The Southern Upland Way

Updates with thanks to Mr Tim Lewis 2025

Section 9 preamble: add at end

NOTE: both the higher alternative before Ettrick Head, and the combined route above Selcoth Burn, cross steep and rather exposed slopes, intimidating to some and risky in icy conditions.

P127 first line: wooden steps now gone. Just keep ahead uphill on the rough path.

P132: additional distance to Innerleithen, amend to 2.5km (1.5 miles)

P145 top: This is unclear. The alternatives are

a) From the crossroads in Traquair, take thelane heading uphill, south-eastwards. Keep ahead up a dirt track, so beginning the long ascent onto Minch Moor.

b) If starting from Innerleithen, there’s a more attractive return route. Return over the Tweed to the 7Stanes car aprk. From its corner, the well built path runs to left of the road, across a side road, then steeply uphill. It runs along the foot of plantations, with wide views across the Tweed valley. After 1.2km it crosses an uphill track, to a second one, which is the SUW 0.75km above Traquair.

P155 top: the riverside path diverts briefly away from an eroded section of riverbank, then returns.

P159 2nd main para: As the slope eases, 'continue straight ahead (north-east) at a track fork' is more of a 'at a track fork, bear left (north-east)'.

P160 2/3 way down: 'The SUW dodges into woods on the right' – At summer 2025 there are fallen trees to work your way around here.

P160 last sentence: Lauder lies in the deep valley ahead; the Way drops a little towards Lauder Burn, but after a ladder stile, it turns up right to reach, rather surprisingly, the 13th tee of Lauder Golf Course. (But there’s an alternative path dropping to Lauder Burn, which is also usable.)

P165 foot: ‘the right-hand edge of the conifer plantation seen ahead”. This has now (summer 2025) been felled, and progress along its right-hand edge is currently awkward in the aftermath…

P168 line 4: 'Wide, smooth track' is now tarmac surfaced.

P173: last word ‘red’. Now repainted black.

P174 first para: having reached the start of the concrete track to Whiteburn, follow it as far as the farm before turning off left as indicated.

P185 could have pronunciation guide:

Stranraer                                         StranRARR

Knowe                                              Now

St John’s Town of Dalry                 Dalry

Stroanpatrick                                  Strone-patrick

Sanquhar                                         Sanker

Daer Reservoir                                Darr Reservoir

Over Phawhope                              Over Fawup

Scabcleuch (and other cleuchs)   ClooCH (ch as in ‘loch’

Dryhope                                           Dryup

Traquair                                           Tra-KWARE

Innerleithen                                     Inner-leethun

Lauder                                             Lorder

Longformacus                                 Long-for-MACK-us

Abbey St Bathans                           Abbey Saint BA-thuns )(not Baythuns or Barthuns)

Cockburnspath                               Co’path

General: The accomodation on the SU Way is like the people using it – it comes and goes. The SU Way website at its new address dgtrails.org/southern-upland-way/ is the start point for current information. Do please report any fresh information, updates or corrections via the feedback form there.

Accommodation providers providing vehicle backup: Brookford B&B at Dalry no longer offers pickups across the Glenkens (Pick-up points 1 and 2). A current accommodation provider in the Glenkens may offer car pick-up on an informal basis: it's always worth asking.

At the highest point of the SU Way, the Lunch Box on Lowther Hill (p103) is now a comfortable small shelter, timber lined, with a bench inside.

Winter 2020/21, the Barnhill Bridge over River Annan NT 092 029 is closed for repairs. Signs divert walkers into Moffat by Annandale Way and out again by Oakrigg, ie the alternative routes marked on pages 112 and 124. Works should be completed by spring 2021.

Most walkers will need to continue from Traquair to Innerleithen to find accommodation. There is now a pleasant footpath from the war memorial at Traquair running to left of the road through fields and woods to the Tweed bridge near the edge of Innerleithen, replacing what was a nasty road walk (and an even better one for the return to the SU Way in the morning).

see MAP below Stage 11 update.

An excellent roadside footpath has (in 2019) been made from the House o' Hill at Bargrennan to Glentrool village. This would allow you to take advantage of any facilities at Glentrool, although there are currently none. Continuation would be by a roadside footpath east to Stroan Bridge, and downstream to left of Water of Minnoch to rejoin the SU Way by a footbridge over Water of Trool. However the riverside path of the SU Way is a better route.

If you stay overnight in Innerleithen, there's a very attractive link path (built 2020) to take you back to the SUW. Return over the Tweed to the car park for the 7Stanes mountain bike area. From its corner, the well built path runs to left of the road, across a side road, then steeply uphill. It runs along the foot of plantations, with wide views across the Tweed valley. After 1.2km it crosses an uphill track, to a second one, which is the SUW 750 metres above Traquair.

see Map below:

Appendix D, accommodation providers offering luggage transfer:

New for 2019, a string of B&Bs / hotels offer piecemeal baggage transfer covering the entire route (provided you stay at their places) – see the official website at www.southernuplandway.gov.uk.

Dec 2018

Some updates to the accommodation listing column in Appendix A: but please refer to www.southernuplandway.gov.uk for the most current information.
184km Brattleburn bothy (near): Bunkhouse (Rivox)
220km Scabcleuch: B&B (Cossarshill) – see previous update!
247km Traquair: no accomm (but Innerleithen does have)
251km Minch Moor: B&B at Yarrowford
322.5km B6355 Lodge Wood: B&B (Greenhope)

Aug 2018

Page 122 The unofficial high-level line above Ettrick glen, Stage 9 'Alternatives', is covered in full on the Harvey Maps route map of the Southern Upland Way.

June 2018

Accommodation update: the 2018 revisions to the official website at www.southernuplandway.gov.uk have uncovered lonely B&Bs at New Luce (end Stage 2), at the foot of Ettrick glen (end Stage 10) and Longformacus (end Stage 11). The second of these in partricular will make it possible for energetic walkers to complete the Way without needing vehicle pick-ups and drop-offs. Please check the official website for details.