Ramblers Routes Ramblers Routes Britain’s best walks from the experts Britain’s best walks from the experts Scotland Scotland 08/08/2013 15:45 01 Beinn Ghlas & Ben Lawers, Perthshire 02 Kelso, Scottish Borders l Distance 10½km/6½ miles l Time 5hrs l Type Glen and mountain l Distance 10½km/6½ miles l Time 3hrs l Type River and country NAVIGATION LEVEL FITNESS LEVEL NAVIGATION LEVEL FITNESS LEVEL walk magazine autumn 2013 autumn magazine walk walk magazine autumn 2013 autumn magazine walk Plan your walk Plan your walk PERTHSHIRE l Edinburgh Berwick- upon-Tweed Dundee l BEINN l GHLAS l Perth KELSO US US RG Stirling SCOTTISH RG l FE BORDERS FE TH TH l l Edinburgh Lockerbie l HY: KEI HY: HY: KEI HY: Glasgow P P WHERE: Circular hill walk WHERE: Circular walk over the Perthshire Munros of through countryside PHOTOGRA Beinn Ghlas and Ben Lawers. around Kelso in the PHOTOGRA START/END: Ben Lawers Scottish Borders. Sitting high above the River Tay 1. START From Ben Lawers The charming and lively Scottish 1. START Facing the Town Hall National Nature Reserve car START/END: The Square, in Highland Perthshire, the big, National Nature Reserve car park Borders town of Kelso is built along (NT727339), turn R and follow park (NN608379). Kelso (NT727339). craggy Ben Lawers reaches (NN608379) – where donations for the banks of two great rivers, Bridge Street by Kelso Abbey, TERRAIN: Hill and mountain TERRAIN: Fairly level 1,214m/3,983ft in height and is the the upkeep of paths and the the Tweed and the Teviot. This crossing Rennie’s Bridge. Here paths and tracks. Some steep pavement, countryside ninth highest peak in Scotland. Its landscape are welcomed – walk beautiful and interesting route the Teviot and Tweed converge ascents and descents. and riverside paths. neighbour Beinn Ghlas climbs through a gate, cross a road onto a leaves Kelso and heads along a to form the deep Junction Pool, MAPS: OS Explorer 378; MAPS: OS Explorer 339; above 1,100m/3,609ft and the path and climb gradually up to stunning section of the River a union that provides some of Landranger 51. Landranger 74. walk across both mountains, along and through another gate. Go Teviot, which is home to superb the best salmon fishing in GETTING THERE: No public GETTING THERE: Munro’s of superbly maintained paths, is straight on and follow the flora and fauna including larch, Scotland. Turn R onto the A699. transport to the start, but Jedburgh run the 52 bus one of the finest in central signposted ‘Ben Lawers path’ north sycamore, oak, alder, kingfisher, Follow the pavement alongside the regular Kingshouse Travel service from Edinburgh to Scotland. The route begins at through the nature reserve. Keep goldeneye, grey heron, swan and the River Tweed and continue as Bus Service C60, between Kelso (✆ 0871 200 2233, around 450m above sea level along the path as it ascends otter. The walk passes the remains it swings L by Springwood Park, Callander and Killin, drops www.travelinescotland.com). and, because of this, is ideal gradually, alongside birch and of Roxburgh Castle, which, during then R over a bridge crossing the you about six miles from EATING & DRINKING: for introducing less experienced rowan trees. The path soon bears R the 1120s, became the chosen seat River Teviot (NT720335). Ben Lawers car park The Cobbles, Kelso walkers to the joys of Scotland’s to cross a burn twice, and then a of King David I and remained the (✆ 0871 200 2233, www. (✆ 01573 223 548, www. mountains. This elevated steady ascent proceeds beside a residence of Scottish kings for the 2. Once past a small car park and travelinescotland.com). thecobbleskelso.co.uk). landscape is also home to rare deer fence, with fine views across next two centuries. During this cottage, turn L over a stone stile, EATING & DRINKING: The SLEEPING: Cross Keys Hotel, and endangered plants found the glen to Meall Corranaich. In time both the castle and the nearby go R onto a path and then drop Falls of Dochart Inn, Killin Kelso (✆ 01573 223303, nowhere else in Britain. Botanists due course, the path swings R village of Roxburgh prospered, but down some steps. The path (✆ 01567 820270, www. www.cross-keys-hotel.co.uk). discovered many arctic/alpine flora away from the burn (NN613392), ultimately its defences weren’t progresses easily southwest along falls-of-dochart-inn.co.uk). VISITOR INFORMATION: here during the 18th century, but still follows the line of the strong enough. Roxburgh Castle a beautiful section of the river and SLEEPING: Killin Hotel, Kelso TIC, The Square including alpine saxifrage (which fence to a gate. Once through this, changed hands many times the Borders Abbeys Way beside Killin (✆ 01567 820 296, (✆ 