Julia Thorn: Southern Upland Way

A coast to coast walk just inside the Scottish border had an appeal for me, crossing Scotland at its widest part from the Irish Sea to the North Sea. I was going to walk on grassy fells and moorland, often vaguely flattened grass rather than a physical path, a type of walking that was new to me and it took me a while to get used to it. I didn't like having permanently wet feet from the boggy ground and muggy overcast weather every day; on the plus side I never had the heavy rain I had anticipated. The scenery was never breathtaking but was generally good.

17 July I left my cliff top Portpatrick Hotel, having walked the first 400 metres of the Southern Upland Way yesterday; the trail began by an anchor and the Scottish flag on rocks at the entrance to Portpatrick's tiny harbour off the Irish Sea. A pretty town on the west coast of the Rhins peninsula with harbourside pubs, small lighthouse, a little patch of sandy beach and an outline of hills in Ireland.

It was good to get started but I was still feeling my jet lag and my pack hurt my shoulders. The first hour was along the coast passing a lighthouse and descending to a couple of scrappy beaches, some views down the coast of low grassy headlands. I saw a deer, some sheep. Turning inland I had a lot of road walking with scattered white cottages and farmhouses interrupted by a nice stretch on moorland with little tarns. I followed a ridge that skirted Stranraer. Some muddy forest. Coming into Castle Kennedy the forest walking was good and I found a shop at the service station to buy lunch. Then I crossed the road to the Castle Kennedy gardens and walked down to a loch and along to the castle ruins and tea rooms. Good timing because it had started raining.

When the sun came out I left the tea rooms and walked through forest out of the gardens then onto a road. I turned off to climb past a farm with derelict barns onto grassy Chlenry Hill with patches of gorse. I was looking for somewhere to camp and I found a clearing right by a trail sign that was propped up by a pile of rocks - the rocks gave me something to sit on. A whole lot of cows (including a local 'beltie') suddenly appeared and came a bit too close before running off. It rained in the night. 26 kms

18 July The cows were back before I got up and I was relieved when they ran away. The midges were swarming. I got to the top of the hill and walked along a wall beside moorland, very wet grasses and ferns. Then some elm woodland and a path through firs. I crossed the Water of Luce on a suspension bridge, crossed fields and had a road walk into New Luce. It was a small village with a pub and a shop where I wanted to buy dinner; they only had some biscuits and a few cans. I had a coffee at the pub while the sky cleared and clouded over again.

There was a long road climb from the village but pleasant enough because it was moorland with some sheep, and I continued on a farm trail across the moorland then onto the boggy grass. At the highest part there was a large wind farm and distant views of more serious hills. Also a pretty burn and a neolithic burial mound. I went in woodland and came to a clearing with the Beehive bothy shelter, the ambience affected by swishing turbines in every direction and a view over a wind farm under construction. It was a nice evening so I put up my tent. 20 kms

19 July At the next clearing were two neolithic standing stones with Christian crosses etched about 800 AD. The trail began climbing and I came out of the forest onto an open hillside for the day's first highlight: the summit of Craig Airie Fell had great views of moorland and the Galloway hills in every directions (all blighted by wind turbines) and best of all masses of ripe blueberries.

After the descent a long road walk with zero cars, crossed a river and I took a coffee break on a farm track. I noticed some ripe raspberries among the ubiquitous blackberry bushes and they were great. I went past the three houses comprising Knowe where a woman commented to me on the good weather (this has happened a few times and I've agreed although I wouldn't call this muggy overcast weather good). The trail was grassy then more road and it started raining; I was soon baking hot in my rain gear.

Then the best part of the day as I passed Ochiltree Loch and climbed Ochiltree Hill, lots of sheep, for more views of the Galloway Hills and moorland and no wind farms. The ridge top was boggy and uneven underfoot followed by a rough descent through rushes, bracken and high grass with frequently having to leap waterlogged bog. I got down to Bargrennan and headed towards the campground at Glentrool, hoping the pub on the way would be open; sadly it wasn't but the campground had a small shop so I could buy noodles for dinner. 22 kms

20 July The walking was much more impressive today in the Galloway Hills. I followed the Cree River in mossy forest, then the Water of Minnoch with glimpses of the nearby hills and then the wider Water of Trool where the path was on grass. The sun was trying to come out. Loch Trool came into view surrounded by hills. I met several people walking around the loch.

