Penicuik and District u3a

08/01/2026

😀 If you’re interested in history, this could be of interest to you.
The next guest speaker meeting of the Penicuik & District u3a (the only u3a in Midlothian) will start promptly at 2.00 p.m. (access from 1.40 p.m.) on Thursday 15th January in the Penicuik’s Cowan Institute (town hall).

Brian Young will present the results of his research into the building of Hadrian’s Wall, the defensive fortification in the Roman province of Britannia.

Visitors are welcome at a cost of £2 and this includes a ‘cuppa’, a biscuit and a chat after the talk.
You can contact us, and find out more details, by visiting our website (www.penicuik.u3asite.uk)
P.S. We also have over 30 interest group events (details on our website) which meet more frequently. 😀

02/01/2026

Nature Appreciation Group
This group currently has 20 members and could accept more. Our average attendance is about 10. A recent development is that we tend to lunch together after an outing and extend the social aspect. Weather-dependent, we meet on the second Wednesday and fourth Friday of most months although the winter months are relatively bleak for observations of nature. Average distance walked in about 4 Km and the pace is very leisurely. If you adopt a normal walking pace, you’ll miss so much nature!
Apart from these fortnightly outings, we communicate by WhatsApp and share items of interest and photographs.
We are members of the Penicuik and District u3a.The u3a is a national movement and we are the only one in Midlothian.
The main requirements for enjoying this group are a keen eye but mainly curiosity.
Additionally, members can attend our monthly guest speaker meetings on the third Thursday of the month in Penicuik’s Cowan Institute (town hall). There are also social occasions such as an Xmas Social, a (Robert) Burns Lunch and a Summer outing.
Next time we’ll hear about our Art Appreciation Group
Check out our group in the website at

For our 2024 summer visit, the staff of the Roslin Institute put on a truly excellent day for our members, with very interesting lectures in the morning and demonstrations in the afternoon.

14/12/2025

On the afternoon of Thursday 11th December, Penicuik & District u3a held its annual Xmas Social in the upper hall of Penicuik’s Cowan Institute (town hall). While we invite guests to our monthly guest-speaker meetings, this meeting wasn’t advertised on Facebook as it was a members-only event.
About 60 members attended and were entertained by some tunes on the small pipes (smaller than bagpipes!), some music on guitars accompanying songs, a Xmas reading and several Xmas-themed poems including a satirical one entitled ‘ A politically correct Xmas’.
Catering was provided by nearby Giovanni’s restaurant.
We had a great time and look forward to what 2026 will bring.

17/09/2025

Here's a short video clip about who we are and what we do. You'll find it at:

This short video describes who we are and what we do to keep physically able, mentally alert, learn new things and importantly, make new friends.We are a nat...