How many can say that they have followed in the footsteps of the first Baron Tweedsmuir, the 15th Governor General of Canada, and author of the classic novel The Thirty-Nine Steps? Well if you climb Broughton Heights and Trahenna Hill, above the small village of Broughton in the Scottish Borders, you will have trodden the same path as John Buchan, who was all of the above.
The Galloway Highlands of south-west Scotland have two sides: an inside and an outside. The outside is heat-altered underwater slates and sludges, much the same stuff as Blencathra. These rocks form a circuit of fine ridges and 2000ft summits, the best being Merrick, which is also the highest.
Tinto and Culter Fell are the two hills that most walkers would associate with South Lanarkshire, but although they are the highest in the region there is a plethora of excellent hillwalking to be had around these two very recognisable summits.
There can’t be many trails like the Berwickshire Coastal Path: a route that, though just 15 miles in length, nevertheless crosses a country border.
Galloway has many fine hills, but to my mind Corserine is possibly the region’s finest. It is the highest point along the Rhinns of Kells, and the walk from Corserine over the tops of Millfire, Milldown and Meikle Millyea is sublime.
For most walkers wishing to get high in the Borders then a trip to Peebles and into Glensax is a customary day out, with a climb to the Donald of Dun Rig probably the most popular ascent.
Hart Fell was an unplanned excursion. After shedding my exhaust pipe on the M74 en route to the Lake District, I was forced to make an unscheduled pit stop in Moffat. While mechanics got to grips with my broken car, I sought solace in the hills
The Halterburn Valley lies barely a mile from the sleepy village of Kirk Yetholm and is surrounded by a bevy of gorgeously rounded, grass-clad hills.
Colt Hill, in a corner of the Southern Uplands, is a place to contemplate the various sorts of human intrusion and decide how much they matter. The next hill south has a 20-turbine windfarm. Three more of the things rise to the north, east and west. Are they ugly? Do they combat climate change?
The Border Abbeys Way is 100km of riverside and hillside around the Scottish Borders. That’s a long way for only four Border abbeys, none of them in particularly good nick… I decided two ruins would do, especially as Eildon is compensation and more for the two missing abbeys.
To me, there are few better places to be on a warm, clear summer’s day than among the rolling Border Hills above Glensax. The very nature of these hills means the views are exceptional while the fantastic network of paths and old drove roads makes for excellent walking conditions.
Last September I walked the John Muir Trail in California. As we ascended to Evolution Basin below a scorching sun, they were putting up the final signpost on JM’s other footpath, the John Muir Way in East Lothian. What an opportunity, to become the first person to complete this Muir double within a single season!
A letter in the March issue of TGO said: give us more Galloway! Thanks for making me realise I haven’t written anything Gallovidian for more than four years. Indeed it’s two years since I was even on one of my very favourite mountains, the splendid Merrick.
If I could never climb another mountain, then I would be more than happy to walk along the many wonderful miles of Scotland’s coastline – and there are few better stretches than the seven miles between the Galloway villages of Kippford and Sandyhills.
A first glance at the map shows Ben Challum above the A82, close to Tyndrum, standing alone for an uninspiring straight up-and-down by a single route. So take a second glance! Two lesser peaks of Corbett height stand alongside.
Height can be both a blessing and a curse. In hill terms, the latter is often the case, with many prominent peaks sporting intrusive manmade appliances.
The idea was simple. Reach the top of Culter Fell and then decide on which direction I wanted to go next. Sometimes this can be my preferred option when hill walking; to reach the summit of whatever hill I may be climbing before taking a look around, then letting instinct take over.