The landscape was transformed into rugged grass covered hills with bare rock faces and no trees. Lots of heather and bluebells. The trail undulated along the loch, high up, and came to a burn at the far end. Then I had a steady climb out of the valley, hills all around and dry stone walls running down the valley. A couple of waterfalls cascaded down the hillside. A bit of sunshine. At the top of the climb I could see Loch Dee with sandy shores and I descended towards it, then turned off onto boggy grass for White Laggan bothy for the night.

There was camping gear and a lot of food in the bothy, seemed very odd as there was nobody around, and I opted to sleep in my tent in case a group turned up. After I went to bed it poured heavily so I returned to the hut to sleep. As I opened the door a frog tried to go inside. 21 kms

21 July Bright sunshine when I woke up. I continued along past the loch on the undulating trail through the hills. After a while I realised I had missed a turning and gone two kms off route, very annoying as I had checked the map at the junction in question. I retraced, crossed a lively burn and followed an identical trail, domed hills all around. I briefly saw Clatteringshaws Loch, large, and moved away from it to reach a grassy path over hills.

I took a coffee break at a stile. The trail was lovely for a while, climbing Shield Rig on grass with expansive views: treeless grassland fringed by hills.

The weather was packing in and looked black ahead. I passed plenty of sheep with black faces and curly horns. Then a long gradual descent on a gravel and later sealed road and riverside walking. It had clearly been raining there. Stopping to pick raspberries slowed me down. Then a sudden off road walk across waterlogged ground and a steep climb up Waterside Hill; this wasn't so much fun because the trail went through head high bracken ferns but there was a view of St Johns Town of Dalry from the top.

I came down to the Water of Ken and finally Dalry in light rain. One of the two pubs was open. 26 kms

22 July Almost all day on boggy hillsides, certainly remote and at times hard going (especially when I lost the feint trail and had to walk on the very uneven ground through high grass). It was again overcast but cooler, good walking conditions. From Dalry I headed into the hills and had trouble following the trail since it only existed where other walkers had trampled down the grass; sometimes I followed animal tracks by mistake and several times I found marker posts that would have been helpful had they not fallen over.

I undulated along, passing occasional farmhouses, sheep, pine plantations, and crossed a dark river to climb Culmark Hill for great 360 degree views.

I came down to a road and as I began the next long climb I met a guy doing a section of the SUW with his dog. It was a long climb on open hillsides and through plantations with several lower hill tops until I reached the top of Benbrack (581 m) with rounded hills in all directions, some on the horizon quite high. A sculptor had created an archway from bricks at the summit and I could see his other arch on a nearby summit. More wind farms. I was constantly getting wet feet on the boggy terrain and there was nowhere suitable for taking a break (nothing to sit on during the way up and too windy at the top) but I was finally getting to like these hills.

Then just a little more climbing on the open slopes (there are almost no trees apart from the plantations), a walk between a plantation and a fully logged field, and a long descent on a gravel road to Polskeoch bothy in the forest. The guy with his dog dropped in for a chat. 28 kms

23 July Mostly patchy sun. I walked out of the forest and up to a grass ridge with sheep to contour along the Scaur valley, tiers of rounded hills and a winding river far below.

Still boggy. I climbed a little out of the valley to walk along the hills, and over the ridge to start looking into the Nith valley with fields and two settlements, the larger being Sanquhar. It was a long descent

with several streams/rivers to cross and passing a couple of farms and I came into Sanquhar. I went to the bakery and had a pie, finger bun, slice and coffee although it was only just midday.

The afternoon on the moorland hills was great although the sun had gone and it was again muggy.

I climbed towards the Lowther Hills on a better defined trail that was less boggy with nice views of domed hills and then descended alongside a green gully with sheep and heather. Another climb and similar descent, and I could see Wanlockhead at the end of a valley, with the 'golf ball' radar station on Lowther Hill looming over it.

Wanlockhead, Scotland's highest village, was in several sections, groups of terraced cottages and lots of lead mining relics. I was very pleased to arrive at the pub and my tiny cabin, and met a Belgian couple also doing the SUW whose names I had been seeing in the bothy logbooks. 28 kms

24 July It was misty when I got up but the sun came out as I started for the summit of Lowther Hill (725 m, the highest point on the SUW). As I got higher I had great views of the heather clad hills to the north west until the clouds covered them.

I reached the top and went inside the golf ball enclosure for a misty view of hills to the south east also soon engulfed by cloud. So I began the steep roller coaster over Comb Head and Light Hill with increasing views as the cloud lifted, all brownish rounded hills rising from parallel valleys to either side of my ridge. The descent between these hills was real ankle stressing stuff.

