Penvalla

2 January 2009

Participants - Just me
Where - Penvalla, 537m/1,765',Sub-2k Marilyn, Map 72, NT 151395

This is an account of a New Year walk. Sadly, not this New Year; although I am recovering from my op, I am nowhere near ready to set foot on a hill. Rather it is a look back to a walk that I did a year or two back when I was staying at Polmood, a hut near Broughton that belongs to the Border Bothies Association. On New Year's day we walked up the valley of the Gameshope burn past the MBA bothy of the same name and on up to Molls Cleuch Dod. Cloud came and went and there was some fresh snow on the tops and it was generally not too bad a day to be out.

The following day dawned clear, frosty and very cold. I was heading home and decided to make a diversion to climb Penvalla, the easternmost hill in the Broughton range. The other hills in the group are best approached from Broughton; the easiest route to Penvalla looked to be from the south. So I drove to Stobo and parked at the side of the road leading to the church. A good track followed the east side of the Easton Burn, a Right of Way that was now part of the John Buchan Way.....

Penvalla soon made an appearance.....

 Approaching a forest area, I heard the sound of gun shots. A pheasant shoot was under way. A lookout had been posted to ensure that no walker got within range of the guns and I had a sudden fear that I was not going to be allowed to go any further. However, the chap was very pleasant, wished me a Happy New Year and told me a bit about the shoot as pheasants flew out of the wood closely pursued by a variety of dogs, folk on bicycles and in 4WD's. All very convivial, unless you were a pheasant.

I was soon on my way again, leaving the wood, crossinsg the burn and following the track out on to the open moorland. The sun was out and it was very pleasant as I climbed steadily up the track.....

At the 382m spot height marked on the map, I left the track and headed over Mid Hill straight for the summit of Penvalla. This is looking to Broughton Heights.....

and back in the direction that I had come to the Peebles valley.....

As the day was short, I didn't linger for too long but retraced my steps back to Stobo. All was now quiet in the woods.