Читать книгу The Southern Upland Way. Scotland's Coast to Coast trail онлайн

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Autumn is a charming time of the year in southern Scotland, with its mellow colours and general feeling of seasonal contentment. The heather moorland is a blaze of purple, and the landscape is at its driest of the year after the warmth of the summer sun and before the winter rains arrive. The romantic roar of stags can sometimes be heard during the annual rutting season in October. Accommodation tends to be less fully booked than in July and August, and days in early autumn are still of an adequate length for walking relatively long distances.

Ways of tackling the SUW

Border fence on the SUW between Dumfries & Galloway and the Borders (Stage 9) (photo: Alan Castle)

For many, the challenge will be to walk the SUW from coast to coast as a continuous walk across Scotland. It forms the basis of a superb walking holiday of about two weeks’ duration, carrying the minimum of equipment (but always taking sufficient warm and waterproof gear). However, this cannot be done in its entirety using only overnight stops on the SUW itself. The closure in 2013 of Tibbie Shiels Inn currently leaves Stages 9 and 10 as a combined day of 54km (33 miles) – plus a bit more if your accommodation is in Innerleithen. This is beyond a daywalk for all but the truly superhuman. The two sections from Bargrennan to Dalry and Dalry to Sanquhar, both more than 41km (25 miles), are also uncomfortably long. And for 2018 it seems that the Kenmuir Arms in New Luce may be closing its bedrooms at the end of Stage 2 (though a lonely B&B at Waterside in Stage 3 is a usable alternative). Please see the Itinerary planner (Appendix A) for more detail on the accommodation you can find along the route.