Scotland – Yarrow Valley, Scottish Borders
Distance: 15km/9 miles
Time: 5–6hrs
Type: Hill
Where: Circular walk from Yarrowford via Broadmeadows, Three Brethren and Minch Moor.
Start/End: Yarrowford (NT407300).
Terrain: Good paths and tracks over surrounding hills, including a fine ridge-top stretch of the Southern Upland Way.
Maps: OS Explorer 338; Landranger 73.
Overlooked by many on their way to the more dramatic Highlands further north, the Scottish Borders region affords some of the finest and quietest walking terrain in the country. Here, in this unspoilt and relatively little-known area, are rounded, grassy hills, moorland, forests and river valleys where you can often walk all day and not meet a soul. This walk around Ettrick Forest – through which flow the two roughly parallel valleys of Ettrick Water and its tributary, Yarrow Water – provides an excellent introduction to the area. It includes the Three Brethren (three distinctive cairns), an exhilarating stretch of the Southern Upland Way and a return down the historic Minchmoor Road. The far-reaching views are splendid.
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