BEWITCHING BORDERS
While many of us look towards the remote Highlands for our dose of peace and tranquility in the Scottish countryside, we mustn’t miss out on the quiet grandeur of The Borders’ rolling hills, says Jamie Dey
The Borders is often overlooked in favour of the Highlands but for wide expanses of open countryside, remoteness in which you can get comfortably lost, and an array of terrain from hills and glens to coast and rivers, it is hard to beat.
The Lammermuir and Moorfoot Hills form a natural barrier between this region and the Lothians. A walk up Blackhope Scar – the highest of the Moorfoots – from Gladhouse Reservoir is a good way to leave the counties surrounding Edinburgh and enter a much more sparsely populated part of Scotland. The terrain is arduous but the views are spectacular.
The isolation of the region can be seen on a walk in John Buchan country, up Broughton Heights, an area where the literary giant spent childhood holidays. However, the popularity of the region can be best seen in the Royal Burgh of Peebles, which has been a holiday destination since Victorian times. Now, it is great walking country and many trails are laid out on Forestry Commission land, including Cademuir and Cardrona Forest.
But it is Glentress which dominates this stretch of the Tweed Valley. It might be a world-class centre of mountain biking but walkers are welcome as well. Some might think there is distrust between users of two wheels and those who prefer two legs but here they get along just fine and the trails, long and short, offer great views and a chance to escape.
Further down the Tweed is Innerleithen, where there is a great short walk up Pirn Hill and along the Leithen Water. From nearby Traquair the Southern Upland Way can be joined for a walk up Minch Moor, an ancient route on which the Marquis of Montrose is said to have fled after defeat in battle in the 17th century. It is said he hid his treasure somewhere on the route, but it has never been found. More myth is encountered on the walk at the Cheese Well, where an offering of cheese thrown into it would allow travellers of a bygone age to pass unmolested thanks to the protection of the fairies.
Close to Selkirk the Duke of Buccleuch’s Bowhill Estate has great trails while more grandeur can be encountered at the nearby Abbotsford, the former home of Sir Walter Scott and a good base for walks along the Tweed and into the gentle hills beyond.
The Eildon Hills above Melrose are another place said to be inhabited by fairies and offer a good, short but energetic walk to great views of the Tweed Valley. This town has many other, less strenuous, options along the river and on to the site of the former Roman fort of Trimontium.
One of the best viewpoints away from the Southern Upland Way is near Jedburgh. At the top of Peniel Heugh is the 150ft high Waterloo Monument, from where you can gaze across the Borders towards the Cheviots. Good, way-marked paths starting at the visitor centre at Harestanes make this an easyto-follow walk for all the family.
More remote is Ettrick and there’s a great walk up the hills around the top of Ettrick Water. But for a real feeling of being on the edge, Kirk Yetholm is a good place to head to. This is where the Pennine Way ends and there are a number of walks along and around the border with England. The most strenuous leads to the top of the Cheviots and takes 12 hours so is probably best left to the seriously fanatical walkers, as good as it is.
Coldstream is another place where the border, which is across the Tweed, is encountered. The Hirsel Estate has many paths and is a lovely spot to enjoy the coming of spring, from snowdrops onwards. Or, simply enjoy a stroll by the mighty river as it edges its way to the sea.
After all that, there is also the spectacular coast of the Borders to explore. Perhaps the most dramatic spot is St Abb’s Head, a collection of cliffs and inlets which act like a hotel for tens of thousands of seabirds.
A little quieter, but no less stunning, is Fast Castle. To the north of St Abbs, this ruined fortification on an outcrop can be reached on a precarious path (take great care with children and dogs). First used in the Iron Age, it has provided shelter for royalty over the centuries but is now a peaceful place to ponder the grandeur of this rugged coastline.
Gentle strolls can also be enjoyed from the pretty little harbour at Cove to the sandy beach of Pease Bay. Another good beach to head to for a gentle walk is at Coldingham, which is popular with surfers, even in the depths of winter.
So, if you overlook the Borders in favour of regions further north, you really are missing a treat.