Walk: Cocks & brochs of Abbey St Bathans

📌 Lammermuir Hills, Scottish Borders
★★★

The peaceful hamlet of Abbey St Bathans sits in a particularly remote corner of the Scottish Borders, but this is a district well worth seeking out. Scattered across the local hillside is a fascinating collection of ancient settlements, forts and cairns, including Cockburn Law’s Iron Age ramparts and Edin Hall Broch. The scenery on this circuit either side of the attractive Whiteadder Water is rewarding even without the history aspect, with views across the Lammermuirs, Cheviots and southeast into England from the higher parts of the route. Call in at The Woodlands Cafe at the start / finish, and let us know what you think!

📷 Chronological photo guide

🌍 Location

📌 Start / finish at Abbey St Bathans

🧭 O.S. Grid Reference: NT 763619

🛰️ GPS coordinates: 55.849605,-2.380389

❌ No public transport within 1 mi

🚗 Car park

📝 Key info

▶ 11 km / 7 mi | ▲ 360 m | ⌛ 3-3.5 hr

Features: △ Cockburn Law (325 m); ⭕ Edin’s Hall Broch ★★

⬤ Moderate | Mixture of minor roads, tracks and hill / country paths with some ascent and descent. Paths are fainter and braided on ascent of Cockburn Law.

➡️ Anticlockwise circuit with extension to summit: start – leave minor road at bend at 🧭 NT 767612 – path junction / fence at 🧭 NT 769603 – Cockburn Law – return to path junction / fence – Edin’s Hall Broch – Elba suspension bridge – Moorhouse – Edgar’s Cleugh – start by Southern Upland Way

Download file for GPS

🥾 On our last visit

Wildlife: 3 buzzards, noisy mallard ducks, grey heron, tame chickens and geese, grey squirrel, sheep. Snowdrops flowering.

Weather: Unbroken sunshine with temperatures in double figures but windy higher up.

February 2019