Lee Pen, Black Knowe and Clog Knowe (Black Law)

25 August 2018

 

Participants: Just me

Where: Lee Pen, 502m/1,647', P75m, TuMP, OS 73, NT 326 386; Black Knowe, 522m/1,713', P54, TuMP, NT 317 410; and Clog Knowe (Black Law), 541m/1,775', P106m, HuMP, NT 312 419

 

The temperature had dropped to normal levels so I decided on a trip to the borders to climb Lee Pen, a hill above Innerleithen that I had wanted to climb for some time. It is a fine looking pointed peak that rises steeply from the village, levels out, and then steepens again high up. There was a good path all the way and pedestrian gates through all the walls and fences. Approaching the upper reaches of Lee Pen.....

You couldn't miss this summit, it was small and at a junction of walls with a signpost pointing north to Bowbeat wind farm. There was a visitors book in a box tucked into the wall......
 

As I expected, it was a great viewpoint, which was the main reason that I wanted to climb it. Looking down on Innerleithen.....

West along the Tweed valley towards Peebles.....

East along the Tweed valley with the Eildon hills just visible in the background amongst much higher stuff.....

I had had half an eye on carrying on north across the moors at least as far as the next TuMP, Black Knowe. It didn't look too far, although there was a bit of down and up, with the bonus that there looked to be a path all the way following the route of a boundary wall. Black Knowe is the big hill running left to right in this picture.....

and this is it from about half distance between it and Lee Pen.....
 

 

It was just a steady plod alongside the wall with a few ups and downs. I eventually reached  a stile and the summit was a short distance beyond that- no cairn on this one. For the first time on the walk, I was able to see the next hill along- Clog Knowe- and it didn't look too far away.....

So onwards and upwards (although downwards at first). The view east had opened out, looking to Windlestraw Law.....

and also south to the Dun Rig horseshoe south of Peebles.....
 

 

There was a bit more ascent to get to Clog Knowe than there was in getting to Black Knowe because, as I found out when I got home, it wasn't a TuMP but a HuMP, so, over 100m of ascent. Looking for the highest point, I found a small cairn, so it must get a few visitors. This picture is of the cairn with both Black Knowe and Lee Pen (the pointy one) in the distance; it looked a long way back taking all the drops and re-ascents in to account.......

I was starting to flag by the time I got back to Lee Pen and even more so on the steep descent back to Innerleithen. But it had been a grand day out!