Broad Law and Muckle Cleuch

[jgregor]

We started the hike at the Megget Stane, by the highest point on the minor road between the Borders village of Tweedsmuir to the north-west and St Mary's Loch to the east. Here there is a cattle grid, and space enough for a couple of cars to park by the side of the road. The stone is thought to have been a boundary marker of the Ettrick Forest c.1236, putting it at nearly 800 years old. The forest, a remnant of the great Caledonian Forest, is long gone, with James V having begun it's conversion to sheep pasture in 1528. The stone itself remains at the watershed of the Talla Water and Megget Water, and on the boundary between Selkirkshire and Peeblesshire.

Megget Stane

When we set off from the Megget Stane it was chilly and overcast. The plan was to follow the Walk Highlands route as far as the top of Broad Law and then make our own way back, wishing neither to complete the circuit via Cramalt Craig and Dollar Law, nor to return by the route we went up. We followed the path and fence north-west up Fans Law.

Not far up Fans Law, looking east down the valley of the Megget Water

We could see the wind was up on the higher ground, blowing the clouds over the hill tops.

Looking south to Nickies Knowe on the left and Carlavin Hill on the right, with the steep valley of the Talla Water in between

At the crest of Fans Law the ground levelled off somewhat as we continued onto Cairn Law. A short distance on we reached a gate in the high deer fence. Without checking the intended route properly it was decided we should continue on through the gate (in spite of having to leave the path and cross another fence to reach it). After a minute or two the mistake was noticed and we looped back towards the deer fence that we were supposed to have turned north to follow. The brief detour did afford us a glimpse of Talla Reservoir though.

View from the wrong path: Talla Reservoir

Back over the fence we regained the correct path.

The sun struggling to be seen through the cloud above the Talla Water valley

Continuing up Cairn Law, we spotted a good sized and shapely cairn off to the right, about 200m east of the path. We decided on another detour to visit it. We weren't disappointed by the views afforded from here, and given the lack of visibility we would encounter on Broad Law itself I was happy we had stopped by.

One of the many cairns on a hill named for them, but the most impressive we saw all day

From here we headed north and rejoined the path up Broad Law. Continuing on, the way was rather boggy in parts.

We reached the summit in the midst of a cloud, again. The odd looking structure just visible a short distance away is a radio beacon station used by aircraft for positioning.

Broad Law trig point

Radio beacon station, Broad Law

It was windy and rather cold up here. After a brief rest and a look at the beacon we started down on a roughly south easterly course towards Porridge Cairn. Once below the summit again we left the fog and cold wind behind.

View from Porridge Cairn, looking south-east to the end of Megget Reservoir

At the outset I'd been of a mind to continue onto Wylies Hill from here, but by this point the continued decent down Muckle Cleugh seemed the more inviting.

Wylies Hill in the centre, with the burn descending Muckle Cleugh to the right of it.

We turned south to meet the burn and followed it down.

A loop of rocks on the bank - perhaps an ancient bend in the burn long since cut off?

The first trees we'd encountered this walk

We emerged into the open of the Megget Water valley by a sheepfold.

Sheepfold

Back on the road we headed the half mile or so back to the car.