East to West on SUW in sunny September - part 1

[DjimMunro]

Southern Upland Way 11-24 September 2024 - part 1


When I graduated from university a long time ago I received a copy of an old LNER railway advertisement seducing people to 'Explore Scotland'. I framed it and hung it above my desk at home as a gentle reminder there's more to life than work. Looking for a long distance route as part of my sabbatical leave from work, the conclusion was therefore quickly drawn I needed to return to Scotland and explore it further. Having enjoyed multi-day hikes such as the West Highland Way, Nidderdale Way and Germany's excellent Eifelsteig I was looking for a physical challenge with a good mix of hill views, remoteness, lovely villages and pubs. Inspired and intrigued by the tales of authors John Sutcliffe and John D. Burns I also wanted to try out wild camping and bothie stays. The Southern Upland Way seemed to fit the wish list and it surely did not disappoint.

On 10 September 2024 I boarded the Amsterdam-Newcastle ferry on a cold and grey day, arriving the next morning bathing in sunshine. I took the change of weather as a good omen. After a swift train ride to Dunbar and a ride on the Borders buses I stepped into the Cockburnspath community shop for some final refreshments and supplies. The kind lady at the checkout poked fun at me for wanting to walk the route from East to West as she hands out a free cup of coffee to anyone that completes the SUW in Cockburnspath. Reasons for me walking the route in opposite direction were maximising the walking time after arrival in the UK, a preference for not taking a flight with the risk of losing my backpack and not being able to pack a gas cannister. But first and foremost the appeal of finishing in beautiful Portpatrick with actual sea views and a proper pint instead of a bus stop in Cockburnspath, as lovely as the village and its people may be. The prevailing westerly wind just had to be taken in my stride and the coffee on day 1 to be paid for.

My original itinerary and daily distances changed as I sometimes struggled to find a spot for wild camping. The official SUW route distance of 215 miles / 347 km was surpassed due to circumnavigating around herds of cows, bog, historical points of interest, stopping for food and looking for wild camping spots. According to the data taken from my Garmin watch I walked a total of 360 kilometres in 13.5 days.

Walking day 1: Cockburnspath to Edgar's cleugh (Wild camp) - 18,8 km / 11.7 miles (including Blackhouse farm detour)

Cove Harbour, leaving the East coast behind me

After eating my fresh sandwich form the Cockburnspath community shop with views of Cove harbour I then picked up a small pebble at Pease bay. I'd read somewhere many coast-to-coast hikers do this to throw it in the sea on the other end of the walk. Pease bay holiday park isn't that picturesque, however the beach itself is pristine and I enjoyed being at actual sea level on the coast. In Penmanshiel Wood I either missed a marker, or my gpx file was incorrect. I crossed the busy A1 road and started the first real climb. I was now in beautiful farmland and a sign stating I should keep to designated path on the edge of the farmland confused me as the cows were very protective of their calves and did not enjoy my company. I decided to walk back to the gate and strolled along a perfectly good gravel road alongside that same farmland. At the fence it became clear the path ran right across the grounds and outbuildings of Blackburn mill. The farm owner and his loudly barking dogs were even less appreciative of my company. Back to the cows then and working out a strategy to circumnavigate them. The farmland was full of bog, tussocky and heavy on my knees. With me carrying all the water and food for the next 3 days my knees felt for the first time what impact it had compared to a daypack hike. After that it was relatively easy going until Edgar's cleugh where I was told there would be wild camping spots directly next to the burn, just before Abbey St Bathans. The spot certainly did not disappoint and I couldn't be happier for my first night wild camping on dry and flat grass with fresh water running next to it. A friendly red grouse kept me company when the sun set. One of the disadvantages of wild camping close to a stream soon became apparent – needing to walk pretty far from any water source in the midnight cold to empty your blatter. This was not a drawback at all and I couldn't be happier being out here in nature all by myself.

