The Southern Upland Way in Video
Hello again and welcome to another video from
Over 200 miles long, the Southern Upland Way is the only official coast to coast walking path. Opened in 1984, it connects Portpatrick on the west with Cockburnspath on the east.
The route goes over a mixture land - moors, forests, fells and more - and in the summer of 2011 I headed off on it, to see what it was like. And I liked what I saw.
Over 18 days I walked the route, camping and staying in bothies. Well, when it wasn't too wet anyway.
This video tells the story of my journey on Scotland's most challenging official long distance footpath.
For the full tale, get my new e-book, the Secret Coast to Coast, available now from
Music:
Dropping Out of School by Brad Sucks (
Out of It by Brad Sucks (
Down Home Rockin' by Kevin MacLeod (
Feelin' Good by Kevin MacLeod (
Walking the Southern Upland Way | March/April 2018
This video wasn't meant to be that long, but I hope that you like it still. It shows impressions of my journey along the Southern Upland Way in 2018 (340 km / 212 miles). It is a brilliant path, the nicest one I've completed so far. The lands that the path passes through are quite remote and secluded and you can enjoy a lot of fantastic views whilst walking. There were more ups and downs than I expected, but all in all the Southern Upland Way ascends and descends both about 8,000 m - so that's why...
I hope that this video gives you a hint of what it is like to walk the Southern Upland Way so you can decide if you'd like to walk it - if you decide to walk it, I wouldn't recommend to walk this route during March and early April. The snow during the last days surprised me and if it had been there during the first part of the hike, I probably would have quit the walk. But it has been a unique experience of course to walk and camp in the snow and the cold :-D during some nights it got down to -3 or even -4 °C, so be prepared for cold temperatures if you decide to walk this early :)
Here you can find a lot of information: southernuplandway.gov.uk
and there is quite a new guidebook by cicerone:
if you'd like some good maps of the trail, I'd recommend subscribing to OS Maps for a month (3.99 Pound) and print them off.
- the stages -
March 21st: Portpatrick to Chlenry (24 km) via Castle Kennedy
1:27 - 2:40
March 22nd: Chlenry to Beehive Bothy (20 km)
2:41 - 3:53
March 23rd: Beehive Bothy to Bargrennan (21 km) + 1 km to campsite
3:54 - 4:42
March 24th: Bargrennan to White Laggan (17.5 km) via Loch Trool + 1 km from campsite
4:43 - 5:40
from here onwards there was one 'more' hour of daylight, so it was possible for me to walk longer distances as I find it very hard to start hiking before 10 am, let alone 9 am :-D
March 25th: White Laggan to Butterhole Bridge (30 km) via St. John's Town of Dalry
5:41 - 6:50
March 26th: Butterhole Bridge to Sanquhar (35 km)
6:51 - 7:41
March 27th: rest day
March 28th: Sanquhar to Overfingland (21 km) via Wanlockhead
7:42 - 8:26
March 29th: Overfingland to Moffat (26 km)
8:27 - 9:04
March 30th: Moffat to Scabcleuch (28 km)
9:05 - 10:08
March 31st: Scabcleuch to Innerleithen (29.5 km) via St. Mary's Loch
10:09 - 10:58
April 1st: Innerleithen to Melrose (30 km) via Galashiels
10:59 - 11:52
April 2nd: Melrose to Lauder (16.5 km)
11:53 - 12:27
April 3rd: Lauder to Longformacus (25 km)
12:28 - 13:24
April 4th: Longformacus to Cockburnspath (28 km) via Abbey St. Bathans
13:25 - 14:34
- Accomodation -
London: YHA St. Pancras
Portpatrick: Castle Bay Holiday Park (camping)
Chlenry: Chlenry Farm house (camping)
Beehive Bothy (stayed in the bothy)
Bargrennan: Glentrool Camping and Caravan site (camping)
White Laggan Bothy (wild camping)
Butterhole Bridge (wild camping by the river)
Sanquhar: Newark Farm (B&B)
Overfingland (wild camping)
Moffat: Camping and Caravanning Club (camping)
Scabcleuch (wild camping)
Innerleithen: Tweedside Caravan Park (camping)
