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With the golf season drawing to a close, my Wednesday afternoon off work (I work Saturday morning before anyone says anything about slacking
) was looking empty. I decided to cram in a walk in the hills above Peebles, partly to stretch the legs and get some miles under my belt but also because it was a pleasant day and this was an area I had not really explored. A quick look at the map showed an obvious high level walk to Dun Rig returning by Glen Sax. I guessed it was about 14-15km which I hoped would take about 4h15m (Google Earth later revealed it to be almost 19km - no wonder my feet hurt a bit). I set off at 3:10pm from the end of Glen Road (as far as vehicles can be taken) knowing there would not be much time for breaks with darkness falling at about 7:30pm.
The path is obvious - a Scottish Rights of Way sign indicates "Kirkhope Law via Kailzie Drovers Road". This leads through a lovely wooded area before starting to climb up Craig Head and opening out onto heathery Borders upland.
The views north over Peebles and to the Pentlands soon open up and, with the sun out and on the sheltered side of the hill, I quickly worked up a heat. The drovers road bypasses the summit of Craig Head but that didn't bother me. I always feel that in this part of Scotland it is the ancient through routes and their sense of history that take precedence over the bagging of summits. Continuing to Kailzie Hill the views had really opened up and ahead I could see my whole route to Dun Rig which still looked a long way off.
I was also now exposed to the strong SW wind which would make the exposed high level traverse a bit of a slog. 1h30m in I ducked into a plantation for some shelter to eat a sandwich and puff a fag. At least it was dry - this would be a long walk in rain and I wondered about the lives of those old drovers who must have used this route to the south in some awful conditions in days gone by.
I rejoined the path and began to climb to the large cairn marking the summit of Birkscairn Hill. I now turned SW right into the face of the wind for the 3.5km to the summit of Dun Rig. This was a real slog and there were some large peat hags and featherbeds to cross around Stake Law which would be very awkward in wet conditions. Fortunately 10 days of dry weather meant that difficulties were short lived and gaining higher ground brought easy grassy slopes leading to the trig point on Dun Law.
It was now 5:40pm and shade had already crept along the length of Glen Sax. From the summit I could see my whole outward route and must admit to feeling a sense of quiet satisfaction at getting so much out my afternoon.
Even with the lowering sun I could make out Arthurs Seat in Edinburgh and the Eildons to the east. I set off quickly down the north shoulder of Dun Law with the wind now at my back and soon reached the floor of the glen.
It was 6:20pm and I had 1h10m to walk 6.5km of farm track back to the car (not that walking it in the dark would have posed any real problems but I wanted to challenge myself). At the head of the glen are the slightly eerie buildings marked as Glensax on the map (I think one is still used as a private bothy).
- is that a banjo I hear?
Sometimes this sort of walk-out can be a bit tiresome but with a gradual downhill gradient and a slight breeze at my back I enjoyed every second of this surprisingly remote setting on a now glorious evening. I arrived back at the car at exactly 7:30pm just as I had intended and just as the last light was fading.
I covered the 18.8km and 680m ascent in 4h20m but this walk could easily be made into a full day with proper breaks and a more leisurely pace.
