First walk of 2014: Minch Moor

After such a wet end to December / beginning of January, the cabin fever was starting to set in. My feet were itching for a walk. I'd intended to do a couple of longer walks over the festive period, but the weather just didn't cooperate.

Imagine my delight last Sunday morning when Dave suggested we took a drive over to Traquair and walk up to Minch Moor! I'd had my eyes on this walk for a while. I knew it would be a bit of an uphill battle, but I really did need to stretch my legs and get out there.

Sunday's weather wasn't brilliant, but it was mostly dry so that was a bonus!

We parked at the village hall car park in Traquair, and began our uphill struggle. It really was uphill all the way! We were walking on the Southern Upland Way, and it was just wonderful to see the Long Distance Trail signs again! 

 

I definitely struggled to start with, my legs feeling the inertia and lethargy of the past few weeks. I was feeling the burn as we ploughed our way upwards. Finally we reached the Minch Moor Bothy, and took a breather.

We'd started our walk slightly later in the day, so everyone we met was on their way down whilst we were heading up. There were quite a few people out and about; we passed a group of 30 ramblers, and a number of people enjoying the bike trails.

We crossed a track and continued upwards through the heather. There were a number of trees down on this section, but we managed to pick our way round, and spotted our first snow of the day!

 

We took another breather at Resolution Point - an amazing Charles Poulsen sculpture. I loved the view of the circles and how it changed as you moved away. This is a really special spot, and I was glad to be able to enjoy it properly.

 

Our next landmark was the Cheese Well, which we were both excited to reach. Neither of us had fully appreciated the historical significance of this location. This track had originally been the major route across southern Scotland. Edward I and his army travelled on this route during his invasion of 1296. It was the route Montrose and his men took upon retreat from Philiphaugh in 1645. Sir Walter Scott's mother travelled over these hills on her way to a ball in Peebles. Further along from where we were, it is said that William Wallace rested in 1297 while the Borderers came to join him. I'd be surprised if Mary Queen of Scots hadn't stayed the night here at some point!

Now it is a well-trodden route on the 212-mile Southern Upland Way. The spring at the Cheese Well is a shrine, and traditionally offerings were made to the faeries of the hills. We wanted to ensure safe passage of course, so we left our best offerings.

The weather was starting to change, but we pushed on, now not too far from the summit of Minch Moor. It began to snow lightly, and the wind really picked up.

Our heads down, we battled against the wind and made it to the summit of Minch Moor, around an hour and a half after leaving the car. We were high - 1,350 feet high! The views were incredible; we were thrilled to see the Eildons!

 

It was blowing a hoolie, and freezing, so we didn't stay long before beginning our descent. We went back the way we came, although of course were much quicker on the way down, getting back to the car around an hour later.

 

This had been a fantastic day out - a short walk but certainly challenging, lots and lots of fresh air, and an even greater appreciation of the Tweed Valley and how much the Borders has to offer.

 

My legs were slightly sore in the days following, but thankfully not too bad! I'm really looking forward to more walks in the coming weeks, and getting my fitness back up to this time last year - I can only hope!