Trail's end at North Sea

The Southern Upland Way runs through southern Scotland, 212 miles from Portpatrick on the Irish Sea to Cockburnspath on the North Sea, a short train hop east of Edinburgh. It's an official long-distance footpath, so it's well-marked and well-mapped.

Despite the fact that the trail is well marked, you should have adequate map and compass skills, because the mist can be so thick that you can't see from one marker to the next. Strip maps for the entire trail are available. As always, these don't have sufficient breadth to help you figure out alternate routes if the weather is bad, so the Ordnance Survey 1:50,000 maps (listed in the guidebooks) are recommended as well.

This isn't one of those trails where you can simply walk from town to town. If you like staying in B&Bs;, you'll have plenty of opportunities to do so, but you'll have to bring a tent and sleeping bag for those sections where the towns are 20 or even 25 miles apart. In some cases, you can use one of a few"bothies" (pronounced with a short o, as in bonnie) along the route. These are backcountry cabins (in some cases, houses) open to walkers.

By American standards, Europeans have not got the hang of camping. The guidebooks advises hikers to avoid camping in or near forest plantations, on grouse moors, or where livestock is present  which as far as I could tell, pretty much covers the entire Southern Upland Way! Nonetheless, there are places you can pitch a tent when the distances between towns is too great.

Bring rain gear. Bring your good Gore-tex, your gaiters, a rain hat (if you use one), some warm layers, and your best and sunniest attitude.

Take a break in a bothie

July and August are NOT the ideal months for this hike because they tend to be rainy or muggy (which brings out the midges). The best seasons for hiking are April to June, and September and October. Early winter months are wet and cold; after February, the weather is drier but still cold, and many accommodations are closed for the season. Plus, the short days in winter make long distance walking impractical. (Americans take note: the Southern Upland Way is on an equal latitude with Labrador in Canada. Their winter days are much shorter than ours.)

Midges: You'll want lightweight clothing that covers exposed skin, and plenty of insect repellent. Midges are much more abundant in the western half of the walk, and they are especially fierce on warm muggy days, which is one reason why summer is not the ideal time to hike the Southern Upland Way. As you walk east from Beattock, they cease to be a problem.

For more info (including contacts, organizations, and how to get a listing of accommodations), check out Scotland HolidayNet.

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