The Southern Upland Way: Scotland's Coast to Coast

From St Marys Loch we walk over Blake Muir to Traquair

Thursday 12th April
St Mary's Loch to Traquair


We camp by St Mary's Loch surrounded by Larch trees.	Our tent by the shores of St Mary's Loch.

We wake up to a beautiful day with a beautiful view across the Loch. The first of the pink blossoms are out. The Loch is surrounded by stark white stones which contrast the blue of the water - bleached by the dried water plants. Its another scorcher of a day. Alan takes a panaramic view of the loch before we head of on our walk along the shores.


On the opposite shore lies the main road and the odd building.	We walk through the larch trees and over a river to exit our camping spot


The building at the other side of the loch	A boat saunters past.

As we head round the loch, we notice three separate signs, all just on the path separated by space. Written on plastic, they say, Landline, Waterline and Bloodline. Unsure of what they represent. All the styles round this section have their own dog gates through them, where you can lift a post to create a gap for your dog to walk through. A sculpture at the halfway point in the loch looks like two waggon things and signifies the point where in however many thousand years the loch will narrow to a point where two separate lochs are created. There is a delta on the opposite shore from here which is expanding slowly out into the loch. The sculpture represents how the landscape changes over time.


The Sculpture signifies the narrowing of the loch at this point and reminds us that one day this loch will split into two lochs.	Some of the styles have their own mini dog gate.


There are great views across the loch.	Alan just can't resist taking photo after photo of the beautiful loch with the most perfect day.

As we procede round the shore of the loch we notice that there is adequate room for camping. If you use the bog at Tibbie Shiels Inn by going in for a drink, you'll have no advantage if you pay to stay at Tibbie Shiels.

As Jo reaches the end of St Mary's Loch she notices that Alan is missing. She waits quite a while wondering and worrying what fate could have befallen him. Turns out that he got distracted by a lot of "perfect" photographs of the loch.


The flat grassy shore provides adequate oppertunities for camping	Trees start to show their pink blossom.

The loch is perfectly still, and reflects the sky as a mirror image	The loch has plenty of stony white beaches around it.


At the head of St Mary's Loch we spot Dryhope Tower	We take a short side trip to climb to the top of Dryhope Tower with the promise of views.

A sign on the SUW boasts that there are fine views from the roof of Dryhope Tower, a short side trip away. We are tempted, Alan especially wondering if he can get a whole load more "perfect" photos of the Loch. The views from the roof aren't that fine unless you're into powerlines and grazing farmland. Alan is dissapointed to find that most of St Mary's Loch is hidden by trees from here. The tower is interesting, even if you just visit for the history. Apparently many of these small towers were built in this area, and this is one of the more complete ruins in the area. A colourful notice board points out a stone plaque in the wall which was put there after someone got married or something.


A plaque signifies that someone got married here.	We head back to the SUW.


Last view back to St Mary	We approach a farmhouse, the last building before we start to climb over the hills again.

After the Tower, and in characteristic style, the Way takes us over the shoulder of South Hawkshaw Rig giving a view back for a last glimpse of St Mary's Loch. We than procede down to a valley lined with silver birch and a river running through the gorge like paradise valley. This is Hawkshaw Cleuch. It brings a flicker of memory into Alan's mind, but as we decend he is certain that this is paradise valley, a place where he camped for a few days in his youth after a failed attempt to cycle the SUW.We stop here for a lunch break, and while jo cooks, Alan takes a wonder down through the thick mass of silver birch to find the spot where he camped so many years ago. We lie in the shade of the trees and sit out the worst of the midday sun which is unpleasently hot for Scotland.

The path continues out of the valley and crosses the shoulder of North Hawkshaw Rig before joining a track at the valley bottom. This takes us by the remains of Blackhouse Tower, another tower like the one we climbed to the top of earlier, and a farmhouse with an elderly couple living there. They tell us about how they often help out SUW walkers by filling their water bottles before they climb up over Blake Muir. This section is very popular with day walkers. Alan finds the man interested in his photographic equipment and immediately they launch into a long conversation with much enthusiasm not shared by Jo or the lady who owns the farmhouse. We are ammused at their assumption that we are not camping - our packs apparently look too small to be carrying a tent! They have a dog who has forged his own path from running up and down his side of the fence while barking at the many walkers who pass this way. The couple tell us that its going to be an uphill slog for a mile and a half, but after that we will be rewarded with downhill walking for the rest of the day.


A grassy track takes us uphill through the trees.	Once above the treeline, we look back to where St Mary's Loch has hidden itself.

The track takes us gently up through the trees, with larch trees on our left and sitka spruce on the right. Its a welcomed lovely green grassy track for once, and Jo finds the larch trees fascinatingly beautiful with their green branches offset by red buds. A gate at the entrance to these woods warns dog owners of two endangered species that their dogs could threaten, so we keep our eyes peeled.

Its really beautiful up here, with the green carpet below our feet, superb views back over the hills, and the hills to our right covered in Sitka. We emerge from the forest onto the grassy undulating tops of the hills.


The track continues over the undulating tops of the hills.	A standing stone

Once again we are onto our favourite broad green, soft, grassy paths, and in the evening sun, and at such height it is sublime. Its calm, quiet and peaceful. Walking in the rusty sunset heather we can see in the hills before us Innerleithen, with the much smaller town of Traquair a few miles in front of it. This section has to be one of the most lovely parts of the walk with great panaramic views all round, easy painless walking and serene quietness.


Jo is enthusiastic in the evening sun	With Traquair in view we hurry on aware that there is not much daylight left.


As we descend the landscape changes from moorland to grazing land.	Across sheep fields to Traquair

From the summit of Blake Muir its downhill all the way, and we hurry along aware that by taking a long afternoon break to escape the heat of the sun, we are now running out of time before dark. We descend through sheep grazing land with extremely cute little lambs, with Traquair in view. Just after that we briefly enter forest with nice small cute wee Scots pines before heading into more sheep grazing. Its a very mixed variety of sheep with curly horned sheep, black-faced sheep and half-bald sheep.

Arriving on the road leading into Traquair in the pitch black, we abandon the idea of trying to find Traquair bothy and vow to find the first suitable place to camp. Luckily we don't have to walk far as the road crosses a bridge over a stream, which has a strip of flat grassy land around it, which isn't part of any fields. Although it is penned in on one side by a fence, and the other side by the river, there is adequate room to pitch a tent.

The Kist

There's no warning ULTREIA sign for this one, though the rather large kist does have ULTREIA written on it. We are highly disappointed to find the kist empty! Chances are that this is due to a large number of people walking this section, and the chances are that everyone will see it, though maybe not everyone will recognise it as a kist. Its really well done though - Alan thinks its the best kist of the walk.


Is Alan afraid of the white monsters that reside in the dark here?	Our campsite next to water.

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The Southern Upland Way: Scotland's Coast to Coast

From St Marys Loch we walk over Blake Muir to Traquair

Thursday 12th April St Mary's Loch to Traquair

Thursday 12th April
St Mary's Loch to Traquair