So begins an attempt to complete our walk from Shoeburyness to Inverness. Having walked from Shoeburyness to Upper Framilode on the River Severn via the Thames Path and the Thames Severn Path, Offa's Dyke, the Pennine Way, the West Highland Way and the Great Glen Way, we thought we would connect the dots. So last year we walked from Edale to Prestatyn and this year Kirk Yetholm to Milngavie. Maybe.
We are doing things a little differently this year, having a central location (Coulter) for the entirelty of the trip, with our son providing taxi services.
There has been very little preparation for this walk, what with one of us being post operative and the other decrepit through overuse and injury. What could possibly go wrong? Certainly the route is not entirely obvious in places, so may require exploration. We may not complete this, this year.
Day 1 Photos
Kirk Yetholm to Brownrigg near Crailing 13.4 miles
We started where we finished the Pennine Way, at the Borders Hotel Kirk Yetholm. St Cuthbert's Way and the Pennine Way cross here, so we set off along St Cuthbert's Way with a brief but pleasant riverside walk to the bridge over Bowmont Water. Do not do as I did, and go through gate opposite when you exit onto the road, this takes you into a field with no exit. Instead turn right to cross the bridge then left onto the Way alongside the river to Duncanhaugh. When walking in the opposite direction to the majority, the signage is often sub-par.
Initially it is very good underfoot but there soon follows a mile or so of B and unclassified road bfeore turning off onto the flank of Crookedshaws Hill. The eastern approach to Crookedshaws is surprisingly steep, but then the climb up to Wideopen Hill is more gentle, as is most of the descent. However, there is a section below Grubbit Law that is a real ankle breaker. Poor quality for an established LDP.
Another mile or so of road brings us to Morebattleand the rather excellent community shop for coffee and snacks. There's more road to Cessford Castle before crossing Cessford Moor and descending via some pleasant woodland paths to Brownrigg where we were collected by our live in taxi.
Day 2 Photos
Brownrigg to Melrose 16.5 miles
The first 3 miles or so to Jedfoot bridge were very good underfoot and often in woodland. Then there is a short riverside walk to Moneviot Bridge and a fiddly section around Monteviot House. There follows a pleasant woodland walk. Pleasant until I tripped and oh dear I may have bust a rib. Fortunately the going is easy along Dere Street. St Cuthbert's Way turns right towards the Tweed, but we carried on along Dere Street untill it came to a faily abrupt halt alongside the A68. Fortunately there is a wide, flat, grassy tract of land beside the road into Melrose. At Birchbank Laretburn there is a footpath to St Boswells Green then easy paths to rejoin the SCW by the Tweed.
The path alongside the Tweed from St Boswells to Tweed Horizons is surprisingly up and down, but interesting. From Tweed Horisons there is a climb up through woods to Newtown St Boswells where there is a Coop with a convenient chair outside for drinks and snacks. It is here that we leave the SCW and join the Borders Abbeys Way.
From Newtown St Boswells to Melrose is largely a road walk, but the road is closed to traffic between Eildon Mains and Oakendean House. At Oakendean the BAW turns right to Newstead, but we continued straight down the (very quiet) road to Melrose. At melrose Abbey we are picked up by our taxi.
Day 3 Photos
Melrose to Yair Bridge 8.5 miles
Rebellion in the ranks means we actually walked this section from Yair Bridge back to Melrose just so we can explore after the walk, so West to East it is. Anyway, we both need an easy day.
The start is a steady, but not too steep, climb to Calfshaw on the Southern Upland Way. If you happen to be walking West to East watch the route here as the obvious path drifts to the Northwest, but you need to head Northeast along the flank of Hog Hill, aiming between two woods. The rolling hill walk to Galashiels is excellent. At Galashiels we diverted to the B road looking for sustenance, but we couldn't be bothered moving far enough into the town for the shops so rejoined the SUW and continued to the Tweed, which is crossed beside the railway bridge.There is a footpath alongised the railway, but for reasons that are not clear it leaves the footpath and follows the B6360. If I was doing it again I'd just stick beside the railway.