Farmland close to Blackburn farm

Camping spot including pet grouse

Walking day 2: Edgar's cleugh to Blythe water bridge (wild camp) - 32,5 km / 20.2 miles
After breakfast accompanied by yet another friendly grouse I discovered somebody made an attempt at wild glamping with either a wood-fired hot tub or building an illegal whisky still.

I crossed the bridge to the Woodlands cafe as it was a beautiful bridge and I could see an SUW information board. Confusingly, my Garmin watch immediately informed me I was off-route but the watch was right. The cafe appeared to be only open in the weekends and the information board was just there to lure people to start an endeavour on the SUW. Once back on the official route another larger bridge appeared and I found myself in Abbey st Bathans with its pretty church. After 5 km my left heel started aching and I soon discovered a huge blister. A pre-emptive change of socks and blister plaster soon got me going again. I was unsettled a bit as this brought me doubts about whether my shoes were the right fit and if I would be able to complete the remaining 325+ kilometres. As the morning fog and clouds disappeared the outside temperature was properly rising. I soon passed Longformacus and started the climb on tarmac to Watch water reservoir. The setting of the reservoir was magical and combined with strong winds and sun rays it looked pristine. The climb up to Twin Law soon followed and as I took a break in one of the seats of the Twin law two surprise events happened: I spotted a trail runner on the SUW and the first drops of rain fell on me. Luckily the rain disappeared as quickly as it had arrived. The moors really opened up from there and I was enjoying the remoteness and grandeur, basking in the sunshine again. The final and tiring climb up a hill was rewarded with sights of Blythe water running through the attractive glen. After crossing the bridge I turned right and wild camped with views to die for.

Approaching Watch water reservoir

Looking back to Twin Law surrounded by beautiful moorland

Walking day 3: to Galashiels (Salmon Inn) - 31,9 km / 19.8 miles
I’d woken up a few times that night to see if I could zip up my sleeping bag more and check why my feet were so cold. I woke up to a proper frosted tent – yesterday’s beautiful clear skies had its downsides as well…
First thing I did was brewing up hot tea and porridge for breakfast to defrost my hands. It was stunning to see the sun above the glen and temperatures quickly rose again. No one around although soon I heard combine harvesters roaring in the farm fields as the sound carries far with no tree or building to block it. I immediately regretted my mistake of leaving on my thermal trousers as sweat broke out due to the heavy backpack. On the hill before descending into Lauder I removed them and was ready for some civilization again. The kind lady and a patron at the Spotted dog coffee shop confirmed that frost had come earlier in September than is usually the case. Their warm bacon roll and the best coffee on all of the SUW were very welcome. I took one of their sandwiches to go and later enjoyed it as lunch on the undulating track over Kedslie hill, hiding from the strong winds behind a dry stone wall. Quickly after that I failed to spot an SUW marker as I was drawn to the three attractively looking Byre lochs but it looked like on the maps I could rejoin the official route by just continuing along the Melrose path walks. Luckily the cow type at the Byre lochs were far less protective of their calves.

The icing on the tent

Undulating gravel track along Kedslie hill

I soon found myself walking along the river Tweed and was looking forward to seeing what according to the SUW site would be the highlight of the SUW, Melrose abbey. I could see its grandeur but due to grey clouds blocking the light and scaffolding on the other side I felt underwhelmed. Eden coffee house was a good place for tea and scones. The route then goes through a rather boring part of Tweedbank and I would recommend following the Borders abbey way signs here to keep on walking along the river Tweed and re-join the SUW at the end of the town. A walk along a busy road followed by a steep climb up a hill was needed before I could see Galashiels. I’d be staying in the Salmon inn for that much needed shower and I was looking forward to a proper pub meal. The place is run by a group of women and was fully packed that Friday evening. Not being Scottish I just had to try the haggis bon bons as a starter and appreciated a main course instead of freeze dried foods.

