Photographs and map of a circular traverse of the Corbett Broad Law near Moffat in the Borders Region of Scotland

BROAD LAW - ROUTE DESCRIPTION:

Location: Borders
Map: OS Landranger 72
Distance: 7 miles (12km}
Tlmo: 3.5 hours
Grade: Moderate hill walk

The Megget Stone, an ancient boundary marker and the highest point of the minor road between Tweedsmuir and St Mary's Loch, is the usual starting point for an ascent of the long, south ridge of Broad Law. At 840m ( 2756ft ) this is not only the highest of the local Manor Hills, but the highest in the Borders and the second highest hill in southern Scotland after the Merrick in Galloway.
Once past Cairn Law well-grazed turf and wind-clipped heath are a delight to walk on. A fence, forming the old Peebles-shire / Selkirkshire boundary, runs all the way to the summit trig point and beyond.
Rather than returning the same way follow the long, broad ridge over Tods Knowe and Lamb Knowe to Meggethead at the west end of the Megget Reservoir. An easy road walk leads back to the start.
The ascent of Broad Law was on the itinerary of the ﬁrst ofﬁcial meeting of the Scottish Mountaineering Club, the country's second oldest climbing club ( the oldest is the Grampian Club of Aberdeen ), in 1891. Be-whiskered and hobnailed, the early stalwarts set out from the Crook Inn near Tweedsmuir, the equal oldest licensed inn in Scotland. It was one of only three inns licensed when licensing was introduced to Scotland in 1604,
the others being the Kingshouse on Rannoch Moor and the Spread Eagle in Jedburgh. It was once a well-known coaching inn and is said to have been frequented by Robert Burns, who wrote the poem, Willie Wastle’s Wife, in the kitchen. After a period of uncertainty in which an application by a development company to turn the historic building into ﬂats was rejected, the inn was bought by the Tweedsmuir Community Company and is being refurbished prior to being reopened as a hotel.
The gentlemen climbers would be amazed if they took the same route today. A wide track now runs beside the Hearthstane Burn and on to Glenheurie Rig so that maintenance engineers can get easy access to the Civil Aviation Authorities’ Talla radio masts and beacon. The metallic mushroom shape of the beacon, looks eerily like something from War of the Worlds. Ignore the modern infrastructure if you can and take in the views from the summit - on a good day you’ll see not only the rest of the rolling Manor and Tweedsmuir hills, but the Cheviot, and the fells of Cumbria beyond the sparkling waters of the Solway Firth.

Route:
Start and finish at the Megget Stone (GR: NTt51203) on the minor road between Tweedsmuir and St Mary's Loch.
Leave the road and follow the line of the fence up the broad ridge.
Go over Fan's Law and Cairn Law and follow the ridge to Broad Law.
Keep following the fence past the summit trig point until it meets a bulldozed track.
Turn right on to the track and follow it until you reach a pylon.
Bear right and follow the ridge SE over Tods Knowe and Lamb Knowe.
Descend grassy slopes to Meggethead.
Follow the road W for 3km back to the start.

Route Map of Broad Law

BROAD LAW - ROUTE DESCRIPTION 2:

Location: Hearthstanel
Tweedsmuir, Borders
Map: OS Landranger 72
(GR1 09261)
Distance: 9.5 miles (15km)
Time: 5 hours
Terrain: good access track and rough hill tracks

This walk leads to the second highest point in southern Scotland and although the ascent itself is relatively straightforward, there is the option of a ﬁne extension.
Start from a parking area beside the bridge over the River Tweed at Hearthstane, about a mile north-east of Tweedsmuir, a short distance from the Crook Inn.
Cross the bridge and follow the access road which swings round over the Hearthstane Burn to the building at Hearthstane.
Break off rightwards through the farmyard on a track which leads into the jaws of the valley.
Rising above the forest and prominent in the view ahead is Great Knock on Broad Law’s northern ridge. The track continues into the valley then rises
through the forest and out on to the hillside to provide an easy, if occasionally steep, route which leads all the way to the air trafﬁc navigational beacon
building on top of Broad Law ( 840m; 2 hours ). The trig point lies just beyond, beside the fence.
While the easiest route is to return the same way, I recommend extending the walk to a full circuit of the Hearthstane valley.
Descend easily southwards beside the fence for a mile to pass over the slight rise of Cairn Law then follow the right-hand fence and swing
round the head of the Hearthstane valley.
After ascending a rough hill track on to the top of Talla Cleuch Head ( 2264ft / 690m ) continue north, then north-west on to Mathieside Cairn.
Now break away from the fence and descend the grassy northern ridge, following a line of old wooden fence posts, to join another rough hill track.
Continue down this then along the ridge across the top edge of the recently felled forest and pass over the slight rise of Manyleith Head to gain the top of Hog Hill.
Descend north-west beside the forest to gain a track then walk along this for 100m and then, either just before or just after two communications masts,
drop off the track and descend through gates in the ﬁeld on to a lower track which leads back to the Hearthstane access road.