The Border Country - A Walker’s Guide

The guidebook opens up to the walker the landscape of the Border country that lies between England and Scotland, including the Cheviots, Tweeddale and Teviotdale, Ettrick Forest and the Tweedsmuir Hills. Includes 46 varied routes, and outlines of a number of long-distance walks and town trails.

Between England and Scotland lies the solitude of an upland area which, though neglected by rambler and ­mountain walker alike, offers to both a wealth of adventure. Although linked to the north of England and the Lothians of Scotland, this area has, because of its geographical seclusion and its history and tradition, retained its own distinct identity. The Borders region of Scotland (comprising the districts of Berwickshire, Roxburghshire, Ettrick and Lauderdale, and Tweeddale) and the northern fringes of Northumberland constitute the ­landmass known as the Borders covered in this guide. The population is around 120,000, the majority of whom reside in small towns and villages of which only 14 have more than 1500 inhabitants. This makes the area the second most thinly populated part of Scotland and certainly the most thinly populated part of England. The average space per head in the Borders is one person for every 11 acres, compared with an overall average for Scotland of less than four acres per person.

The fertile farms in the straths (valleys) of the Tweed and Teviot have fostered a fine arable and stock tradition, while the surrounding hills have a ­reputation second to none for breeding and feeding sheep, proudly producing named breeds such as the Cheviot and the Border Leicester. Allied with the ­agriculture are twin spin-offs: quality textiles (the shrinking mainstay of the local economy) and food processing. In recent years the industrial base has widened to include industries such as plastics, chemicals, paper production, health care and electronics, all of which has, fortunately, led to the reversal of the population drift and, in the last 15 years, increased the numbers residing in the area. The Borders is also renowned in the field of sport, particularly rugby union.

This Borderland has a character of its own, manifest not only in the green and rounded hills, the glens and bubbling burns, but also in Border legend, poetry and music. It is a subtle character, one that may not be fully understood by a single ascent of Cheviot or a walk in Ettrick Forest, yet as certain as the seasons.

The region offers 68 mountains and tops in excess of 2000ft (610m), the highest being Broad Law 2754ft (839m), with only a smattering of rock climbs and several scrambles on scree or in rocky gullies. The highlights of the area, however, are the many long and exhilarating ridge walks, although some include the notorious peat hags of the upper Cheviots. No matter what your tastes, there are walks in this guide to suit all pedestrians and lovers of the countryside, whatever your ­abilities and secondary interests.