Melrose: Melrose Gibson Caravan Park (camping - the tent field opens in May, so I had to camp by the toilet block)
Lauder: Thirlestane Castle Caravan Park (camping)
Longformacus: Whinmore (B&B)
Cockburnspath: Caravan Park (camping)
Edinburgh: Light House Hostel
- getting to Portpatrick from Germany -
Flixbus from Cologne to London, stayed a night in London, took a train to Carlisle, then to Dumfries, then a bus to Stranraer and another bus to Portpatrick
(note: bus 500 seems to regularly run a little late, so better try and catch one as early as you can to get to Portpatrick soon enough)
When you finish in Cockburnspath there is bus 253 that will take you to Edinburgh or Berwick (
journey back: train from Edinburgh to London & Flixbus to Cologne
- some of the gear I used -
camera: JVC Quadproof Everio GZ-R315
backpack: Montane Grand Tour 50 (women's, blue)
tent: Six Moon Designs Lunar Solo LE
sleeping pad: Therm-a-Rest Neoair XLite (women's size)
sleeping bag: The North Face Cat's Meow (2018 model)
hiking poles: Black Diamond Trail Back
headlamp: Black Diamond Spot
gas stove: Coleman Fyrelite
cooking pot: Toaks titanium 1100 ml
rain jacket: Kaikkialla Anselmi
other clothes: Frilufts Sjunkhatten tights & Quechua Techwool 190, Nike shorts, Nike Crew sweatshirt, Sherpa Ananta fleece hoodie, Quechua merino t-shirts, Quechua rain cut trousers, Quechua Fulldown jacket (I'm really sorry about buying this. I didn't know anything about the production of down products in 2017. I'd only buy synthetic products now, not even merino clothing, especially when it seems to be too cheap..)
boots: Meindl Ohio II gtx
- music used -
1. Classic Rose 2 - Vibe Mountain
2. Accidents Will Happen - Silent Partner
3. Ruination 2 - Vibe Mountain
4. Magic Marker - Silent Partner
5. Clover 3 - Vibe Mountain
6. Crispy - Silent Partner
7. Secrets Secrets - Silent Partner
Wigwam® Holidays Moffat, Dumfries & Galloway
Book online -
Inspired by the hills of the same name, Moffat Wigwams includes six Running Water Deluxe cabins at their stunning site close to the Southern Upland Way, Dumfries and Galloway, Scotland.
Easily accessible by the M6 and M74 routes, find Moffat Wigwams with an incredible backdrop of snow-capped mountains in the winter transforming to lush fells in the spring and summer. This 100-acre site has undergone a complete transformation and includes recently planted native trees, open pastures, impressive traditional stone walls and abundant wildlife, so bring the camera or your paints and easel!
With plenty to do during the day, night time is another world waiting to be discovered. As vast, open skies arch overhead, it is little wonder Moffat was the first town in Europe to be awarded the coveted Dark Sky status.
Stranraer South West Scotland
White Laggan Bothy Galloway Forest Park Southern Scotland Tiny Homes Off Grid Cabin Scotland
White Laggan Bothy Galloway Forest Park Southern Scotland Tiny Homes Off Grid Cabin Scotland
#offgrid #tinyhomes
Clatteringshaw Dam
New Project
down the mennock
A wee run down the Mennock Pass, Dumfries and Galloway (part of the Southern Uplands). From the high point over Wanlockhead at Glengonnar Station down the B797 to join the A76 just East of Mennock, this run takes in a drop of about 340m - 1115 feet, over a distance of 7.3 miles; in just 3 minutes and 32 seconds. That's equivalent to 124mph. Even at that speed, there's time to take in breath-taking scenery along with the ubiquitous sheep and potholes.
This video was produced using a fixed car-cam mounted on the passenger side of the dashboard. The original HD720 video has been edited to increase speed by a factor of just over 4; I didn't really go that fast. No sound so any offers of an original sound track would be welcome; or you can always add sound yourself.
With all the twists and turns, this is a bit of a roller-coaster ride so make sure you hold on to your dinner....
