Eddleston - Cavarra Hill - Cardon Law - Eddleston

Morley Sewell

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Eddleston - Cavarra Hill - Cardon Law - Boreland - Eddleston

The walk covers an attractive area of the Moorfoot Hills, to the east of the main A703 road from Edinburgh to Peebles. It starts with a short distance through a modern housing estate along the valley of the Longcote Burn in Eddleston. After leaving the built-up area and passing the primary school on the left, the tarred road ends and the route follows a farm road along the right bank of the burn.

The road crosses the burn and then climbs steadily up the hillside to the south. A high stile leads to a somewhat steeper path up Cavarra Hill (420m), at the summit of which is a small cairn and the barely discernible remnants of a hill settlement. From there, the route runs south-west, following quad-bike tracks of varying clarity across the moor and up the north-west slope of Middle Hill. Towards the top of the hill, the route crosses another stile to enter Heathpool Forest, a private extension of Glentress Forest, which nevertheless welcomes walkers.

Continuing along between the trees and the boundary fence of the forest, the walk then traverses Whiteside Edge, with particularly good views across to the left over the valley of Eddleston Water to Cloich Forest, the Pentland Hills and even Arthur's Seat in far-off Edinburgh. Where the trees allow, the panorama on the other side extends to the Tweed Valley and the hills beyond. Turning north over a further stile onto the heather moorland to the east of the forest, the walk crosses Cardon Law (588m), with the windmills on Browbeat Knowe not far off to the right, then goes over Longcote Hill before dropping down into the narrow but short ravine of Howgate Nick. Turning east, the route drops down the hill, at first on a clear four-by-four track and then across upland grazing by the vestiges of Crow Wood. Having crossed a short, flatter area which may be rather boggy, it then descends into the valley of Longcote Burn again. After fording the burn, the route climbs up the hill on what is, by now, a farm track through good sheep pasture. It goes over the crest by Dog Knowes Wood, between Hog Hill and Milky Law, then drops down to pass through Boreland Farm.

The road out of the farm is tarred but the walk soon takes a more direct route back to Eddleston, along a farm track and then across pastureland.

Scotland - South Scotland - Scottish Borders - Moors