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ROUTE SUMMARY TABLE

Previous editions of this book have given the Southern Upland Way 341km (212 miles). The slight increase here reflects greater accuracy using GPS data. The Southern Upland Way hasn’t been extended – in fact, recent improvements have taken 0.5km off it!

With the closure of the Tibbie Shiels Inn, it’s not always possible to create day stages of a comfortable distance based around current accommodation options. This chart, and this new edition, show the Way broken down into 14 day stages of comfortable length, as used by commercial pick-up and drop-off services. Note that not all day stage ends have accommodation or facilities. Please refer to the Itinerary planner (Appendix A) for details of where you can find accommodation along the SUW (as well as the distances between intermediate points).

Waymerks kist and cairn, Ettrick Head (see ‘Waymarking and navigation’ and Stage 9)

INTRODUCTION

The Southern Upland Way

Heading up to the Cogs pass above Sanquhar (Stage 7)

The best long-distance walking trails have two characteristics that make them great: a succession of dramatic landscapes coupled with a broad selection of interesting places to visit along the way. The Southern Upland Way (SUW), Scotland’s Coast to Coast Walk, scores highly on both. As the SUW cuts across the grain of the country many different landscapes are unveiled: coastal cliffs, high moorland, rolling hills, remote mountains, forests, lochs, mountain streams, majestic rivers and sylvan valleys abounding in wildlife. The SUW passes through regions that are exceedingly rich in archaeological and historical associations, from prehistoric standing stones to monuments commemorating the Killing Times of the 17th-century Covenanters. There are formal gardens and stately homes to visit en route as well as some of the more elegant towns of Dumfries & Galloway and the Borders, such as Moffat and Melrose, the latter with its famous abbey – so many places of interest to stimulate and delight the visitor. Long-distance walking is all about exploring new territory and at a pace where it can be fully savoured. The Southern Uplands of Scotland are probably the least visited area of Britain, and it is likely that most walkers who venture out from Portpatrick on the west coast will be discovering an area that for them was hitherto unknown: they will be pleasantly surprised. The SUW has it all! If you choose this trail for your annual walking holiday then you will certainly not be disappointed.