Walk Lothian, the Borders and Fife

68 Pages·1988·10.982 MB·English

by  Richard Hallewell

_c
A BARTHOLOMEW MAP & GUIDE
W ALK LOTHIAN4" ^
THE BORDERS & FIFE
40 WALKS IN SOUTH EAST SCOTLAND
SELECTED & DESCRIBED BY RICHARD HALLEWELL
• EASY TO FOLLOW MAPS
• CAR PARKS • PUBLIC TRANSPORT • PICNIC SITES
• HISTORY • GEOLOGY • ECOLOGY
CONTENTS
About this book
INTRODUCTION
The Area......................i
History ........................v
Literature....................x
Place Names ..........xii
Natural History ... xiii
Advice to Walkers xvi
Walk Grade Walk Grade
1 Luthrie to Aytoun C m 21 Stoneypath to Johnscleugh A &
2 Tentsmuir B/C wc 22 Fast Castle B
3 East Lomond B wc 09 23 St. Abb’s Head B wc 09
A Craighall Nature Trail C wc 09 24 Eyemouth to St. Abb’s B wc 09
5 St. Andrews to Crail A/B wc 49 25 Coldstream C wc 09
6 Pittencrieff Park C wc 49 26 Edinshall B 09
7 Denny to Torwood B wc 09 27 Kirk Yetholm A wc 09
8 Beecraigs C wc 28 Kelso to Roxburgh B wc 09
9 Linlithgow Loch C wc 09 29 Roxburgh to Kalemouth B 09
10 Almondell B/C wc 09 30 Peniel Heugh B wc
11 Arthur’s Seat B wc *$> 09 31 Newton St. Boswells B/C wc 09
12 Hermitage of Braid C wc 09 32 Eildon Hills B wc 09
13 Dalkeith House C wc 09 33 Lauder B wc 09
14 Bonaly to Glencorse A wc 09 34 Galashiels to Yair A wc 09
15 Allermuir Hill B wc 09 35 Three Brethren A wc 09
16 Nine Mile Burn B 09 36 Minchmoor Road A 09
17 Carlops B 09 37 The Tweed Walk B wc 09
18 Tyninghame B/C ^ 09 38 Ettrick B 09
19 Firth of Forth A/B/C wc flS ^ 09 39 Craik Forest C wc 09
20 Traprain Law B 09 40 Bloody Bush B wc
Symbols. Grades
w c Public conveniences available at route, A Requires a high level of fitness and —
or in nearby town. (NB: these facilities for the hill routes — previous experience
are often closed in the winter.) of hill walking. The use of a detailed
map is advised.
Hillwalking equipment required. Strong
boots; warm waterproof clothing; map B Requires a reasonable level of fitness.
and compass for hill routes. Book map sufficient.
Route suitable for dogs (i.e. no farm C A simple, short walk on good paths.
animals, stiles, public roads, etc.)
Public transport available to this route.
• • Details given on individual routes.
w u u
A BARTHOLOMEW MAP & GUIDE
WALK LOTHIAN
THE BORDERS & FIFE
40 WALKS IN SOUTH EAST SCOTLAND
SELECTED & DESCRIBED BY RICHARD HALLEWELL
ILLUSTRATIONS BY REBECCA JOHNSTONE
JOHN BARTHOLOMEW & SON LTD
EDINBURGH
British Library Cataloguing in Publication Data
Hallewell, Richard
Walk Lothian, the Borders and Fife:
40 walks.
1. Scotland—Description and travel
—1951—Guide-books 2. Fife-
Description and travel—Guide-books
1. Title
914.13'04858 DA880.F4
ISBN 0-7028-0803-2
Published and Printed in Scotland
by John Bartholomew & Son Ltd,
Duncan Street, Edinburgh EH9 1TA
First Edition 1988
Reprinted 1989
Copyright © John Bartholomew & Son Ltd, 1988
All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be
reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in
any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical,
photocopying, recording, or otherwise, without the prior
permission of John Bartholomew & Son Ltd.
