You get as much out of paintball as you put it - the more effort you invest, the harder you try to emerge victorious, the more fun it becomes. But that doesn’t apply to the financial side of things, you get a lot of action for your money here.

Where are the best paintball centres in Edinburgh?

• Winchburg: Do you like the sound of storming a multi level wooden fort? What fighting for control of two bases made from the shells of old double decker buses set at opposite ends of a battlefield? These are just some of the challenges that you can take part in just 10 miles from Edinburgh city centre, near the town of Winchburg. The site is considered to be one of the best paintball centres in the whole of Scotland, and part of that reputation is thanks to the team of true enthusiasts who are always searching for ways to make their offering more unique, innovative and enjoyable. Accessibility is also a priority and they boast separate sets for equipment to cater to both adults and children.

• Dundas Castle: Mists rise of the Firth of Forth and shroud the area in mystery… In these conditions, you and your team will have to put your heads together to come up with a strategy that brings you the win. But it’s not just the climate conditions that you’ll have to exploit here, you also need to work around natural and man made obstacles. The woods, ditches and open spaces of the site are populated by forts, train carriages and other installations which you need to work with in order to outsmart your enemy. There are opportunities for people of all ages and experience levels to get involved here, and the fun is guilt free because only biodegradable paintballs are used on this site.

• Currie: Leaving Edinburgh to the southwest, you’ll pass the seat of learning of Herriot Watt University. This is a well respected educational institute, but we believe that you can learn some more important lessons just a bit further down the A71 in a paintball arena. Covering 55 acres, it’s one of the biggest sites in the country, and that space is put to good use with 16 different game zones. Whether you’re competing as part of a team, engaging in an everyone for themselves Battle Royale or taking part in a mission scenario like Capture the Flag, the carefully designed zones will immerse you in the action. On top of that, the natural beauty of the woodland site is enough to have you coming back again and again.

Equipment provided upon arrival at the field

Something that you can count on when you go for a paintball session in Edinburgh is top level, well looked after equipment. That means that you don’t need to be a regular paintballer with your own guns and ammo. It doesn’t even matter if you’ve never tried paintballing before, everyone’s welcome here.

Requirements to do this activity

Standard paintball games are for players over the age of 12 years old, but there are opportunities for younger warriors to get involved too. Specialised low-velocity guns and well fitting safety equipment mean that your son or daughter can live out their combat fantasies at several of the sites from just 7 years old.

While it’s possible to book an experience as an individual, we recommend that you bring your troop, squad, platoon, army, or whatever you want to call them with you and enjoy the action together. You can work together on the same team or go head to head on opposing teams to really make a special occasion special. Birthdays, stag or hen parties, corporate events, or anything else, it’ll be something to remember if you celebrate it with paintball.

Options for organising an experience

The most popular way to enjoy paintballing is to make a day of it, or at least half a day. Various different games will take place over the course of one of these sessions, each one lasting around 20 minutes or half an hour, and allowing for some time for a breather, a snack, or a strategy meeting, in between. But if your busy schedule doesn’t let you take business hours off for leisure purposes, you can organise an evening session. Particularly good on those long, Scottish summer evenings, you can fight to your heart’s content for a couple of hours after a day at the office.

When you come to book your session, you can go for a standard package, which will provide you with the necessary weaponry and protective equipment for playing. But it’s also possible to enhance the experience, and increase your chances of going from a player to a winner, by choosing a package that includes better guns, more ammunition and even tactical devices like smoke grenades. Hot food is an option too, to fuel up between skirmishes!

Have you got a craving for carnage? We’ve got the solution - follow the steps to book your adventure!