I had a road for a while then turned for a plantation and stopped just before it for coffee by Potrail Water. The trail went through lightly wooded terrain, deciduous and firs, and was on a gravel road passing a ruined fortified house and an ancient buried bathing site, to reach Daer reservoir which was big. I could still see the Lowther Hill golf ball way back behind me and it made me feel I'd come a really long way since that climb.

I walked one kilometre across the dam wall and went onto the hills again. The next climb, which I hadn't been expecting, took forever to the top of Hods Hill with great views towards the Moffat hills and over the reservoir.

And a vast wind farm close by. The ground was boggy. I had been worried it was about to rain but now the sun came out. Another of the typical deep hollows to get across and then a long warm descent among bracken through an area that had been clear felled and I turned down a tiny overgrown path for Brattleburn bothy in a clearing. The Belgians also stayed there. Lots of raspberries. 24 kms

25 July This was not an exciting day. I walked through a mixture of clear felled and young plantations, crossed some sheep pastures and had a road down to the edge of Beattock. It was heavily overcast followed by misty rain. I had to cross the motorway and railway line, more sheep paddocks and walked beside the busy main road into Moffat. I was pleased to see it was a bustling tourist town, imposing church, lots of pubs in a pretty town centre. I went straight to the tea rooms. And then another one! I had gammon, egg and chips at the Annandale Arms. 14 kms

26 July Rest day in Moffat. Didn't do much. It rained.

27 July I took the very quiet main road out of Moffat back to the trail finding some ripe blackberries on the way. Then I got to Moffat Water, crossed and began the steep climb to Gateshaw Rig. My nice dry shoes were immediately soaked again. The climb wasn't pleasant but up on top was lovely walking with views ahead of Selcoth Burn flowing between rounded hills, a lot of heather, and to the north a whole array of different shaped hills beyond farmland. Blueberries. It was heavily overcast and on the verge of raining.

The trail stayed high until Croft Head then descended on a steep zigzag to a burn. I had a bit longer on the hills passing a circular stone sheepfold like I often see here, went through a fence marking the Scottish watershed (everything now flows east) and came to an active logging area, nothing happening because it was Sunday. Now I was following Ettrick Water down the valley and I stopped at Over Phawhope bothy for a coffee break.

I had a nine kilometre road walk through the valley alongside Ettrick Water in light rain then suddenly the sun came out. I climbed away from the road gradually onto the hillside and stopped by some flowing water to have lunch in the sunshine; it started raining. There seems to be a rule here that the sun can't be out for more than half an hour.

I reached the top and had nice walking along a ridge then descended past a ruined farm. Finally I descended on a gravel track to St Mary's Loch and the former Tibbie Shiels pub and I was happy to find a low key campsite where I could pitch at the edge of the loch. Saw some deer on a ridge in the evening. 33 kms

28 July Extremely windy as I set off along the loch but I was soon sheltered. I went through remnants of forest and reached the head of the loch, then went across paddocks to Dryhope tower, low remains of a 15th c tower. A bit of rolling moorland then I had a long climb on wet grass between plantations; at the top on the moorland there was a great view of hills and I climbed a little more to be able to see Innerleithen quite far away. The hillsides were covered in heather. The sun had come out and stayed out a bit longer than usual. After some lovely hilltop I descended through sheep paddocks and walked along the road to the few houses of Traquair.

I wanted to go into Innerleithen to buy food and have lunch although this involved an out and back on the road. I had a ploughman's lunch and bought bread and cheese and returned to Traquair.

Then I had one of the longest climbs of the route up Minch Moor; at first the trail was in mixed woodland and plantation remnants but once I was higher the vegetation was just heather and a few young firs. Innerleithen looked good.

This was a drove road/army route that has been in use since the twelfth century. The top of the hill was a dome of heather and it looked wonderful against the partly blue sky.

I had extensive views, sadly many of the hillsides had been clear felled. I immediately went into an active logging area and watched a tree come down. When I got back to the untouched trail I looked for somewhere to camp and found some grass at the edge of the last plantation, up at 500 metres on Hare Law, with a nice view off the ridge to fields far below. 30 kms

29 July I left at 6 with the sun shining and walked for well over an hour along the heather covered tops. At the Three Brethren, three dry stone cairns on a summit,

I started a long descent in mixed woodland and stopped for breakfast at the first burn. The path continued down to a beautiful stone multi arched bridge over the Tweed River.

Then I climbed through grassy sheep paddocks (some sheep were sheltering from the heat by the dry stone walls) and had a view south over Selkirk. I got closer to Galashiels and looked down on the town and also saw conical volcanic hills above (hidden) Melrose.

