Green Walks in Scotland South-east / Alba an Ear-dheas

This area comprises Scotland south of the Forth and Clyde Canal, and of the Firth of Forth, within postcode areas EH, FK and TD. The dividing line between the south-eastern and south-western areas approximates to the watershed between the Atlantic Ocean and the North Sea.

Neighbouring regions and areas are

Note also some of the most convenient hubs for multi-day walking on different routes.

Routes

  • Berwickshire Coastal Path
    A 49km walk between Cockburnspath and Berwick-upon-Tweed.
  • Borders Abbeys Way
    A circuit of 103km which links four Borders abbeys.
  • Cross-Borders Drove Road
    A walk of 94km between Kirknewton and Hawick.
  • Forth and Clyde / Union Canal Walk
    A walk of 102km between Bowling and Edinburgh.
  • John Buchan Way
    A 22km walk between Peebles and Broughton commemorating the novelist and sometime Governor-General of Canada John Buchan, Baron Tweedsmuir (1875-1940).
  • John Muir Way
    A walk of 213km walk between Helensburgh and Dunbar.
  • Pennine Way
    A walk of 422km between Edale and Kirk Yetholm; this National Trail does not qualify as a Green Walk. In addition to the 45km gap between Byrness (sketchy bus service) and Kirk Yetholm, buses connect with different settlements from the next access point in many areas.
  • River Avon Heritage Trail (Lothian)
    A 13km walk following the River Avon between Avonbridge and Linlithgow Bridge.
  • Romans and Reivers Route
    A walk of 84km from Ae to Hawick, this National Trail does not qualify as a Green Walk because public transport only connects at Beattock/Moffat, Eskdalemuir and Hawick (without any service at the Ae terminus).
  • St Cuthbert’s Way
    A walk of 105km between Melrose and Lindisfarne.
  • Southern Upland Way
    A walk of 344km between Portpatrick and Cockburnspath. Due to several great gaps in public transport services (two consecutive gaps of over 40km either side of Sanquhar and the 56km between Lauder and Cockburnspath), the route of this National Trail does not qualify as a Green Walk (though it remains an outstanding traverse).
  • Water of Leith Walkway
    A 22km walk following the Water of Leith from Balerno to Leith.

Some places lend themselves to being hubs, where you may pitch up for a few days’ car-free walking, fanning out on a different route (or part of a route) each day. The hub becomes a walking-place for recreation at walking pace. Hubs in this area include

  • Dunbar
    Dunbar is close to the point where the Berwickshire Coast Path and the John Muir Way make their handover, but there are also walks into the Lammermuir Hills and behind the coast from Haddington and North Berwick.
  • Edinburgh
    Edinburgh is the pre-eminent hub within this area, with almost the entire landmass accessible. The John Muir Way passes through the city. In addition, there are good local walks within and close to the city, such as the Water of Leith Walkway and the numerous walks in the city, including the ascent of Arthur’s Seat.
  • Galashiels
    The transport hub for much of the Borders, Galashiels offers links to the Borders Abbeys Way, the John Buchan Way and the Southern Upland Way (which is not a Green Walk per se, but whose local sections are accessible). St Cuthbert’s Way starts in next-door Melrose. There are also many local walks which may be found.

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