Suspension bridge over the river Tweed at Melrose

Walking day 4: to forest after Blake Muir (wild camp) - 32 km / 19.4 miles
Galashiels would be the largest commercial stopover en route so I chose some protein bars, pot noodles and lunch rolls I expected I would not find in the smaller village shops on the remainder of the route. To be better safe than sorry I purchased some additional blister plasters labelled 'extreme relief' and they proved very valuable indeed. Then had a great cup of coffee and muesli at Paolo’s Italian and set off a bit too late in the day. After two days of basking in sunshine the weather turned on me and it was full on rain gear for the first time. I liked how immediately outside of Galashiels you would be in open farmland.

Stayed on the right of dry stone wall here in rough tussocky ground at Wood End. Should have climbed the stile but the waymarker was aimed at West to East walkers

A steep climb from Yair up to the three brethren through the forest followed. There was no view at all at that point and I ate my lunch sitting low below a dry-stone wall on Brown Knowe wall as the horizontal rain went over my head.

The three Brethren looking majestic in spite of the weather

The rain kept pouring down on me but at least the clouds cleared up a bit to provide some views of Brown Knowe and Hare law. I paused for a while at the Minch moor cheese well and thought about seeing that GPS telecoms mast getting its power from a loud and smelly diesel generator. Did we really need to have a phone signal here?

Boggy grounds made for slow going on Brown Knowe

After dodging a few hardcore mountain bikers coming up the cross borders drove road I replenished on water at the Traquair village hall. They kindly placed a water tap to the right side of the building and I rested leaning onto the SUW information board. I had a look at my XT40 map and had to choose between either wild camping somewhere behind the Kirkhouse, or keep on going as I had planned somewhere on either Deuchar law or Blake Muir to have a shorter walking day the next day. I didn’t know if there would be wild camping spaces at all so it was a bit of a gamble for me and the wind was still blowing forcefully. Then the most scary part of the whole SUW came: walking on the surprisingly busy and bendy B709 road from Traquair to Kirkhouse with next to no border or verge. It dawned on me that if at one point a delivery van had to pass an oncoming car there would be no space left for a hiker and its large backpack. A detour or footpath is much needed here for SUW walkers and would provide a safer road journey for drivers.

So where should an SUW walker go with two cars passing simultaneously on the bendy B709?

I didn’t see any wild camping spots near Kirkhouse and wanted to get as far away from the scary B709 as I could. The rain had stopped and my legs felt good so I just went for the steep climb up to Deuchars law and Blake Muir. The views back to Innerleithen and Traquair were great and the purple heater striking when the sun came out for a brief moment.

Looking back to Innerleithen and Traquair from Blake Muir

I finally saw the forest appear which would lead me down to the Douglas burn where I planned to wild camp. What I hadn’t spotted on the Garmin map was that Blackhouse farm was sitting in that same spot. I remembered to stop and take out my XT40 map the next time to study all the details. The farm and its neighbouring house looked eerie and not the type of farmer that would enjoy seeing me pitch a tent. To put some extra pressure on finding a suitable spot my watch alerted me it would be dark in an hour and the rain started pouring down with increased intensity. That meant reversing for approximately 2 kilometres into the forest to get away from the house, wind and grounds with too steep inclination for camping. After checking two tussocky and uneven spots the third time I was lucky (or less picky) and I quickly erected my tent with my head torch on in the rain. Insects prevented me from cooking a proper dinner in my front porch. After two perfect sunset wild camp spots the third time it was far from idyllic and I was cold and wet. However, at least I was out of that wind and rain and slept surprisingly well on the soft forest grounds and had two plain bread rolls and an energy bar as dinner.

Lucky find this flat spot just 25 metres from the SUW path into the forest

Walking day 5: to Over Phawhope bothy - 29,1 km / 18.1 miles
I was a bit worried about a visit from a pine marten or mouse looking for food but my tent survived the night. The insects had gone and I could make a proper porridge before packing up and setting off. On the one hand it's surprising how fast you can get a routine in breaking up camp and at the same time how much time-consuming it is to deflate gear and put every lightweight and efficiently designed piece of hiking gear back into its container or stuff sack. I passed the still eerie looking Blackhouse again and was greeted by some friendly cows on the way to St. Mary’s loch. What I thoroughly enjoyed about the SUW is that it goes over the hill tops. That makes it challenging but also highly rewarding as after your climbing effort you’ll be rewarded with a view to the next part of your walk and frequently changing landscapes and nature.