No sheep were harmed in the making of this motion picture.
Best Bothie in Scotland 2015
The Southern Upland Way day 1 stage 1, 2 and 3
This second time i walked it. I walked most of it for first time walking from John o'groats to lands end on the End to End trail
The Southern Upland Way Day 1. stage 1, 2 and 3
212-mile (341 km) coast-to-coast walk
From Portpatrick in the west, to Cockburnspath in the east
212 mi (341 km)
Southern Scotland
UK
Training in the Fire by Twin Musicom is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution license (
Artist:
Virtues Inherited, Vices Passed On by Chris Zabriskie is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution license (
Source:
Artist:
Places to see in ( Stranraer - UK )
Places to see in ( Stranraer - UK )
Stranraer is a town in Inch, Dumfries and Galloway, southwest Scotland. Stranraer lies on the shores of Loch Ryan, on the northern side of the isthmus joining the Rhins of Galloway to the mainland. Stranraer is Dumfries and Galloway's second-largest town.
Stranraer is an administrative centre for the West Galloway Wigtownshire area of Dumfries and Galloway. It is best known as having been a ferry port, previously connecting Scotland with Belfast and Larne in Northern Ireland; the last service was transferred to nearby Cairnryan in November 2011. The main industries in the area are the ferry port, with associated industries, tourism and, more traditionally, farming.
Some argue that the name comes from the Scottish Gaelic An t-Sròn Reamhar meaning The Fat Nose, but which more prosaically might be rendered as the broad headland. The most commonly accepted explanation is that it derives its name from the strand or burn which divides the row, raw, of houses on its banks. (The town burn, now under the two Strand streets.) In time Strandraw was named and spelled Stranrawer, and afterwards Stranraer.
The A77 runs north towards Ayr, Prestwick and Glasgow. The A75 runs east from Stranraer to Gretna, with links to the M6 going to Carlisle. The A75 is part of European route E18, but, like all European routes, it is not signposted as such in the United Kingdom. The main national coach providers operate services from Stranraer. National Express offer a service to London, and Scottish Citylink (in association with Ulsterbus) operate services to Edinburgh.
Stranraer railway station is the southern terminus for one of the branch lines of the Glasgow South Western Line. Trains are provided by Abellio ScotRail daily to Ayr, Glasgow Central, and Kilmarnock. From Stranraer connections to the West Coast Main Line, can be made at Glasgow Central, or traveling via Ayr, Kilmarnock, Dumfries to Carlisle. Onward trains from either Glasgow Central or Carlisle connect direct to London Euston and other destinations such as Manchester Piccadilly, Crewe and Birmingham New Street.
The Castle of St. John is a medieval tower house, built around 1500 by the Adairs of Kilhilt. It has been used as a home, a court, a prison, and a military garrison, the last during the Killing Times in the 1680s. The Old Town Hall, built in 1776, now houses the Stranraer Museum with its displays of Victorian Wigtownshire and the town's polar explorers, Sir John Ross and his nephew James Clark Ross. The town is also home to the North West Castle, built in 1820 and the first hotel in the world with its own indoor curling ice rink.
Local tourist attractions include:
Ardwell Gardens
Castle of St John
Castle Kennedy Gardens – a 75-acre (30 ha) garden between two lochs, noted for its rhododendrons, azaleas and embothriums in the grounds of Lochinch Castle, the seat of the Earls of Stair.
Glenluce Abbey – a 12th-century Cistercian monastery.
Glenwhan Gardens – a 12-acre (4.9 ha) garden near Dunragit.
Logan Botanic Garden, near Port Logan village, one of the four sites of the Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh.
Mull of Galloway – the most southerly point of Scotland, with a lighthouse, visitor centre and RSPB bird reserve.
Portpatrick
The Robert the Bruce Trail begins at Loch Ryan, near Stranraer.
Southern Upland Way – a 212-mile (341 km) coast-to-coast path between Portpatrick and Cockburnspath.
Stranraer Museum
Whithorn – with its relics of St Ninian.
Wigtown – Scotland's national book town.