When I reached Galashiels I skirted the town on my own route, crossed the Tweed again and followed a rail side path to Tweedbank station where I had a rest. From there I walked beside the Tweed, now much wider, to the edge of Melrose.

I had been looking forward to getting here (hence the early start) but Melrose was a huge disappointment: the abbey was being checked for safety, the fabulous front arch was completely covered by scaffolding and it wasn't possible to get close, all I got to see were the rear windows. 23 kms

30 July I left Melrose crossing the Tweed on a huge suspension bridge and walked along the river, then I had a walk through paddocks and on gravel paths with views of patchwork farmland all the way to Lauder, along the line of a Roman road. Along one secluded lane the raspberries were the best so far and there were lots of butterflies.

I bought food in Lauder, the last place with any facilities on the SUW, and stopped at the bakery.

I returned to the hills passing Thirlestane Castle, crossed paddocks to reach a grassy hill top and went on climbing. There were cows as well as the usual plentiful sheep. Blythe Water was a lovely stretch of stream through a valley before I started my climb onto the Lammermuir Hills. It was a sunny afternoon with a light breeze. Behind me were the Eildon hills above Melrose and farmland, ahead was moorland.

I walked towards Twin Law (thinking I would camp there) and I could already see the two summit cairns from five kilometres away. The land was empty apart from a few sheep and some groups of grouse that I startled. The weather was deteriorating. It was a gradual climb and I got to the summit tired; one of the cairns had a sheltered seat carved in the side out of the wind.

I'm going to claim that I could see a sliver of the North Sea. It was far too windy to camp there and also no suitable ground. I decided to descend to somewhere sheltered and it was easy going, except that I was reaching a sealed road. Fortunately I found a little grassy hollow just before the road, not ideal but it would do. 36 kms

31 July I had breakfast beside Watch Water just up the road and went over a ridge with a view of Watch Water Reservoir; the last of the moorland. Then a road walk to Longformacus, pretty village and I got water at a house whose owner was keen to chat. I stayed on the road to avoid a wind farm, past a few houses.

When I returned to the SUW I walked alongside a burn and by open fields to Abbey St Bathans; it took forever to get there and there wasn't much: stone houses, closed church and a suspension bridge across Whiteadder Water. At a second bridge I had lunch.

I next crossed a lot of farmland, mixture of sheep grazing, harvested fields, farm buildings and lanes.

I had to cross the A1 and walk between it and the railway line - not pleasant apart from finding a patch of wild strawberries. I went into a plantation and emerged at a very high stone bridge over a deep forested gully; from the bridge I had my first proper sight of the sea, waves lapping gently. I descended on a narrow track in a nature reserve, lots of steps, to Pease Burn and I knew it would be hopeless finding somewhere to camp; I stopped at a bench near the burn with a cramped patch of grass and made do. It was raining before my tent was up. Herons flew over. 30 kms

1 August I got water from the burn and went onto the cliff top path to have breakfast. The first bay was hideously filled with mobile homes but the next one had a little sandy beach backed by red cliffs.

Ahead was a clear view of Torness nuclear power station. I have walked from the Irish Sea to the North Sea! The entire way I have met/seen one couple doing the full route, one person doing a section, a handful of day walkers and six trail runners.

Further along I walked above tiny Cove Harbour, a couple of houses, couple of boats, sandy beach and large sea stack with a hole through it.

For the sake of completeness I went down onto the beach, going through a tunnel at the bottom of the cliff.

Then I continued into Cockburnspath and the damaged 16th c market cross which denotes the end of the SUW. Just before I reached it a woman asked me if I had walked far and it was nice to tell her I had come from the other coast. 6 kms

Unexpectedly there was a shop in the village. Even though I didn't need anything I went there and had a bad cup of coffee and an Empire biscuit, then got the bus to Berwick upon Tweed across the border in England. I walked around the grass covered fortifications with views out to sea.

Total distance 371 kms; elevation gain 8993 m; 15 days walking plus one rest day

2 August I got the bus to Lindisfarne, also called Holy Island, and walked a lap of the island. I saw seals on the bus ride as we crossed the causeway. My walk started with heading out over grassland (saw three deer) to a series of pebbly beaches, later on some higher cliffs backed the beach. It was a hot sunny day which felt quite strange after all the overcast weather. On my return I had a look around the lime kilns and the castle perched on a rock,

and climbed a tower for a view of the priory ruins (archways and low walls). 10 kms

3 August After early rain another sunny day. I got a bus to St Abbs back over the border and did a nice coast walk: at last a proper blue sky in Scotland. I went north of the village to do a loop on St Abbs Head