St Mary's loch in the distance seen from South Hawkshaw rig

I enjoyed reading the information board at Drystone tower and loved its nickname 'a shelter in the storm'. It would have been great to wild camp next to it but it's a bit too close to farms and houses for me. I then continued on to St. Mary's loch and was appalled by all the rubbish left next to the parking for campers and tents. Full steel tent frames, shoes, dozens of drink cans and single-use BBQ's were scattered all over the place for the next 500 metres. Along the loch there were some signs stating camping was not allowed but the bonfire pits and littering told that the signs were often ignored. The sun finally did come out again as I approached the yacht club and the formerly glorious Tibbie Shiels inn. I went a bit off the route to have a proper cup of coffee and sandwich at the excellent Glen Cafe. I enjoyed the welcoming service and I loaded up on some additional snacks and plain bread rolls for lunch as I would be staying in bothies the next two nights with no facilities en route.

Dry hope tower

Path along St Mary's loch

As I re-joined the SUW and headed up Earl's hill I finally encountered my first SUW thru-hiker, a lady from Canada. We chatted for a while to exchange our experiences so far and it was a real shame she hadn't left Over Phawhope bothy a bit earlier to have a longer chat in the Glen Cafe. Her enthusiasm made me look forward to the rest of the way even more and I sped up the next hill while looking for my tiny bottle of sunscreen. I was told by a staff member at the Glen Cafe a high pressure area was forcing a change in weather for the coming days. Soon the sun indeed came out in full swing again and I had to take off another layer. These were majestic hills and besides a few sections with steep inclination it provided for easy walking.

I had my lunch at the splitting point for the high route over Peniestone knowe crossing where according to the Cicerone guide book I could take a high level non-waymarked alternative to the SUW’s 8 km of tarmac walking. I felt my legs had taken a bit of a battering during 4 consecutive days of 30 kilometres on the way. However the weather was great and I didn’t come all the way to Scotland to walk on tarmac. After much deliberations, I opted for the path down to the Ettrick valley and tarmac, as the non-waymarked path up the hill looked somewhat faint and knew how much ascent was due tomorrow. Still disappointed by my rational thinking I looked back over my shoulder to the hill tops one more time during the descend and with my right foot I stepped into a ditch. I somehow landed on my backpack and was lying there for a few seconds like a turtle on its back with my arms flapping around. With no one around dignity was soon restored as I promised myself I would return one day with a small daypack and discover more of these attractive looking Ettrick hills.

The tarmac followed the meandering river and allowed me to increase the speed and I enjoyed looking at a few beautiful houses and holiday cottages. I filtered some more water coming from a burn as the river was fenced off from this side. Leaving the tarmac I knew it wouldn’t be long before I could see Over Phawhope for my first ever bothy night. Being a bit of an introvert I had worried about the social aspect of a bothy and also slightly terrified after reading all kinds of stories about littering idiots who use bothies for a stag do to save money.

Over Phawhope bothy appeared in the distance

It appeared I was the only visitor that night in the bothy. I'd slept in student dorms that were less luxurious as this had a picnic bench outside, a single bedroom, separate living room with sofas and a toilet to be flushed with water from the rain water reservoir or burn next to the bothy. As the sun was still out I decided to pitch my tent on the grass pitch next to the bothy to dry it out and check why I’d been struggling to slide my tent poles into its compartments the previous night.
I sort of hoped I’d encounter someone but at the same time was enjoying the solitude in this majestic setting. Having a chair and table to boil water for dinner felt like luxury after last night’s raid by insects when sitting upright in the forest. Funny how all is relative and how you start to appreciate the simplest of modern comfort.

