The Southern Upland Way is Scotland's first and only official
coast-to-coast long distance route, running across the country from the
Atlantic Ocean to the North Sea. From Portpatrick on the west coast the
route runs 341 kilometres to Cove and Cockburnspath on the east coast.
Date walked: 12/05/2017 Time taken: 14 hours Distance: 45 km Ascent: 574m
I walked the last 20 miles to Cocksburnpath and finally completed the Southern Upland Way, spending the final night camping on the edge of a Graveyard.
The following day I had to walk an extra 10 miles along the coast to reach Dunbar (John Muir link) where I could catch a train to Edinburgh.
The Southern Upland Way is Scotland's first and only official coast-to-coast long distance route, running across the country from the Atlantic Ocean to the North Sea. From Portpatrick on the west coast the route runs 341 kilometres to Cove and Cockburnspath on the east coast.
Date walked: 11/05/2017 Time taken: 10 hours Distance: 24.25 km Ascent: 534m
I walk the next 15 miles from my wild camping spot near Lauder to the
next wild camping spot overlooking Watch Water reservoir, a couple of
miles before Longformacus. On the way I pass through Lauder and stop at
the store for supplies.
The Southern Upland Way is Scotland's first and only official
coast-to-coast long distance route, running across the country from the
Atlantic Ocean to the North Sea. From Portpatrick on the west coast the
route runs 341 kilometres to Cove and Cockburnspath on the east coast.
Date walked: 10/05/2017 Time taken: 11 hours Distance: 32 km Ascent: 340m
I walk my longest day on the Southern Upland Way, covering approximately 20 miles between Minch Moor and Lauder. The original plan was to finish near Melrose but couldn't find a suitable place for wild camping so I kept walking until late. I stopped for supplies at Tesco while passing through Galashiels.
The Southern Upland Way is Scotland's first and only official coast-to-coast long distance route, running across the country from the Atlantic Ocean to the North Sea. From Portpatrick on the west coast the route runs 341 kilometres to Cove and Cockburnspath on the east coast.
Date walked: 09/05/2017 Time taken: 7 hours Distance: 18.75 km Ascent: 823m
I returned to St Mary's Loch/Loch of the Lowes to continue and
complete my journey on the Southern Upland Way. I camped at Loch of the
Lowes with Mr Globetrotter before setting off in the morning, solo.
I walked the
length of St Mary's Loch and paid a visit to Dryhope Tower before
popping over the summit of Blake Muir. I eventually passed through
Traquair and continued to Minch Moor, hoping to find a suitable area for
wild camping by the old Minch Moor Bothy. The bothy was long gone
(demolished) and the ground around it wasn't the best for camping on so I
carried on a little further to the edge of the forest where I found an
adequate spot for camping just off the path.
The Southern Upland Way is Scotland's first and only official
coast-to-coast long distance route, running across the country from the
Atlantic Ocean to the North Sea. From Portpatrick on the west coast the
route runs 341 kilometres to Cove and Cockburnspath on the east coast.
Time taken: 13 hours Distance: 31.25 km Ascent: 1005m
I continue my hike on the Southern Upland Way, Sanquhar to Moffat, after a peaceful night camping by Wanlockwater.
I pass through the village of Wanlockhead and have to climb the Lowther Hill to a height of 725m.
But that is just the start of the adventure, as the next few hours consist of many ups and downs across the hills until you reach 1005m. I'd hoped to visit the Shop/Cafe at Wanlockhead Visitor Centre on my way out but unfortunately it doesn't open until 12.
Once The hills were thankfully are out of the way, I made my way to Brattleburn Bothy where I set up camp outside. The bothy was unfortunately occupied but it didn't stop me going inside for a quick chat and a Hot Chocolate before bedtime.
The next morning I traverse the last few miles towards Beattock, following the busy A road into Moffat where I was picked up by a friend. The next section, Beattock to St Mary's Loch was completed in 2016, so I skipped this and got a ride up to St. Mary's Loch/Loch of the Lowes.
The Southern Upland Way is Scotland's first and only official coast-to-coast long distance route, running across the country from the Atlantic Ocean to the North Sea. From Portpatrick on the west coast the route runs 341 kilometres to Cove and Cockburnspath on the east coast.
I return to Sanquhar in a mission to complete the remaining sections of the Southern Upland Way.
I leave Sanquhar on a sunny afternoon, heading East, my mission to complete the remaining sections of the Southern Upland Way and make it to Cocksburnpath on the East Coast of Scotland.
The path was easy going except for a few boggy patches and some awkward hills. Due to lambing season I had to follow the diversion route at Cogshead which extended the walk by about one hour. I arrived at Wanlockwater just after 7pm where I pitched the tent for the night, before taking a short stroll into the village the next morning.
