Southern Upland Way

Southern Upland Way
Portpatrick start of southern upland way.JPG
The start of the Southern Upland Way in Portpatrick.
Length338 kilometres (210 mi)[1]
LocationSouthern Uplands, Scotland
Established1984
DesignationScotland's Great Trails
TrailheadsPortpatrick (54°50′35″N 5°07′12″W / 54.843°N 5.120°W / 54.843; -5.120)
Cockburnspath (55°55′55″N 2°21′47″W / 55.932°N 2.363°W / 55.932; -2.363)
UseWalking, horse riding, cycling
Elevation
Elevation gain/loss7,775 metres (25,509 ft) gain.[1]
Hiking details
SeasonAll year
WaymarkYes
Websitehttps://www.southernuplandway.gov.uk/
Typical marker

The Southern Upland Way is a 338-kilometre (210 mi) coast-to-coast long-distance footpath in southern Scotland.[2] The route links Portpatrick in the west and Cockburnspath in the east via the hills of the Southern Uplands.[1] The Way is designated as one of Scotland's Great Trails by Scottish Natural Heritage and is the longest of the 29 Great Trails.[1] The Southern Upland Way meets with seven of the other Great Trails: the Annandale Way, the Berwickshire Coastal Path, the Borders Abbeys Way, the Cross Borders Drove Road, the Mull of Galloway Trail, the Romans and Reivers Route and St Cuthbert's Way.[3]

The path is maintained by the local authorities of the two main council areas through which it passes: Dumfries and Galloway Council and Scottish Borders Council;[4] a short section in the Lowther Hills lies in South Lanarkshire.[5] It is primarily intended for walkers, but many parts are suitable for mountain bikers;[6] some sections are also suitable for horse riders.[7] About 80,000 people use the path every year, of whom about 1,000 complete the entire route.[8]

History

It was one of the original four formally designated long-distance routes in Scotland,[9] and when it opened in 1984, it was the UK's first officially recognised coast-to-coast long-distance route.[3] Since opening, there have been improvements to the path with improved signage, drainage work, landscaping and path construction. When the route was planned, it was only designed for walkers, but in recent years many stiles have been replaced by gates for horseriders and cyclists. In 2010, "The New Hoard" treasure hunt was created, which features land art and sculpted containers, or kists, which contain coins, known as 13ths, which walkers can collect.[10] In 2014 the way was named one of the "The top ten best ever British hikes" by Rough Guides.[11]

The route

The path visits Castle Kennedy, New Luce, Bargrennan, St John's Town of Dalry, Sanquhar, Wanlockhead, Beattock, St Mary's Loch, Traquair, Galashiels, Lauder, Abbey St Bathans, and Longformacus en route. The Sir Walter Scott Way shares the last five places with the Southern Upland Way. The Annandale Way[12] running through Annandale from the source of the River Annan to the sea joins the Southern Upland Way briefly at Beattock.[13] The route features over 80 summits over 2,000 feet (610 m), but it does not have any above 3,000 feet (914 m).[2]

Between Stranraer and Melrose, the Southern Upland Way forms part of the E2 European long distance path, which runs for 3,010 miles (4,850 km) from Galway to Nice.[14]

See also

References

  1. ^ a b c d "Trails". Scotland's Great Trails. Retrieved 20 September 2018.
  2. ^ a b "Route Information". Southern Upland Way government website. Retrieved 22 August 2019.
  3. ^ a b "Southern Upland Way". Scotland's Great Trails. Retrieved 20 September 2018.
  4. ^ "Team SUW". The Southern Upland Way. Retrieved 20 September 2018.
  5. ^ Ordnance Survey Landranger 1:50000 map. Sheet 78 (Nithsdale & Annandale).
  6. ^ "Cycling". The Southern Upland Way. Retrieved 20 September 2018.
  7. ^ "Equestrian". The Southern Upland Way. Retrieved 20 September 2018.
  8. ^ "Scotland's networks of paths and trails: key research findings" (PDF). Scottish Natural Heritage. August 2018. p. 6. Retrieved 26 September 2018.
  9. ^ Long Distance Walkers Association's page on the Southern Upland Way
  10. ^ "Walking the Southern Upland Way". BBC NEWS. 14 October 2010.
  11. ^ "The top ten best ever British hikes". Rough Guides. 28 July 2014. Retrieved 14 October 2019.
  12. ^ Annandale Way website
  13. ^ The Long Distance Walkers Association – Annandale Way
  14. ^ "E2 Atlantic – Mediterranean". Ramblers Association. 2012. Archived from the original on 12 February 2012. Retrieved 19 September 2018.

Publications

  • Smith, Roger. The Southern Upland Way, Official Guide. Edinburgh: Mercat Press. ISBN 978-0-11-495170-2.
  • Writing the Way – A collection of Journeys along the Southern Upland Way, published to commemorate the 21st anniversary of the route in 2005, available from the Southern Uplands Partnership http://www.sup.org.uk or from http://www.suw21.com

External links

Coordinates: 55°28′N 3°12′W / 55.467°N 3.200°W / 55.467; -3.200


This page was last updated at 2020-09-18 01:12 UTC. Update now. View original page.

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