( Stranraer - UK ) is well know as a tourist destination because of the variety of places you can enjoy while you are visiting the city of Stranraer . Through a series of videos we will try to show you recommended places to visit in Stranraer - UK
Join us for more :
Caves of Kilhern, Glenluce, Scotland.
A Journey Through Scotland's Ancient Sites
Before Caledonia YouTube
Before Caledonia Facebook
CAVES OF KILHERN
NEW LUCE
DUMFRIES & GALLOWAY
SCOTLAND
THE CAVES OF KILHERN IS ANOTHER, LESSER KNOWN, HIDDEN GEM IN DUMFRIES AND GALLOWAY. A FEW MILES EAST OF NEW LUCE AND A SHORT DIVERSION OFF THE SOUTHERN UPLAND WAY WALK, IS A CHAMBERED CAIRN WHICH OUR PREHISTORIC ANCESTORS ERECTED IN THE NEOLITHIC. ON MY FIRST VISIT IN 2007 THERE WERE NO WINDFARMS.
THE CAVES OF KILHERN IS SEMI-REMOTE AND MUCH OBLITERATED, ROBBED AND DISTURBED. HOWEVER, A FEW OF THE CHAMBERS REMAIN IN GOOD CONDITION, THIS MAKES THE SITE A WORTH WHILE VISIT FOR ANY LEVEL OF MEGALITHOMANIAC. THE SITE OFFERS GOOD VIEWS AROUND THE DUMFRIES AND GALLOWAY COUNTRYSIDE.
OUT OF AN ORIGINAL SIX CHAMBERS, THREE ARE STILL IN A RECOGNISABLE STATE. THE EASTERN CHAMBER IS THE MOST IMPRESSIVE AND BEST PRESERVED WITH ITS CAPSTONE STILL IN SITU. YOU CAN SEE LOTS OF LOOSE CAIRN MATERIAL, LAYING AROUND. THE SITE IS ROUGHLY THIRTY FIVE METERS BY TWENTY METERS.
CAVES OF KILHERN CHAMBERED TOMB IS OF THE BARGRENNAN TYPE. THESE BARGRENNAN DESIGNS ARE LOCATED IN THE WEST OF DUMFRIES AND GALLOWAY, AND SOUTH AYRSHIRE. THIS BARGRENNAN DESIGN DIFFERS FROM OTHER NEOLITHIC SITES IN WESTERN SCOTLAND.
EACH EXAMPLE HAS A ROUND CAIRN WITH ONE OR MULTIPLE PASSAGE CHAMBERS. A FEW OTHER EXAMPLES CLOSE BY ARE, WHITE CAIRN NEAR GLENTROOL VILLAGE AND CAIRNDERRY NEAR BARHILL.
A BIG THANKS TO OUR ANCIENT ANCESTORS.
Old Photographs Beattock Dumfries And Galloway Scotland
Tour Scotland wee video of old photographs of Beattock, a village in Dumfries and Galloway, approximately 1⁄2 mile south west of Moffat and 19 miles north of Dumfries. The Southern Upland Way and the Annandale Way run close to the village. Beattock was historically served by the A74 road and the West Coast Main Railway Line, however the road has since been upgraded to the A74(M) motorway and no longer passes through the village. Beattock railway station was closed in 1972. Beattock Summit is the highest point on both the M74, and on the West Coast Main Line Railway within Scotland. The poet W. H. Auden's 1936 work Night Mail makes reference to the summit.
Killed!
Television advertismement created for Cumbria Safety Cameras and Dumfries and Galloway Safety Camera Partnership
Wild Camp In The Lowther Hills - Southern Uplands - Penbane - May 2017'
Day 1 - We walked in from the lovely village of Durisdeer and camped overnight on Penbane 514m, it was a very hot day with not a cloud in the sky.
The Lowther Hills, also sometimes known as the Lowthers, are an extensive area of hill country in the Southern Uplands of Scotland.
Most of the Lowther Hills lie in the Administrative County of Dumfries and Galloway, though part in the Administrative County of South Lanarkshire eats into them around the village of Leadhills and the Daer Reservoir. #garnforaratch #WildCamping
Gallowhill Stranraer ????????????????????????????
