The Southern Upland Way Is Forty

The Southern Upland Way, Scotland’s only official coast to coast long distance path, is 40 this year. Running for 214 miles from Portpatrick to Cockburnspath the route goes through the Galloway, Borders and Lammermuir hills, starting and finishing with some impressive coastal scenery.

I’ve walked the Southern Upland Way twice, in August 2003, and in February/March 2011. Unexpectedly the weather wasn’t very different each time. In August it was cold and wet, in February warm and wet. There were sunny days on both trips, though not many. And on both the Galloway hills were hidden in clouds. It was warmer in August of course and I did the whole walk in sandals. In February I wore trail shoes. Due to the time of year I carried an ultralight ice axe and microspikes. They never left the pack. It was only frosty on four nights out of thirteen and there was never even a spot of snow either on the ground or falling from the sky. The vegetation was the main sign it was a different season.

I enjoyed both walks and I think it’s a better route than many people seem to think. Yes, there are rather too many conifer plantations and a growing number of windfarms but there is also some excellent hillwalking and very pleasant forest and lakeside walking too. Although some parts are quite wild it’s not overall a walk with a feeling of the remoteness that can be found in the Scottish Highlands. It’s as much a historical and cultural walk as a nature one. Along the way there are chambered cairns, standing stones, modern artworks, secret kists with hidden treasure, ruined castles, old lead mines, a radar station, reservoirs, peel towers, stately homes, and ruined abbeys plus plenty of interesting villages.

It's possible to stay in accommodation every night. That does mean some long days though there are providers who can collect and drop you off from road crossings and transfer your baggage so you only need carry a daypack. Unsurprisingly I used none of these but backpacked the route each time, camping out or staying in bothies – there are several along the way.

All the information you need and can be found here.

The photos were all taken on the 2011 walk. In 2003 I was only dipping my toe in digital waters and mostly shot film, none of which have I yet scanned. I did have a 2.3mp digital compact with a small sensor with which I took a few shots that are almost passable. I’ll include some in a separate post on the photographic changes between 2003, 2011 and now.