Highlights
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Historical interest of visiting four
major ruined abbeys
Riverside scenery of two fi ne fi shing
rivers, the Tweed and the Teviot
Views from the high ground towards
the Cheviots
Friendly Borders pubs, cafés and B&Bs
There are camping options, both at commercial and at free campsites (basic or
no facilities). Wild camping is legal in Scotland subject to the Scottish Outdoor
Access Code.
Support services
Of the companies listed below, Walking Support provides a dedicated baggage
transfer service:
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Absolute Escapes www.absoluteescapes.com
Contours Walking Holidays www.contours.co.uk
Macs Adventures www.macsadventure.com
Walking Support www.walkingsupport.co.uk
Celtic Trails www.celtictrailswalkingholidays.co.uk
Discovery Travel www.discoverytravel.co.uk
Hooked on Walking www.walking-europe.co.uk/scotland
Make Tracks www.maketracks.net
Public transport
Getting to and from the route is simplest by train from Edinburgh Waverley
to Tweedbank, near Melrose. Local transport includes buses operated by
Borders Buses www.bordersbuses.co.uk, Perryman’s Buses and Peter Hogg
www.roadhoggs.net. Local taxi fi rms are based in Hawick, Jedburgh, Kelso,
Galashiels and Selkirk: it is normal to charge mileage from their base, so check
fares before booking.
For details, visit Traveline Scotland www.travelinescotland.com, or, for
the entire UK, Traveline www.traveline.info. For travel from anywhere to
anywhere, try Rome2Rio www.rome2rio.com.
Downloads from the Scottish Borders Council website
Visit www.scotborders.gov.uk/bordersabbeysway to download route
descriptions for sections of the route. You can also apply for a route
completion certifi cate from here: www.bit.ly/borders-certifi cate
What the judges said...
‘As well as having the key
digital attributes of being easy
to fi nd, quick to load and
instinctive to navigate even
on a mobile this attractive if
unpretentious website is a
comprehensive resource for
anyone considering tackling
one of Scotland’s offi
cial long-
distance paths
The information on the
29 trails is concise, clear
and consistently presented
making it a doddle to fi nd not
only all the stats you want
to make a comparison but
also links to all the guides,
maps and websites you might
need for planning, as well as
over 40 companies off ering
support services.
Jacquetta’s site also
has an innovative section
giving full credit to the
photographers responsible
for every image on the
website (as far as possible)
and off ering photographers
the opportunity to claim
unattributed images,
something many OWPG
members would surely be
glad to see become common
practice in cyberspace.’
Judges Lois Sparling, former
Senior Editor at Cicerone, and
Craig Wareham, founder of
Viewranger
Be aware
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In poor visibility, the section on
Black Hill may need map and
compass competence
Some sections include tarmac roads
and farm tracks, but less than many
long routes
About Jacquetta...
Jacquetta Megarry is the founder of Rucksack Readers, guidebooks to
adventurous walks worldwide: www.rucsacs.com. Her publications have
involved walking and publishing guidebooks to most of Scotland’s Great
Trails, so although this website – developed in partnership with Scottish
Natural Heritage – has no commercial connection with Rucksack Readers, it
drew heavily on her experience of SGTs over the last 18 years.
The Digital Production Award
is sponsored by Cordee.
Having started life as a sole
distributor for rock climbing
guidebooks published by
the largest climbing clubs in
the UK, the business now
includes distribution of titles
encompassing all outdoor
activities.
Owned and managed by
brother and sister Richard and
Jane Robinson, Cordee has a
unique and world-renowned
catalogue of books and maps.
www.cordee.co.uk
winter 2018 | Outdoor focus 19