ISBN 0-7028-0803-2
The physical landscape of Britain is changing all the time
e.g. as new tracks are made, hedges grubbed up and fields
amalgamated. While every care has been taken in the
preparation of this guide, John Bartholomew & Son Ltd,
will not be responsible for any loss, damage or
inconvenience caused by inaccuracies.
About this book
This is a book of walks, all of which can be completed within one day.
They pass through every type of scenery to be found in the area hill,
—
coastal and woodland and vary in difficulty from gentle strolls to
—
strenuous hill climbs. Each route is graded according to its level of
difficulty, and wherever specialist hill-walking equipment is required this is
specified. There is a description of each route, including information on
the character and condition of the paths, and with a brief description of
the major points of interest along the way. In addition there is a sketch
map of the route to aid navigation. Car parks, where available, are
indicted on the route maps. The availability of public conveniences and
public transport on particular routes is listed on the contents page, and at
the head of each route. The suitability or otherwise of the route for dogs
is also indicated on the contents page. The location of each route within
the area is shown on the area map inside the cover of the book, and a
brief description of how to reach the walk from the nearest town is
provided at the start of each walk. In addition, National Grid References
are provided on the maps. The use of a detailed map, in addition to this
book, is advised on all A grade walks.
The following introduction provides a brief summary of the geology,
history and natural history of the area; listing (within the limitations of
space) the people of consequence who have been associated with the area,
and indicating the places where incidents of historical importance occurred.
Hopefully, an appreciation of these links with the past will add to the
interest of the walks.
Before setting out, all walkers are asked to read through the section of
Advice to Walkers at the end of this introduction. In the long term it
never pays to become lax in taking safety precautions.
This is by no means an exhaustive list of the excellent walks
throughout this area, but it provides a core of varied, accepted routes. I
hope you will find it an interesting selection.
Key
• • • Route &i_ Marshland
Metalled Road ...v:... Moorland
44
HH+t Railway Coniferous Woodland
® Parking Broad-leaved Woodland
Contour: shaded area Information Centre
is above height indicated
INTRODUCTION
The Area
(Figures in italics refer to individual walks)
Scotland’s eminent suitability as an area for flooding — but it can be misleading. For
walking is ensured by its position and its instance, the Lowlands are not, for the most
geological history. Its position provides a part, low, since igneous intrusions in past
temperate climate and a varied and plentiful ages have' formed groups of hills throughout
flora and fauna; its geology a mass of hills, the area; and the majority of the eastern
divided into groups: each with its own distinct Borders, far from being hilly, are composed
formation and character, dissected by wide of flat farmland.
valleys and narrow ravines. This shape and The Highland Boundary Fault passes to
climate of the land, augmented by man’s own the north of this area, so all the walks in this
impact, provides all the elements required of book are through either the Central Lowlands
a good walk: challenge, variety and interest. or the Southern Uplands. The dividing line
The section of the country chosen for between the two is not as clear as that
this guide provides all these elements in between Lowlands and Highlands — there is
abundance. The hills — principally the no single fault — but a line can be drawn,
Cheviots, Ettrick Forest, the Lammermuirs, north-east to south-west, from Dunbar, along
the Moorfoots, the Pentlands and the the face of the Lammermuirs and the
Lomond Hills in Fife — are not high, even by Moorfoots, with a loop cast northwards to
British standards, but they are high enough to include the Pentlands. This dividing line is
give superb views: across their neighbours or most clearly observed at its eastern end (21).
down into the flat lands of the Merse, Fife, Lothian and the Borders contain
Lothian and Fife. Half the joy of walking is such a diversity of landscapes that it would
to see familiar sights from unfamiliar angles. simply be misleading to describe the area in
A cursory look at the map of this area general terms. Therefore I have divided it into
reveals its major geographical features: the 10 sections; illustrated on the map on the
two great estuaries of the Tay and the Forth, following page and described below.
the mass of hills in the south and west and
the catchment area of the River Tweed in the Area 1: (1) This section of Fife, north of the
south-east. From ground level the smaller, River Eden and west of Tayport, is largely
irregular and abrupt features are more composed of igneous rocks. This has created
impressive: Arthur’s Seat (11), the rock of a landscape of small, steep, irregular hills.
