Cross Borders Drove Road

The Cross Borders Drove Road follows routes originally taken by drovers from cattle markets (or trysts) at places like Crieff and Falkirk, heading across the Scottish Borders for sale further south in England. This multi-day hike links some of the best preserved sections of the drove routes, crossing the Pentland Hills near Edinburgh to reach West Linton, then continuing through the Borders via Peebles and Traquair before finishing at Hawick. It passes through a variety of scenery with quiet hills, rolling farmland, heather moors and beautiful rivers.

Although the route officially starts at Little Vantage at a car park on the busy A70, there is no public transport here, so we've extend the route by starting from Kirknewton rail station using country lanes and waymarked paths.

The route can be completed in 4 or 5 days with stops in pubs or other accommodation, or there are wild camping opportunities. There are shops at the main settlements on route, apart from Yarrowford which has no facilities. It is possible to detour from Traquair by a 3km off-road path to Innerleithen for an extra overnight and re-supply stop. Similarly the route between Yarrowford and Hawick passes close to Selkirk but does not visit the town, but a 2-3km detour either on a quiet road or the Borders Abbeys Way links to the town for all facilities. Kirknewton has regular trains from Edinburgh and Hawick, at the end of the walk has bus services to Carlisle and Edinburgh or to Galashiels where there are trains to Edinburgh. The end of the route at Hawick links to the Borders Abbeys Way which could be used to continue the walk to Jedburgh and beyond.

Stage descriptions	Length	Time	Done
Kirknewton to West Linton via Cauldstane Slap	19km	4.5 - 5.5 hours
West Linton to Peebles	21.8km	5 - 6 hours
Peebles to Yarrowford	25km	7 - 8 hours
Yarrowford to Hawick	27.9km	7 - 8 hours

THE CHALLENGE

The route has its own cattle logo waymarkers but only for certain sections - there are none from Minch Moor until just before Hawick. The route follows a mix of paths, tracks and minor roads with a fair amount of ascent and descent. Most of the settlements passed on route have bus services so it would be possible to complete the route as day walks or from a single base in or near Edinburgh.

Grazing livestock (sheep and cows) for much of the route, keep any dogs under close control and be especially careful around lambing/calving time.