Participants - Us
Where - Broughton Heights, 571m/1,874', Sub-2,000' Marilyn, Map 72, NT 122411
At last, a bright and sunny day, although the forecast said that cloud would spread in late afternoon. The only other time I have climbed Broughton Heights, it was a dull day and the cloud came down on the summit and I didn't get a view, so I had very few photographs of this area. So a good chance to rectify that today. There is a good walkers car park at Broughton Place, up a narrow road cum track from the village which saves about a mile in each direction. I was late setting off and didn't really expect to find a place in the car park but there were lots- everyone must have been away climbing higher hills. This is a beautiful wee glen, even more so today with the heather in full bloom. The area is also walker friendly and the route initially follows the John Buchan Way which runs from Broughton to Peebles......
The path followed the burn with Broomy Side, the most westerly of the Broughton Heights tops, ahead.....
It rose gently to a junction of paths at the Hammer Head pass- wonder how that got its name- from where there was a good view of the most southern 2,000' Marilyn of the group, Penvalla, best approached from Stobo.....
There were a lot of sheep about but as we started to ascend more steeply, we left them behind and Ben got off his lead. Maybe I'm just noticing these things now that I have a dog but there seem to be a lot more sheep about than there were even a couple of years ago. Anyway, we were now off the route of the Way and the path was much narrower as we headed up to the col between Clover Law and Broomy Side. We reached a fence but it had gaps in it and Ben had no problems; there was a style for me to cross. From there, it was a grassy hill path over a couple of subsidiary tops on a very pleasant narrowish ridge.....
and Ben as usual was first at the trig.....
It was a really fine viewpoint. This is looking east to the Pentlands.....
South were the hills above the Manor valley.....
and furher round, Broad Law.....
Approaching the summit, I saw something new that might have attracted Ben's interest, hang gliders.....
but he seemed to be more interested in an old sheep bone which got carried a fair way down the ridge on our return. He was so interested in the bone that he missed the fine view of Tinto in the distance.....
The border hills generally are quiet and I find that the Broughton Hills are especially so. But it is a fine bit of country and I will be back; I didn't get much of a day on Trahenna Hill when I climbed it the first time either. I could have added it on today but it was starting to cloud over when I got back to Hammerhead so I decided to leave it. At least that's my excuse!
1 comment:
I was told this was a great viewpoint but my eyes were watering so much in the howling wind I couldn,t see much of anything from the summit.
It,s big though.Far bigger than its actual height suggests.Not my favourite hill or maybe that was just the grim weather conditions.
glad you got a better day to climb it.
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