The SUW drops down to the Tweed again, skirting around Waverley Castle . The Way continues past Chain Bridge Farm to enter Melrose by the Abbey, but we diverted to the carpark where our taxi was waiting.
Day 4 Photos
Yair to Traquair 10 miles
We had a couple of days off, my ribs really hurt after the fall on Day 2. We had vague hopes of a long walk today, but by Traquair I'd had enough.
We started from Fairnilee Farm, crossing the Yair Bridge and entering Lindinny Wood on the SUW. This is an excellent woodland walk climbing gently until a little kick at Red Score Nick up to Little Crib, with another gentle climb over moorland up to the Three Brethren at 464m.The SUW is following an old drove road at this point and it continues climbing to Brown Knowe at 523m. The weather now is accurately described as "dreich" by a cyclist coming the other way. In fact, yet again everyone is going the other way. Whilst I'm sure the views are fabulous, we didn't see any.
There followed some gentle up and down across Little Minch Moor, before starting a very persistent down on Minchmoor Road. Just steep enough to hurt the knees. Whilst this is still an old drove road, it used to be the main road across these hills. Apparently Sir Walter Scott's mother could remember, as a little girl, being taken across this road in a coach and six with six footmen to keep it out of the bog.
On the descent after Dunbetha Knowe I found my enthusiasm for a long walk waning, so called a halt at Traquair. We would have some time to wait to be picked up and decided to walk into Innerleithen, about a mile and a half away. Here we found the excellent "Durty Brewery" which we heartily recommend.
Day 5 Photos
Traquair to Peebles 9.2 miles
We left Traquair on the SUW, but soon turned off on to the Cross Borders Drove Road. This entails a couple of miles on quiet roads until The Glen, just before Glen House. The Drove Road turns northwest between two properties, the signage is sparse (a picture of a cow), but ok. However, where the "road" turns southwest towards Birks around the corner of the wood, the OS map shows the track heading west. On the ground this is not visible, but a little further along is an obvious, if narrow, path heading north and northwest that takes you to join the track as marked.
From here there is a steady climb around Birks Hill and then Yellow Mire before reaching Kirkhope Law at 537m. After this there is an excellent ridgewalk down to Peebles. The views are fantastic and the going very comfortable.
Day 6 Photos
Peebles to Broughton 14.1 miles
We had to do things a little differently today. Up early and drove to Broughton, parked the car and caught the No:91 bus to Peebles. Mildly inconveniently the bus stopped at the top of ahill by the school, which meant we had to walk back down the hill to rendevous with the end of the previous walk.
Joining the John Buchan Way (JBW) there is a climb up a steepish tarmac path towards Frankscroft and the school where the bus stopped, but now on the other side. There followed some tree lined paths and a short section of road to Tantah. From here the JBW follows a well maintained grassy track to the The Whaum.
Just before The Whaum, the OS map has the JBW passing to the left of a little hillock, whilst on the ground the JBW is signposted to the right, swinging round the hillock to The Whaum. Naturally we went straight over and left the JBW to climb up to the two hillforts . Having done this it becomes obvious why the JBW doesn't come up here as the Western descent to Milton is steep and a bit uncomfortable. After rejoining the JBW at Milton there is a road walk to The Glack.
The JBW then follows the Glack Burn up to Glack Hope. It is no longer so well maintained and in places decidedly wet. The path then winds its way past Syke Hill and Easter Dawyck to Stobo. It was pretty wet and there was nowhere dry to sit until finding a rock above Easter Knowe Farm. Now we could have a cup of coffee and a snack.
From here the path climbs up to Hammer Rig and Knowe. The track is easy to follow, but not so good underfoot. Just short of Stobo Hopehead the track joins a new logging road, but this is soon left behind as the JBW continues around Hopehead Rig and Hammer Head. It is pretty wet underfoot and the path has been chewed up by heavy machinery.
