📌 Broughton, Scottish Borders
★★★
Broughton Heights is the highest part of a group of hills northeast of Broughton village, bounded by a triangle of roads. A handy car park near Broughton Place castle allows easy access to the western half of the range, with an approach through the very scenic glen cut by the Hollows Burn. This pleasant Borders round – coloured by swathes of heather in late summer – visits no fewer than 8 named summits on 1:25000 Ordnance Survey maps. Fear not – many of the hills have imperceptible reascent between them. And the views more than compensate for the occasional steep sections, with Tinto, Culter Fell and upper Clydesdale all easily picked out.
📷 Chronological photo guide
Shepherds Cottage at the start 
Outward section through Broughton Hope, Hammer Head beyond 
Hammer Head & Green Lairs 
Broughton Hope 
Green Law from the ascent of Broomy Side 
Stirkfield Hope Burn 
Looking back to Clover Law 
Green Law 
Approach to Pyked Stane Hill 
Pyked Stane Hill summit, Tinto beyond 
View towards Stobo Hope 
Continuation to Hammer Head 
Looking down the Well Burn 
Hammer Head 
Hammer Head summit, looking southwest 
View ahead from Hammer Head 
Ladyurd Hill (left) & Penvalla (right) 
Looking back over Green Lairs (centre) & Hammer Head (left) 
Approach to Trahenna Hill 
Trahenna Hill summit 
Final descent 
Broughton Hope from the descent 
Views across Lanarkshire from the descent
🌍 Location
📌 Start / finish at upper end of Broughton Place, 0.5 mi northeast of Broughton
🧭 O.S. Grid Reference: NT 120374
🛰️ GPS coordinates: 55.622539,-3.399696
🚌 Bus to Broughton (1 mi)
🚗 Car park
📝 Key info
▶ 11 km / 7 mi | ▲ 610 m | ⌛ 3.5-4.5 hr
Features: △ Pyked Stane Hill / Broughton Heights (571 m, sub-2000′ Marilyn); △ Hammer Head (513 m); △ Trahenna Hill (549 m, sub-2000′ Marilyn)
⬤ Tough | Reasonable grassy tracks and paths for most of the route. Ascent of Hammer Head is steep and narrow; short detour to Trahenna Hill is pathless.
Download file for GPS➡️ Clockwise circuit with extensions to Pyked Stane Hill & Trahenna Hill: start – Cowiemuir Hass – Broomy Side – Green Law – Pyked Stane Hill – return to Cowiemuir Hass – Hammer Head – Green Lairs – Grey Yade – Trahenna Hill – Cat Cleuch Head – start
🥾 On our last visit
Wildlife: Sheep and lambs, bird of prey above Clover Law, several red grouse on Trahenna Hill.
Weather: Dark clouds and spots of rain at first, soon becoming much sunnier. Lightish wind, around 20°C.
August 2020
