Southern Uplands

Scotland’s southernmost range of hills offer splendid isolation and wild walking in a wonderfully unspoilt landscape

LOTS OF WALKERS have a mental block when it comes to the Southern Uplands, with a common misconception that there’s nothing worth getting out of the car for between the Lake District in northern England and Loch Lomond in the southern Highlands. But that would be to dismiss some of the finest walking you’ll find anywhere in Britain, on shapely and remote hills home to stunning wildlife including golden eagles and hen harriers. There are silent glens to explore, beautifully-maintained bothies to spend a wild night outdoors in, and areas like the Galloway Forest Park with endless networks of footpaths and trails.

Galloway itself provides a perfect snapshot of what the Southern Uplands has to offer, with 300 square miles of wild beauty in Britain’s largest forest park. Established in 1947, the park is made up of tranquil valleys, heather-cloaked hillsides, rugged rock faces, muscular peaks, ancient woodlands and cascading burns. There’s an excellent network of bothies if you fancy some hut-to-hut walking, stunning beaches to stroll along beside remote lochs, and the standout peak of The Merrick – which at 843m is the highest in the Southern Uplands and part of the magnificently

named Range of the Awful Hand.

If you really want to get to know the region check out the Southern Upland Way, which was Britain’s first official coast-to-coast long-distance path and stretches for 212 miles from Portpatrick on the south west coast of Scotland to Cockburnspath on the eastern seaboard. The full route is a great challenge for experienced hikers, but some of the shorter sections make perfect day walks and family strolls. There are no hills higher than 3000 feet, but more than 80 rising above 2000 feet, so this is prime hillwalking country.