Buccleuch RangeR SeRvice operates on Bowhill estate. lady’s Walk Duchess’ Drive Rangers will be only too pleased Distance: 2 miles • Duration: 1 - 11/2 hours Distance: 7 miles • Duration: 21/2 - 4 hours to help and advise visitors. The ranger service offers educational visits for groups throughout the year. These must be made by 0 0.5 1.0 prior arrangement. Parties wishing The Lady’s Walk is a moderate hike alongkilometr thees Yarrow The Duchess’ Drive is a moderate hike through woodland to be lead on a guided walk or River to Newark Tower, before returning to the House and over moorland to the north-west of Bowhill House.0 0.5 1.0 activity on any areas of the estate kilometres along the tarmac road. should phone the ranger team for further details. On leaving the Newark Castle courtyard turn right Newark (ruin) Castle down the drive past (ruin) the entry kiosk and ENJOY ScOTLAND’S Newark Hill OuTDOORS ReSPOnSiBlY straight on at the Walks crossroads. At the Bowhill welcomes responsible forked junction turn visitors. Everyone has the right to left. After a short be on most land and inland water Start of all Walks Newark Hill distance this road (Courtyard) providing they act responsibly. Stables joins another tarmac Your access rights and responsibilities Fastheugh Hill BOWHILL Upper road. At this point Loch are explained fully in the Scottish • Coplaw Cairn Access Code. cross over the road onto a woodland path Lower When you’re in the outdoors at lined by Lime Trees. Loch Bowhill, the key things are to: Follow this path • take responsibility for your along the banks of own actions the Yarrow River, Start of all Walks On leaving the courtyard turn left, following the tarmac • respect the interests of always keeping the (Courtyard) road past the public car park. Then turn right uphill into other people river on your right Stables the woodlands, passing two large boulders on your right hand side. The upper and reaching a wooden sign pointing you right. Follow the • care for the environment BOWHILL Fastheugh Hill banks are adorned • Keep your dog on a short lead Upper Loch route until you get to a gate across the track, climbing through • Coplaw Cairn with Hazel trees, with or under close control and maturing woodland, enjoying glimpses of the Ettrick Valley and the lower banks giving way to wild flowers, from our native remove all dog faeces the restored Aikwood tower through the trees. Passing through Dog Violet and Wood Anemone to introduced species like the gate, the landscape immediately changes into open moorland. Common Lungwort and Leopard’s Bane. If you are quiet and Follow the track, sweeping around Fastheugh Hill in a clockwise alert you may glimpse a Dipper bobbing in the river, catching gd direction and passing a line of traditional stone grouse butts pm insects from the stone edge. Other birds you may also catch Lower Loch on your left. A further line becomes visible on the horizon a glimpse of are Goldcrests, Kingfishers and Wrens. Design: Design: to the right. As the second line comes closer the track divides. The path opens up as it continues towards Newark Keep to the right here and follow the well worn track through Tower with a grass field on your left hand the gate, ascending the hill with the grouse butts on the left. side. At this point you will begin to see some Enjoy stunning views over the Scottish Borders as you continue houses in the distance; the path will lead you along the track into Black Andrew wood, walking past Douglas round the back of these buildings. You then Fir trees planted in 1923. Panoramic views of the Moffat Hills and take the short climb to join the tarmac Yarrow Valley open up at this point. As you leave Black Andrew road straight ahead. To return, continue wood, follow the arrow pointing right on to the tarmac road back along the tarmac road, heading leading back 2 miles to the courtyard. Once past Newark Tower Bowhill House Bowhill Selkirk Scottish Borders TD7 5ET right at the forked junction back towards continue back along the tarmac road, heading right at the forked Tel: 01750 22204 Email: [email protected] the tree lined drive and courtyard. junction back towards the tree lined drive and the courtyard. WWW.BOWHILLHOUSE.CO.UK The Buccleuch Living Heritage Trust Registered Charity No: SC014915 WWW.BOWHILLHOUSE.CO.UK 0 0.5 1.0 kilometres 0 0.5 1.0 kilometres Newark Castle (ruin) Newark Castle (ruin) Newark Hill lochs Walk Bell o’ the Woods Distance: 2 miles • Duration: 1 - 11/2 hours Distance: 1 mile • Duration: 1/2 - 1 hour A little history... Newark Hill anne, 1st Duchess of Monmouth The most popular