Amazing first ever bothy night in all comfort a hiker could ask for

Walking day 6: to Brattleburn bothy: 27,7 km / 17.2 miles

Woke up the next morning and during breakfast I could see the blue skies already through the window. This meant I could take the high level route over the Ettrick hills. The lady from Canada I’d met had to settle for the low-level forest track due to adverse weather. A sign told me I now stepped into Dumfries & Galloway and I thoroughly enjoyed the scenery from there through Ettrick head. I paused for a while next to a waymarker showing an ‘Ultreia’ sign. Prior to this walk I had concluded the quest for kists and coins was not my cup of tea but being out here in this scenery I did find it intriguing to know I was sitting so close to it. At that moment however I was more intrigued by the zig zag path up Cat shoulder which looked Steep with a capital S indeed. I'd read that the high level route was now the official SUW path but coming from the east the way markers and information board directed walkers to the low level option. Getting up to Croft head proved a fitness challenge indeed with my heavy backpack weighing me down and my legs which were not fully warmed up yet. With the sun out and no wind even the dreaded midges decided to come out on this side of the hill so I was glad I reached the top. I enjoyed the far-stretching views from Croft head while sweeping the sweat from my forehead.

Zig zag up Cat Shoulder seen on the left

After crossing Croft head and Gateshaw rig I started the descent to rejoin the low level route and that’s when i spotted the infamous golf ball on the Lowther hills for the first time. It dawned on me it was only day 6 of the walk and how far I still had left to go. I passed under the M74 motorway and quickly nipped into Beattock for putting my litter in a bin. I hadn’t seen a public bin since the western edge of St Mary’s loch. Judging by the amount of litter there really should be more bins in this part of Scotland and especially on the borders of towns.

Ascend after leaving Beattock behind

I enjoyed reading the information boards on the Annandale way but then was thrown off by the sign stating ‘this is where the Annandale and SUW routes split.' I checked my gpx file and the XT40 map but I didn’t see the split. That would not come up for approximately 300 metres which was probably more aimed at West to East walkers..

It was easy going on Crook road’s tarmac and I paused for a while at the Earshaig picnic benches. I noticed I was running low on water as I’d been drinking a lot more per mile due to the unexpected September heat. In the forest there were just dark brown puddles and no running streams to fill up. Briefly after clearing the bracken and wading through the swamp close to the picturesque Holmshaw farm I filled up at Garpol’s burn which was in a beautiful spot of open countryside.

Bridge over Garpol's burn

From there the path climbed up again and I slithered and slid my way up to Brattleburn bothy. This was the boggiest part of the SUW until then and I was glad to arrive at yet another beautiful bothy. After installing me in one of the two living rooms, both comprising a hearth, I spotted a can of Stag chilli bean. The can read it should not be sold in the EU which immediately sold it to me as I enjoyed the thought of eating exclusive UK hikers food. I swapped my pot noodles for this previous bothy visitor’s non-EU compliant chilli beans and to my surprise also found a can of beer. As I lit the candles and started writing in my diary I couldn’t be happier with the two bothy experiences until now. I was sleeping there by myself so when I woke up to the sound of a deer passing by in the middle of the night I my heart rate rose!

Wet and soggy terrain for last miles to Brattleburn bothy

Walking day 7: to Wanlockhead inn (camping pod) - 23,8 km / 14.8 miles


The next morning I saw the sky filled with pink colours and more clouds came on the horizon. I left the bothy at 08.45 and was chased up Mount Joe and Beld knowe by a dense cloud of fog. My legs were not appreciative of the ascend up Shiel hill and Beld Knowe early in the day but I had to keep on going to stay away from rain and to keep a clear view of the beautiful hills. Looking back in the direction of Brattleburn bothy it would have been a very different start of the day if I’d slept for just 30 minutes longer. Standing on top of Hods hill I could see the clouds had stopped moving at the edge of Daer reservoir and soon after they were retreating.