Edinburgh Castle, North Berwick Law (19) or The area is entirely rural and largely
the Bass Rock. All these features have been agricultural, with mixed arable and livestock
formed through the agency of ice, fire, wind farming and small stands of forestry on the
and water; the glaciers and volcanic steeper hills. The only large towns in the area
erruptions of the past, and the more leisurely are Newport-on-Tay and Tayport, in the
erosions of the present day. north-east corner, which are largely extensions
School-book geography divides Scotland of Dundee — across the Tay Bridge to the
into three distinct areas: the Highlands, the north. Otherwise there are a number of small,
Central Lowlands and the Southern Uplands. pleasant, unspoilt villages, connected by a
Two high massifs sandwiching the sunken, series of minor roads winding through the
sedimentary rocks of the Lowland rift valley. hills. From the north of Fife there are
This model is all right as far as it goes — the splendid views across the muddy tidal estuary
rift valley certainly exists, and the fault lines of the Firth of Tay.
to north and south between which it has
slipped; and the exaggerated estuaries of the Area 2: (2) The Howe of Fife, the east Eden
eastern Lowlands are clearly the result of Valley and the shoreline of Fife, north from
N
Map showing areas
described
the Eden to Tayport, is mostly flat land,
based on old red sandstone. The land is
largely used for arable farming, with
occasional large stands of conifers. This
makes the area generally unsuitable for
walking, though pleasant enough. North of
the muddy, bird-rich estuary of the river Eden
are the flat lands of Tcntsmuir (2), edged
with dunes and sandbanks. This area is now
almost entirely covered by forestry.
The main towns arc Leuchars (dominated
by its air base), Cupar (the main service
centre for central Fife), Ladybank and the
beautiful historic village of Falkland at the
foot of the Lomond Hills (3). mixture of farmland and semi-industrial
towns; the largest of which is Dunfermline
Area 3: (3,4,5,6) The south of Fife is (6); the one-time capital of Scotland. This
something of a hotch-potch; largely composed area is largely unsuited to walking, with the
of sedimentary rock. The East Neuk is mainly exception of the cliffs and shoreline of the
undulating arable land, edged by sea-cliffs. East Neuk (5) and the occasional instrusions
The farmland is sparsely populated, but along of igneous rocks which have formed isolated
the coast there is a row of splendid old hills across the region: notably the basalt
fishing villages — Crail, Anstruther, Lomond (3) and Cleish Hills.
Pittenweem, St. Monance and Elie — with
the university town of St. Andrews just to the Area 4: (7,8,9) South of the Firth of Forth
north. Further west, in a triangle formed by and west of Linlithgow (9) the rocks are
Leven, Markinch and Kirkcaldy, there is a largely sedimentary with, importantly, large
coal field; the site for a number of industrial deposits of coal and oil-shale. This accounts
towns: Leven, Methil, Buckhaven and for the generally industrial nature of the area;
Wemyss. West from here the land is a scattered with rather grey towns such as
Falkirk, Grangemouth, Denny (7), Bathgate show particular respect for the landscape and
and others. Between the towns, however, for the requirements of the landowners while
there is a considerable amount of farmland in the area. Please keep dogs on leads at all
and, as in Fife, igneous intrusions have times and stay on the footpaths.
formed small hills — such as Cockleroy (8) — The Pentland Hills are now a Regional
above the low, undulating ground. A feature Park. There is a ranger service which has its
of this area are the shale bings. Large piles of office at Hillend (15).
discarded oil-shale from which petroleum
products have been extracted by heat. The Area 7: (11,12) The city of Edinburgh — the
industry began in Addiewell (south of capital, the largest settlement in this area and
Bathgate) in the mid 19th century and incomparably the most architecturally blessed
continued until the Second World War, when town in Scotland — provides a share of the
it ceased to be viable. walks. The town sits on sedimentary rocks to
the south of the Firth of Forth, but igneous
Area 5: (10) A line south of Linlithgow marks intrusions have produced a number of hills
the edge of the mineral fields of West which add greatly to the city’s character.
