Meigle Circular

This route is mainly through farmland and includes a climb up to Meigle Hill that on clear days affords excellent views.

Although the suggested start is from Clovenfords the map shows you alternative starts from Balnakiel; King Street and Caddonfoot. A short detour from the top of Meigle Hill will take you to Wallace’s Putting Stone ; just go left once through the pedestrian gate at the hill top.

1. The start of the route is on Green Road, which can be found just as you turn left onto the B710 to Caddonfoot. A short path called the green path leads to the historic Green Road. Follow the Green Road for 1.5km until you turn left up the Blakehope Burn. The burn bank is lined with alder trees; this is the only British hardwood that produces cones.

2. As you leave the course of the burn follow the waymarkers up through the path that is cut in the gorse. The flat area ahead is very marshy so try to avoid this. When you reach the gate at the bottom of the bank, enter this field and follow the dyke up to the next gateway. Go through this gate and follow the dyke until you reach a hunt gate.

3. Turn left, with the hunt gate behind you, and cross the field going uphill towards the field gate ahead of you. Go through, turn right and climb Meigle Hill along the track that was built for access to the masts. Just inside the woodland stands an impressive cairn near to Wallace’s Putting Stone, a glacial erratic.

4. From here follow the dyke downhill for 1.3km passing a pumping station. Keep following the dyke until a track goes off to the left.

5. Follow this track for just over 1km round to the quarry. Follow the waymarkers that take you along the back of the quarry. When you reach the first field turn right and go through the gate at the bottom. Then turn left, go through the gate straight ahead of you and cross the stepping stones in front of you. Continue along this field exiting the gate straight ahead of you. Follow the track through the middle of the next field and exit this field through the gate in the middle of the dyke.

6. From here follow the track through Meigle Pots. This area is alleged to have housed secret outdoor services of the Covenanters in the 1640s. When you reach the concrete track that leads down to Meigle Farm, turn left to head uphill. Turn right to follow the field edges. Continue through gates beside fields. In this last field veer left downhill to meet the Green Road again. Go through the field gate and turn right round on yourself to go back through the hunt gate exiting along the Green Road back to Clovenfords.