From Cowiemuir Hass the path descends along Broughton Hope, by the Hollows Burn. When you get to Broughton Place it is worth looking for the waterwheel at the end of one of the farm barns. The Way follows the driveway down to the A701, then there wass a short walk through Broughton to where the car was parked.
Day 7 Photos
Broughton to Biggar 5.6 miles
An easy day today. On a summer's day it could easily be tagged onto the previous section, but this was November. The bus journey today was from Biggar to Broughton, having parked the car in Biggar. There's a short walk from the bust stop to the end of the previous day's walking.
The JBW ends in Broughton, but the onward journey is on an easy path that requires little in the way of signposting. Opposite Broughton School there is a road to Broughton Brewery (the beers a very good). At the end of this road there is a bridge over Biggar Water, cross this bridge and turn right onto an old railway track.
There follows a very easy walk to Biggar Golf Course. Here the track is blocked requiring you to cross into the grounds and follow a gravel path with a channel on the left for about half a mile. This brings you to Biggar. Despite being short, it is well worth doing for the stunning views, particularly of the hills to the South.
Day 8 Photos
Biggar to Thankerton 6.4 miles
Another short day, but deliberately so as the route is not at all obvious, and no one I contacted was clear as to how this could be done without walking the road. Specifically how to cross Biggar Common and Quothquan Law. However, google turned up the South Lanarkshire Core Paths Network, which proved invaluable. Reconnoitering by car failed to show any footpath signs from the East side of Quothquan Law, despite the fact that even Google Maps, let alone the OS map, shows the "little triangle footpath".
Nonetheless, armed with a printout of the core paths network and the fabulous Scottish "right to roam" we felt we could do this. Having parked in Biggar, we walked along Lindsaylands Road, turning right into Little Mitchell Wood just before Langlees Road. A pleasant stroll around the perimeter brings you to Langlees Road which swings West then North (go right at the fork) to Langlees House, turning left to pass Springfield Farm.
At the gate a footpath is signposted straight ahead, rather than skirting the edge of the field as shown on the core paths map. However, these routes meet again at the Southeastern end of a rectilinear wood that runs Northwest. It looks as if it would be nice to walk through, but it is surrounded by a barbed wire fence. There is a gate, but rather than going through walk between the row of trees and the Southwestern fence to the Northwestern corner.
The fence continues but ther is a wooden section to hop over at the end. From here follow a tumbledown dry stone wall to a gate into the woods of Biggar Common.I was tempted by a side path off the obvious track, but this was a mistake as it soon started to curve Southwest. Instead stick to the path, bearing west though the woods until a descent to the road to Quothquan.
A little way North up this road you come to "little triangle path" (google maps) or CL/4468/1 on the core paths map. This path is important enough to be mentioned in planning applications. It is actually inaccessible from the road as the entrance is barred by a broken down gate and scrub. However, there was an open gate into the adjacent field so we walked around the edge until we could go through another gate to join the path.
There is a short uphill section to Loanhead where there is a stile. Following the road straight ahead you come to a T-junction. Turning left, then right through an open gate allows you to skirt the back of the houses to a fence. Following this uphill towards the Law brings you to a gate at the bottom of the steep flank of the Law.
We took the sting out of the ascent with a zig-zag route to the top. At the trig point we took a neutral position in the ongoing war between trig point baggers and cairn builders. We removed enough of the cairn to show FB plate only.
After taking in the gliorious views we walked down the Southsoutheast slope to the corner of Law Wood and Crawhill Wood. The wood is mostly taking a lie down with very few standing trees. At the fence we turned due South which brought us to Cormiston Road. From here it is less than a mile to Thankerton Bridge, about a mile in total to the bus stop at Boat Road in Thankerton itself. From here we caught the bus back to Biggar.