Walkhighlands

The forecast looked good, especially down in the Borders so it was off south down the M74 and across to Biggar and, finally, Broughton. I parked up past Broughton Place in good wee car park at the end of a rough pot-holed track. The weather was indeed glorious - bright sunshine, blue skies and a cooling breeze. Perfect for this circuit of three subs. However, the first time I went into my sack for my camera, what did I find ..... binoculars! Just great - beautifully photogenic hills in an area I've never been before ..... and no pictures, I'll just have to describe the route. I started off on a lovely grassy track - part of the John Buchan Way. I had decided to climb Broughton Heights first so I made my way up Broomy Side and then followed a fence line with ATV tracks running alongside up and over Green Law, back down again and then up to the summit trig. Indeed, this was very much the order of the day: ATV tracks beside fences with LOTS of ups and downs. From the top, I headed round to Brown Dod and Flint Hill, from which there was quite a steep descent followed by, of course, quite a steep ascent, followed by an even steeper one to the summit of Penvalla - which is not marked but it's pretty obvious which is the highest point. From here, I could see my last objective and it looked a fair climb and a good distance. I carried on down over Mid Hill and finally down the steep heather-clad hillside to a track through the high bracken (this, too, is part of the John Buchan Way). The soft grass here was a relief for the poor old feet which were hurting a bit. This path led down to a wooden bridge and up on to the rough road. From Penvalla, I had spotted a good track which avoided any rough ascent so I followed it up to a point to the west of Hog Knowe. From here there was yet another ATV track leading up to pt 537 where a fence line led round to the summit of Trahenna Hill, marked with a small pile of stones and a single post. From the top, I followed a pretty good track through the heather all the way to the car park. To be honest, it was a relief to get the boots off and, thankfully, the drive home was quick and uneventful. It was a tiring circuit.