Wild Camp In The Lowther Hills - Southern Uplands - Enterkin Pass - May 2017'
Sorry guys no comments on this vid due to holidays and 4 vids awaiting editing :(
Day 2 - We headed from Penbane over Well Hill and down onto the Roman road. Following the Southern Upland way we headed up to the Lowther Hill 725m and down the Enterkin Pass where we camped over night.
Day 3 - We carried on walking down the beautiful Enterkin Pass and eventually back to the vehicle at Durisdeer.
The Lowther Hills, also sometimes known as the Lowthers, are an extensive area of hill country in the Southern Uplands of Scotland.
Most of the Lowther Hills lie in the Administrative County of Dumfries and Galloway, though part in the Administrative County of South Lanarkshire eats into them around the village of Leadhills and the Daer Reservoir. #garnforaratch #WildCamping
Shillhope Law and Usway Burn, Cheviots Walk
Video of a lovely walk in the Cheviot Hills following Usway Burn before climbing up on to Kyloe Shin and returning over the top of Shillhope Law. The music is the finale to Haydn's Symphony No.95.
Standing Stones of Glenterrow, Glenluce, Scotland.
A Journey Through Scotland's Ancient Sites
Before Caledonia YouTube
Before Caledonia Facebook
STANDING STONES
OF GLENTERROW
STRANRAER
DUMFRIES & GALLOWAY
SCOTLAND
OFF THE A75 ROAD BETWEEN STRANRAER AND NEW LUCE IS THE STANDING STONES OF GLENTERROW. THIS IS A BEAUTIFUL, COMPACT, FOUR POSTER STONE CIRCLE WITH AN OUTLIER STONE. THIS SMALL RING IS REMINISCENT OF THE FOUR POSTER CIRCLES IN PERTH AND KINROSS.
GLENTERROW IS NOT SIGNPOSTED AND IS SITUATED IN A PRIVATE FIELD. IT IS A TRICKY SITE TO LOCATE AND YOU MAY NEED THE HELP OF AN OS MAP. IT IS A SHORT DIVERSION OFF THE SOUTHERN UPLAND WAY WALK AND TWO HUNDRED METERS FROM THE PUBLIC ROAD.
THE CIRCLE IS NOT ONE OF THE BETTER KNOWN SITES IN DUMFRIES AND GALLOWAY, LIKE CAIRNHOLY OR TORHOUSE. IT IS A LITTLE KNOWN GEM, WHICH THE KEEN MEGALITHOMANIAC, WILL BE DELIGHTED TO HAVE VISITED.
FROM THE STONES IS EXPANSIVE VIEWS OVER THE DUMFRIES AND GALLOWAY COUNTRYSIDE. IT IS LIKELY OUR ANCIENT ANCESTORS WERE WITNESSING CELESTIAL EVENTS AT THE SITE.
THE ERECTION PERIOD OF THE GRANITE BOULDERS IS UNKNOWN, THEY ARE LIKELY NEOLITHIC OR BRONZE AGE. THE TALLEST STONES ARE IN THE SOUTH ARC. THE SITE MEASURES THREE METERS BY TWO AND A HALF METERS.
A FIFTH OUTLIER STONE LIES TWENTY PACES AWAY TO THE NORTH EAST. THESE OUTLIER STONES ARE NOT UNCOMMON AT MEGALITHIC RINGS. TO THE NORTH IS A CAIRN WHICH IS JUST VISIBLE ON THE HORIZON.
GLENTERROW HAS BEEN INTERPRETED AS THE REMAINS OF A DOUBLE CONCENTRIC CIRCLE, WHICH I THINK IS UNLIKELY. DUNRAGIT MOTTE (PREHISTORIC MOUND) IS NOT FAR AWAY AND WORTH A VISIT. CASTLE KENNEDY AND GLENLUCE ABBEY ARE ALSO CLOSE BY.
A BIG THANK YOU TO OUR ANCIENT ANCESTORS.
Finnarts Bay South West Scotland