Tuesday 21 July 2020

Lauder Common, Woodheads Hill and Gala Hill

20 July 2020

Participants: Neil and Ben

Where: Lauder Common, 378m/1,240', P.35m, Tump, OS 73, NT 489 461; Woodsheads Hill, 303m/994', P.64m, Tump; and Gala Hill, 275m/902', P.129m, Hump, OS 73, NT 492 349

The most insignificant hill can provide some of the best views. That was certainly the case with Lauder Common, a Tump between the Border villages of Lauder and Stow. It didn't even manage to get named on the map and unless you were bagging Tumps, you would drive past without giving it a second thought. 

I had been on this road before, a number of years ago when I climbed the Marilyn, Sell Moor Hill, to the south of Lauder Common. There was plenty parking and a number of tracks headed up. It was obviously well known to local dog walkers, I saw more folk (and dogs) here than on any other Tump that I'd bagged. The path up.....


 and looking back to Sell Moor Hill.....


Approaching the high point looking east to Lauderdale.....


The Eildon Hills were prominent to the south with The Cheviot on the horizon.....


Ben surveying the view west.....


Having a rest in the heather.....


I drove on through Lauder and took another minor road to Galashiels. This passed another Tump, Woodheads Hill so naturally I stopped to pay it a visit. It was literally a three minute walk from the car to the high point which had been quarried. The "summit" was somewhere along the rim of the quarry.....


and the view south was again to the Eildons.....


The target hill in Gala was Gala Hill, tree covered with good tracks up. There was little of interest here apart from the trig at the top.....


Another pleasant day out in the Scottish Borders.

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