Lothian, and there is gradually more Most obviously the rock of Edinburgh Castle,
farmland towards South Queensferry, along Arthur’s Seat (11), Calton Hill (at the east
the Firth of Forth. To the south, however, end of Princes Street) and Blackford Hill
there are still a number of larger towns, (12). From any of these hills there are
including Livingstone and the three Calders excellent views across the city, and one can
(East (10), West and Mid). This area, to the spot the landmarks and appreciate the equally
west of the Pentlands, is criss-crossed by a splendid order of the new town, north of
great many roads and railways. Princes Street gardens, and disorder of the
old, clustered between the castle and
Area 6: (14,15,16,17) The Pentland Hills Holyrood Palace.
project north-eastwards from the main body
of the Border hills, rising above the low lands Area 8: (13,18,19,20,21) The area covered by
of Lothian like the prow of a ship above a the old counties of Mid and East Lothian has
quiet sea. It is the great good-fortune of the a dual character. It has always been an area
people of Edinburgh that these hills, on their of agricultural prosperity; the profitable seat
very doorstep, and aloof from the — in years gone by — of powerful magnates,
surrounding towns and roads, should provide close to the king or government in Edinburgh;
some of Scotland’s finest short walks. but once coal mining became profitable the
The Pentlands are hills of great western half of the area — sitting on the coal
character: at their most interesting in the deposits which run, in a broad band, south
north, where they are, for the most part, from Musselburgh — the character of the
igneous; sharper and steeper than they are land was changed. There are a number of
further south. The hill cover is largely grass, mining towns in the narrow band running
which provides pleasant walking. The land use through Dalkeith (13) to Roslin, Bilston,
is predominantly livestock farming, with some Loanhead and Newtongrange. To the south of
areas of grouse-moors on the higher hills and these is the pleasant town of Penicuik, in the
a number of reservoirs (part of Edinburgh’s shadow of the Pentlands, on the edge of the
water supply) in the valleys. rising semi-moorland to the south. Looking
Inevitably, such accessible hills are under south-east from the edge of the Pentlands
considerable pressure, and you are asked to there is a splendid view of the steep, straight,
in
northern edge of the Moorfoot Hills, lying the Border in England.
along a fault line. Each of these groups of hills, from which
East Lothian, being free of mineral the waters of the Tweed descend, has its own
deposits, has retained its rural nature, with character. The Lammermuirs (26), extending
prosperous farms spread across the rolling north-east to the coast, are long, low, round
landscape. There is a sense of continuity — hills; sparsely populated and uniform, with
cultural and architectural — here, which is sheep grazing and grouse-moorland on the
largely missing in the rest of Scotland. It is an broad tops, intersected by narrow glens. The
area which has been English-speaking since hills drop away to the south, towards the
the 6th century and which has always been Merse.
comparatively prosperous and peaceful. There The Moorfoots, to the south-west, are
is an aura of contentment amongst the tree- similar in character but slightly steeper. The
lined fields and red-roofed buildings. northern edge of the hills, rising in a line
Haddington, at the heart of the county, above the fields of Lothian, is very
is one of the most beautiful of Scottish pronounced. At their southern edge the hills
towns; while the coastal villages of Aberlady, are butted against the River Tweed. Behind
Gullane, Dirleton and North Berwick (19), Peebles (37) there is extensive forestry at
and the towns of Dunbar and East Linton Glentress. There are a number of walks
(20) have all retained their charm to some through this large plantation.
degree. South of the Tweed at this point is
The best walking is along the coast, and Ettrick Forest (35,36,38,39): a huge expanse
into the Lammermuir Hills (21) which rise of moorland hills, bleak, but not intimidating,
steeply along a fault line in the southern half extending south to Teviotdale. There is a
of the county. From here there are splendid considerable amount of forestry throughout
views across the low lands: to the igneous this area, but it is still splendid countryside
hills of Traprain Law (20) and North Berwick for longer walks.