01573 228055, www. was found in 1768), alpine continue to a fork. between Scotland and England the River Teviot and soon passes by www.killinhotel.com). visitscottishborders.com). mouse-ear, moss campion and over the next few centuries until the remains of Roxburgh Castle VISITOR INFORMATION: GUIDEBOOK: Walking the highland saxifrage. Mountain 2. Take the R branch (NN616392) the early 16th century, when it (NT713338), which sits on top of an Aberfeldy TIC, The Square Scottish Borders and East ringlet butterfly, black grouse, – L is the route of descent – from was slowly dismantled and the embankment on the R. The path (✆ 01887 820276, Lothian by Mary Welsh and ptarmigan, red deer and raven where a sustained ascent climbs community that had built up then runs along field edges for just Christine Isherwood (£6.99, ▲ www.visitaberfeldy.co.uk). ▲ around it gradually faded away. over a mile, at which point ▼ northeast steeply up the lower ▼ can also be spotted. 51-52 walk40 RR Scotland.indd 1 51-52 walk40RR Scotland.indd 2 Ordnance Surveymap Ordnance Surveymap Continued... Continued... START FINISH Clan Walk Guides, GUIDEBOOK: Perthshire: ISBN 978 1873597354). 1 40 Town and Country Walks LOCAL RAMBLERS GROUP: 2 4 ping ©Crowncopyright.AM34/08 by Paul & Helen Webster ping ©Crowncopyright.AM34/08 Coldstream Ramblers (£6.99, Pocket Mountains, (✆ 01890 840723, www. ISBN 978 1907025006). lothian-borders-ramblers. LOCAL RAMBLERS GROUP: org.uk). Strathtay Ramblers 5 (✆ 01887 820095, www.ramblers.co.uk/groups). a stile on the R is crossed at a Borders Abbeys Way marker. Turn L along another field path. Two 5 slopes of Beinn Ghlas. The path 3 more stiles are crossed to gain a is superb as it zigzags up the minor road (NT704313). Take a L mountain, with great views and follow the road down through opening out over Loch Tay and Roxburgh Mill Farm towards the (once over a little crest) a fantastic village of Roxburgh. aspect of Beinn Ghlas’ undulating top. A little respite is given as the 3. Before the centre of the village, path levels out, but not for long. turn L onto a narrow road Another steep, twisting ascent (signposted ‘Borders Abbeys Way’), leads onto the rocky summit of which drops down onto a rougher Beinn Ghlas (NN625405) and a 2 track signposted ‘Ferry Road’. superb panorama that includes Continue along it to reach an Ben Lawers and her craggy impressive viaduct spanning the neighbours of An Stuc, Meall River Teviot (NT702304). Turn L, Garbh and Meall Greigh. leaving the Borders Abbeys Way, cross a wooden bridge beside 3 3. From the top, continue the viaduct then climb a path to Map not to scale. northeast, with the ridge Representation of gain a minor road. Turn R, pass OS Landranger becoming narrower and an under the viaduct and follow MAP 74 1:50,000 exposed drop to the L. A gradual Map not to scale. 4 www.ordnancesurvey.co.uk 1 Representation of the road as it swings L. Take a descent between Beinn Ghlas and OS Landranger path on the L signposted ‘Kelso Ben Lawers onto level ground MAP 51 1:50,000 2½ miles’ (NT705303). provides a little more respite, and START www.ordnancesurvey.co.uk there is the dramatic spectacle of FINISH 4. After about 50m, turn R onto To download this route and hundreds of others, Ben Lawers’ steep folded crags an excellent hawthorn tree-lined visit www.ramblers.org.uk/routes and slopes. As the route begins track – the route of an old to climb, you pass a path on the L To download this route and hundreds of others, dismantled railway. Follow it as a fence. Turn R, follow a narrow 20m, turn R into Bridgend Park at (NN630412). It is then a final steep visit www.ramblers.org.uk/routes it heads north then northwest. path then go R again onto a the Millennium Viewpoint. pull up Ben Lawers’ rocky slopes There are a number of expansive broader track. Keep along this Descend steps, walk through the onto its craggy, compact summit, shepherds for shelter during the 5. From here, the path descends views, extending to Floors Castle (which may have deep puddles park with steps climbing back to adorned by a trig and cairn summer months, when livestock gently south through another and the Eildon Hills. After along its length) until it eventually Bridge Street at Rennie’s Bridge. (NN636414). This is another terrific grazed on higher ground). Once glen to eventually return to the approximately 1½ miles, the reaches Jedburgh Road on the Walk R, back to Town Square. vantage point, where the views across a burn, the path soon outward-bound path at the base track passes by the impressive outskirts of Kelso (NT724327). Route devised by Keith Fergus extend along Loch Tay to the sweeps R then L around the of Beinn Ghlas.