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This is my first walk report. Hopefully I’ve added the photos and text in the right place!
After spending several years in my 20s going up any hill someone was offering a lift to, I tripped over cobblestones on Victoria St in Edinburgh, doing enough damage to my knee to put a complete halt to any future hillwalking efforts. Fast forward over 2.5 decades later, and I realised that time, acquiring a dog (meaning lots of gentle walks) and possibly cycling plus a love/hate relationship with the gym meant my knee was once again just fine. Admittedly I’ve not done that much walking since that realisation- am hoping if I document my walks it will spur me on to do more.
My walking partner is my husband, Stephen. I no longer tell him how long Walkhighlands estimates any walks to take as he views it as a challenge. Fortunately his much faster pace than me means he has lots of time to take photos while I’m catching up.
The weather was looking good yesterday so we went to the Borders to do the Broad Law/Dollar Law circuit on walkhighlands. I don’t like road walking in my boots so we parked at Megget Reservoir instead of at the Megget Stone to get a chunk of the road walking done at the start.
I’d like to add a bit about the road to the reservoir. It is 7 miles of single track with plenty passing places EXCEPT a very steep and winding bit, during which I almost closed my eyes while Stephen was driving it. I would not want to drive that road in the winter. I would not want to drive that road in the rain. I would not want to drive that road in the mist. In fact, I would rather not drive that road at all and would probably add the 15 minutes or so onto my journey and approach the reservoir from St Mary’s Loch.
Stephen says, “Nah, it was fine. I had fun.”
We parked and walked the 2 miles or so to the Megget Stone.
Megget Stone
The first part is a bit steep. I quickly fell waaaay behind.
As the Westhighlands route says, you just follow the fence. You really can’t get lost. There were a few boggy bits which were, well, boggy, but never for too long nor were they too bad.
We left the fence for a quick detour to the cairn on Cairn Law.
Then it wasn’t too far at all to the top of Broad Law where Edinburgh Airport is playing at being James Bond.
It’s a sea of hills up there
Broad Law is very very broad
I thought the hills to the (arggh, can’t remember which direction!) were looking pretty cool.
Carried on and just before the descent before you ascend Cremalt Craig, there was another sea of hills
Cairn at top of Cremalt Craig. Stephen was a bit unimpressed at this point that the fence was now heading North when our car was parked South. He was cold. At this point I was still roasting and had my jacket off and was just in my leggings and short sleeved top.
The one bit where the mist briefly rolled in.
Not for long. More sea of hills. It’s like the Pentlands on steroids
Finally at the top of Dollar Law. We’d left the car at 10:00 and it was now 1:20. And I was starving. Fortunately (as Stephen was freezing) the rock shelter works well.
Obligatory photo at the trig. I’d conceded about 15 minutes earlier that it was cold enough to put my jacket on.
We had a quick lunch sheltered by the rocks and then made our way back down to the track that bypasses Dun Law. Once at the gate you can clearly see the modern track up to the right, quick bounce through the heather and you are on it.
We saw a massive white hare who popped out behind us.
Unfortunately I think white hares, unlike their white rabbit cousins are not lucky. A few minutes later, I slipped on a loose rock and went splat face first! I gave Stephen quite the fright!
I dragged myself to the side to untie and retie my left bootlace and wailed at Stephen “I can’t untie my boot!” because I found my fingers weren’t working.
He sorted for me and hauled me up. I thought I’d done damage to my left leg but once I shook it out it was fine. The funniest bit was halfway home when I thought to myself “Why is my arm so nippy” only to look at the underside and here’s why it was feeling nippy
We carried on down the track which is alongside a pleasant stream with the odd waterfall
We also ran into a man (the first sign of human life since starting out!) on a bike who told us a few winters back he’d skiied right across the hills!
Finally made it back to the reservoir and then to the car exactly 5 hours after we’d set off.
Home and straight into a very hot shower for me!