Law (19); and out to the Bass Rock at the To the west of St. Mary’s Loch, on the
mouth of the Firth of Forth. very edge of this area, are the Tweedsmuir
Hills: a tight knot of steep, occasionally
Area 9: (22,26,27,30,31,32,33,34,35,36,37,38, craggy peaks; the highest in the eastern
39,40) The Border hills provide more of the Borders. Broad Law (2754 ft, 840 m) is the
routes in this book than any other area. The highest point in the area covered by this
hills included are the southern Lammermuirs, book.
the Moor foots, Ettrick Forest, the South, beyond Teviotdale, are the
Tweedsmuir Hills and the Cheviots; the Cheviots (27, 40); a northern extension of the
ranges bounded by broad valleys — Pennine chain, forming the central section of
Teviotdale, Tweeddale and Lauderdale — and the Border. The presence of this boundary —
dissected by the narrower glens of a thousand an invisible, legal barrier, running through the
tributaries. All the burns and rivers of this wide, rounded, grassy, sheep-covered hills —
area — the Jed Water, the Ettrick Water, the has ensured the hills an interesting history.
Yarrow, Gala Water and the Leader Water For many years this was the wild frontier;
amongst them — are (with the exception of particularly at the western end of the hills
Liddesdale and the headwater of the River where warfare was incessant for some
Annan, in the south-west) part of the system centuries.
of the River Tweed, which flows 100 miles These groups of hills form a horseshoe
from the Tweedsmuir Hills to Berwick, over around the western end of the Merse — the
IV
low land to the north of the River Tweed. industries. A long history of regional and
They are formed largely of sedimentary rocks; family warfare has left a legacy of partisan
with only the occasional igneous intrusion, insularity amongst the inhabitants; both for
characterised by isolated hills, less regular the area and for their own particlar corner of
than their neighbours. The most striking it. Nowadays this is largely exhibited on the
examples are the Eildon Hills (32) which, rugby field (a game at which the Borderers
rising in the heart of the Border country, give are particularly adept) and in the tradition of
splendid views of all those ranges listed ‘riding the marches’, which continues in many
above. of the towns.
The Borders are only lightly populated,
and those who live in the area are generally Area 10: (23,24,25,28,29) The Merse is an
concentrated on the low farmland and in the area of flat farmland, on largely sedimentary
towns in the larger valleys: Lauder (33), rocks, between the Lammermuirs, the North
Peebles (37), Innerleithen, Galashiels (34), Sea and the Tweed. The most important
Melrose (32), Selkirk (35) and Jedburgh being settlement is the handsome town of Kelso
the main ones. These are largely Victorian (28), a major service centre at the western end
towns developed — around older centres or of the area. Other towns include Duns and
on older sites — principally for the Coldstream (25) in the heart of the farmland,
manufacture of textiles. They now exist as and the fishing harbour of Eyemouth (24).
market towns and service centres, while still Walking here is limited to the banks of the
retaining some textile and other light Tweed and the coast.
History
Throughout this area, and along the routes of the mass of battle-fields, birthplaces and
its walks, there are hundreds of relics of monuments, provide a great part of the joy
Scotland’s past: forts, churches, houses and of walking through a country as old as
castles spanning 2 Vi thousand years of Scotland; and an appreciation — however
history. Even in the most industrial areas of vague — of their purpose and history can add
the Central Belt there remain, poking through to the pleasure of a walk; as can the
even the greyest areas of the carpet of late appreciation that one is walking past a ruin
18th, 19th and 20th century development, or down a path frequented, in days gone by,
buildings which recall the centuries of by Scott, Stevenson, Robert the Bruce, Mary
development which preceded the urban Queen of Scots or any of the other
explosion. individuals who have left their mark on this
Many of the area’s historic buildings — area.
such as the Border Abbeys and Georgian In Scottish history it is best to hold
villas — were designed as objects of aesthetic firmly to such individuals, because there is
grace; others, including the great Border little profit in studying trends and movements.
strongholds, have an admirable, if slightly Scotland’s past is — in common with that of
chilling, suitability for purpose; while yet most nations — one of dynastic squabbles,
others, such as the crumbling dry-stone walls intrigue, revolt, persecution, gratuitous
and shapeless mounds of rubble at Edinshall violence and vandalism, occasionally lit by
(26), Traprain (20) and Eildon (32) arouse, by flashes of individual genius or guiltless artistic
their very antiquity, a sense of history. In achievement. Highlanders, Lowlanders and
their various ways these buildings, along with Borderers were rarely linked by anything more