Raltonside and Blackburn

An attractive circular that follows the banks of Ralton Burn and crosses Black Burn before returning to the village by Pathhead Moss.

All the streets in the settlement of Newcastleton run from Douglas Square; a generous gathering area that is neatly kept.

From the North end of Douglas Square in Newcastleton, head down to the Liddel Water and turn left along the riverside path, passing Whitehaugh Pool. Continue past the bridge with the river on your right. Curve left with the path past the Auction Mart, a busy place when livestock are being sold. After about a kilometre, the path curves left, up to a kissing gate. Reach the road and turn right to cross the Black Burn. In a few more metres, come off the road to the left, turn right on the old railway line and continue along it for about 800 metres to the Roan farm road. There are beautiful banks of primroses alongside the old line in spring.

Turn left up the Roan farm road and then left again on a track near the Ralton Burn. Pass Raltonside Cottage and continue on the track close to the burn on to the open hill, where the track divides. Take the left fork which will lead you across the hill, from where you have a fine view over the valley, through a gate and across a large field towards Woolhope. Locally pronounced more like ‘Oolock’ and recorded as such as far back as 1376, Woolhope was formerly a separate small farm but the building is now abandoned.

Through the gate in the field corner, go down the slope on a rough track to join a better track which leads across a bridge and uphill again to Blackburn Farm. The medieval farm “Blackburnsyd” lay next to the burn and you pass the site of it after crossing the bridge.

Pass through the farmyard, taking care if there is any machinery moving about, and follow the access road over a bridge. Go through the second gate on the left beyond the bridge and follow the track down through the field. It leads through another gate and up the side of the next field beside the telephone poles. If you continue straight on at this point you reach the road. Turn left to descend to the village past the John Byrne Memorial Cairn.

Go through another gate on to the Pathhead Moss. Take the track which skirts the northern edge of the Moss and leads down towards the village. Where the track bends left, go right to enter the wood by a gate and footbridge. Follow the path along the upper edge of the wood until just before a deep gully, a small path leads down to the left. This is a short cut back to the village.

To continue the full walk, cross two bridges and continue along the edge of the wood to the Bull Park, enclosed on the far side by a stone wall. Here the villagers used to keep a bull beside the common grazing land on Holm Hill.

The next bridge takes you over the mill lade which runs for 5km/3 miles down the hill from where it has been diverted from the Black Burn. There were two manmade ponds nearby, one to supply water for the railway engines at the station, the other for the sawmill.

Climb the steps, and descend a steep bank to the Newcastleton-Langholm road. You can see the ruined sawmill on the left. Turn left and return to the village and the end of the route.