This enjoyable circular climbs across the hillsides on the west side of Hawick, giving good views over the town and its surroundings. The return takes in the banks of the River Teviot and a park with a fine cafe.
Mostly waymarked paths, tracks and minor road.
Hawick has regular bus services.
Common Haugh car park, Hawick.
The walk begins from the large Common Haugh car park by the river at the southwestern end of Hawick town centre. Begin by heading out onto the main road (with the Teviotdale Mills opposite), and turn left. Keep straight ahead uphill, keeping the Lidl supermarket over to your right. The road curves round to the right as it climbs uphill; take the third left, near the top, onto Langlands Road. At the no entry sign, turn right up Rosalea Brae, and at the top of the hill go straight ahead onto a footpath. The path rises and then falls into a grassy dip.
Cross the stile over the fence at the bottom, then take the path that heads half right and climbs up across the slope. Cross the stile at the top, then go left along the track briefly, then right onto a path between two garden fences (waymarker post). The path climbs and passes through a kissing gate, then continues into grassy fields. Keep ahead, with a stone dyke on your right. There are good views back over Hawick and to Rubers Law. Continue by the wall, keeping straight ahead over a track, and crossing a stile over another wall. Again continue ahead, still with a wall on your right; the route passes an electricity substation on your left.
Cross another stile and continue on a fenced path, emerging onto a track at the entrance to the substation. Go left here, not into the substation but through the pedestrian gate opposite, keeping the station on your left. When a fence corner is reached continue ahead across the slope through a shallow dip. There's no clear path here; descend very slightly towards a fence to pick up a faint grassy track and a waymarker. Leave the track and bear slightly left towards the valley bottom. The route now keeps to the right of a stone dyke, continuing beside it until a stile and gate.
Cross the stile and go left along the edge of the field, descending until a gate and track in the wall on your left. Turn right here along a track which was unseen from above. This leads down towards some farm buildings; the yard is bypassed by a path heading up on the right and along the field edge before descending to reach a hard track. Turn right along this, then go left at a junction; there's a footbridge to avoid the ford. The track soon bends right and then emerges through a gate onto a minor road; turn left down this.
When a t-junction is reached turn right. Look out for an entrance on the left side that enables you to join a footpath that runs through the trees parallel to the road. Keep ahead along this, ignoring smaller paths off on either side. It passes a bench and eventually curves left downhill, emerging on a minor road once more, just above the River Teviot.
Turn left along the road, then fork right onto a tarred footpath beside the river, with parkland to your left. Ignore a bridge over the river and continue on the near side, eventually reaching a modern cafe building in the park overlooking the water. Continue ahead, passing another bridge and emerging through the park gates to reach the west end of the Common Haugh car park.
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