The views from there over to the Lowther hills were majestic and their profile and height worrying at the same time. To my right was the biggest wind farm of Scotland. I personally prefer to see those over rigging platforms, oil pipes, high voltage lines and coal fired power plants. It’s just my opinion and I know the locations for wind farm are always controversial as they so obviously change the views and wilderness feeling. Later on in the walk at the beehive bothy I also discovered first hand what noise pollution entailed. However, wind farms and solar panels to me indicate that a country is progressive in its thinking and is gradually changing its course to less dependency on burning fossil fuels which is what the world needs in the medium to long-term.

Overlooking Daer reservoir and the Lowther hills and golf ball in the far distance

On the boggy and tussocky descend to Daer reservoir I noticed two men working on the dam and an open gate on this end. A sign placed on the hill added confusion stating a ‘diversion via the SUW’ would be in place until the end of July. As it was September already I became suspicious of the sign’s accuracy as the works were clearly ongoing. One of the construction workers said the works should have finished in 2022 and that the gate at the other end would probably be shut but that I could climb over a wall if needed. I checked if he’d seen the size of my backpack and that I was not 21 anymore which made him laugh but he thought I would be fine. At the far end I had to place my backpack on a wall, then climb on top, walk for 20 metres over the ledge, take the backpack off again and jump off first. It was a bit of unexpected gymnastics but I felt contempt I crossed the reservoir and by coming from the east I could oversee the dam and the open gate. If you approach from the west you would just spot a sign stating works until date 'X' and take a gamble if the gate would be open or not.

Along the path circumventing Hitteril Hill I suddenly spotted the halfway marker which took me by surprise as I had not heard about it previously. I decided to have lunch on the adjacent bench and send a picture of it to the family at home. Easy walking followed and I had hoped to find a litter bin at the A702 parking place. Contrary to others I decided not to dump my litter there but carry it with me over the Lowther hills to Wanlockhead. There were matrasses, car tires, the mandatory empty cans, it was great being back in ‘civilisation’ again. I guess that distraction caused me turning off to the right too early which led me straight up to Overfingland farm. The kind lady at the farm pointed me in the right direction although I had to climb over a wooden fence after crossing some tick-infested bracken. I was now en route to the golf ball and was looking forward to the views from there. I also passed a kist that couldn’t be missed and contrary to my expectations I revelled in having this coin as an SUW souvenir. Descending from Laght hill and ascending on Comb head were some of the toughest parts of the whole SUW for me. The descend was really hard on the knees and I really had to put one foot in front of the other. and not think too much on the steep inclination going up again. I paused many times to catch my breath and after finally reaching the summit it looked as if on Cold Moss someone was moving the SUW waymarkers whilst I was walking. Every time another one was just a bit further up the hill in the distance. But there it finally was, the golf ball on top of Lowter hill!. For a sense of achievement it would be good if the SUW route actually reached the summit as it now skirts just below. I paused for a while in the rustic looking lunch box shelter and enjoyed the views and the fact I the climb was over.

Soon the village of Wanlockhead came into view and with its dramatic hills as background was something out of a postcard. I was looking forward to taking my backpack off to relieve my aching shoulders. A minor downside of the beautiful weather I’d been enjoying is that I was just wearing a base layer for most of the past hiking days. This meant my shoulder straps were tearing more into my skin than they normally would.

At the Wanlockhead Inn my energy levels were soon restored by a proper shower and a draught beer. Four other SUW walkers invited me join them at their table which I gladly accepted. I realised I enjoyed having some company after the solitude on the walk and two solo bothy nights. It was great to hear their experiences on the westerly part of the SUW and after three of them turned into their tents early I hung around in the bar for a few pints too many exchanging hiking experiences with Graham from the Huddersfield region.

The kind owner of the Wanlockhead Inn will let you pitch a tent on his grounds but for a few extra quid I treated myself to a camping pod. I enjoyed the luxury of resting my legs on a wide, non-squeaky mattress that night.

Link to part 2 of my walk:
https://www.walkhighlands.co.uk/Forum/viewtopic.php?f=25&t=127500