Walking in the Southern Uplands

Walkers should note that the crags on Goatscrag Hill hold some well defined and intriguing rock carvings. To find them, take a faint bracken path along the foot of the crag, to find the rock shelter at NT 9771 3701. The four carved animals are of no definite species, though one does resemble a camel. They're dated to either the Romano-British or the early Mediaeval times – making this a walk with five different ages of remains.

Thanks to reader Mick Borroff for these updates.

A new deer fence runs across the slope of Hog Hill above Hearthstane. It may be possible to get through this by following the contouring track to the left (east) – if you should verify this, do get in touch with Cicerone!

Page 145-6 paragraph 2 amend to:

Continue straight uphill, soon meeting a contouring track and following this to the right below some masts through a gate into the forest. Turn up left up the forest edge, following the fence all the way up to cross a ladder stile onto open hill at the minor summit of Hog Hill.

This route has been hugely improved, by a well made path on the descent route from Criffel summit towards Ardwall, in progress winter 2020 and due for completion spring 2021. The ascent path from Mid Glen to Knockendoch is also being improved, for completion late summer 2021. The upgrade of the paths from soggy bog makes Criffel into one of S Scotland's most attractive hillwalks.

Walk 32

The original route up Rubers Law has been enclosed in high fencing for red deer – and these semi-wild animals are unsafe to walk among. The following route has been kindly suggested and approved by the farmer at Whitriggs.

After passing along Denholm Dean, the track beyond it runs southwest to end at a lane. Turn left to the lane junction where the road to right is signed for Bonchester Bridge. However, keep ahead for another 50m. As the lane bends left, take a track ahead into a small wood. Cross a shallow ford to gates at the wood edge.

Take the left-hand gate, and go uphill to left of a wall to a gate. In the next field, slant up left, north of east, to a wall gate. (But the field has livestock, instead head left along its foot then up the side.) Through the gate, head up to left of the wall, through another gate and again to left of a wall. As the field opens out, slant up right to a gate at its top right corner. This leads into open, heathery ground. Pick your way among rocky outcrops to Rubers Law's summit trig point. (Working round to the left to approach the summit from the north will let you arrive up a scrambly little cliff.)

The hill's East flank now has deer fences too. The waymarked path has been renewed. On p185, 2nd full paragraph, amend to:

Head downhill to the right of a wall and reach a gated path beside a deer fence. Follow the waymarked path through two further gates into the woods on your left. At once take a signposted track downhill into the plantation, to reach a T-junction just above the Rule valley road.