walk on The Bell o’ the Woods winds its way through the mixed and Buccleuch, acquired much of the the estate, partly on tarmac, woodlands to the south-west of Bowhill House. woodland around Bowhill between with stunning views of the On leaving the courtyard 1708 and 1726. During this time she lochs and house. Start of all Walks initiated a survey of the woodlands (Courtyard) turn left and walk past On leaving the courtyard, turn Stables the main entrance to the and appointed foresters to block Start of all Walks house. Take the path (Courtyard) illegal woodcutting, which marked the right and follow the tarmac BOWHILL Fastheugh Hill road. Take the first right down straight ahead leading Stables beginning of the conservation process. Upper Loch towards the upper loch. The into the woodlands and • Coplaw Cairn BOWHILL During the 17th and 18th centuries it Fastheugh Hill arrows will then take you off on entering the trees turn Upper Loch was a tradition for wealthy young men onto a woodland path, taking left. This path will lead you • Coplaw Cairn to do a ‘Grand Tour’ of Europe, and to a clockwise direction around down a steep hill towards bring back with them landscape paintings the loch. In the spring months a field on your left. The from Holland and France. These paintings there is a display of Bluebells path begins to level off began to influence and change landscape moving into brighter yellows and after 300 metres Lower Loch design on country estates. During the and pinks of Flag Irises and you will come across two 19th century William Sawrey Gilpin Rosebay Willowherb in fine examples of Dunkeld reflected this change when he designed the summer months. Larch on your left. From Lower Loch the landscape at Bowhill without any early spring the woodland floor is a rainbow of colours Continuing along the path you will come across a bench, Welcome to Bowhill of the formality or picturesque features of with woodland wild flowers in full bloom; starting with which enjoys views of the House. Let your imagination carry There are five way marked walks, ranging from one the past. Instead he embraced a ‘forest the white of Wood Anemones and Herb-Robert’s pink you away to another era when the house and woodlands mile to seven miles in distance. Details of four of these style’ which is still apparent today. This lasting through September. were still relatively new in the early 1800s. Much of what walks are found within this leaflet. The fifth walk is the was a style favoured by Sir Walter Scott, you see today has changed little since that time. As the path Continue on this path which Tree Trail, which was opened in 2008 and is mapped on and indeed it was he who suggested continues on, you will soon witness some of the oldest trees doubles back on itself following a separate leaflet. The routes are denoted by waymarker the excavation of the loch at Bowhill on the estate, ‘The Three Beeches’. At this point you can the arrow pointing right as it posts with colour coded arrows as follows: to reflect the House back upon itself. continue straight ahead to the lower loch or pass through takes you back up through the A major historical landmark is newark Tower, the location these magnificent specimens and turn right back onto the woodland. These woodlands lochs Walk Bell o’ the Woods of which can be found on the Duchess’ Drive walk, tarmac road and back towards the house. are home to the secretive Red which was originally designed as a carriageway. The tower Squirrel; look carefully in the To continue your walk to the lower loch follow the arrows, lady’s Walk Duchess’ Drive was constructed in the form of an oblong tower house canopy for these rare mammals. to a path leading across the vista which will briefly take surrounded by a barmkin (outer defence wall), situated on Alternatively you will find you onto the tarmac road before turning left onto a signs of their presence by Most of the lands around Bowhill were once part of the vast a flat topped knoll. The tower dates from the 15th century, woodland track. Follow the track clockwise, past two mature the chewed pine cones ancient Ettrick Forest. Although the Douglas family owned with the barmkin a later addition in the 16th century. Wellingtonias (Tree Trail marker no. 8) on your right. on the forest floor. Turn the land from the 1300s, it reverted to the Crown and During this time the tower was used as a royal hunting The bark is red in colour with lots of cup shaped pockets. right onto tarmac road for became a favourite royal hunting ground between 1450 lodge and the king’s crest can still be seen on the west wall.