Hamilton Hill (Peebles) and Swinsy Hill (Carluke)

 14 May 2022

Participants: Just me

Where: Hamilton Hill, 371m/1,217', P 59m, Tump, OS 73, NT 235 443 and Swinsy Hill, 113m/ 372', P 33m, Tump, OS 72, NS 831 473

Back to the Borders, this time to Peebles, to bag Hamilton Hill. I parked in the car park next to the cemetery and walked up Rosetta Road past the caravan park to a point where it swung sharply east. The route to the hill continued straight on following the route of an old Drove Road.....

It was a good track, passing Standalane Farm with my objective in view from an early point. The gorse was in full bloom and a coconut smell was very noticeable.....

I left the track close to its high point and headed up easy grass slopes to the cairn. Although it was a bit hazy, the views were good. Looking west to White Meldon.....

South-west to the Manor valley.....

East to the Glentress hills.....

I spent a bit of time at the cairn, eating my lunch and admiring the view. I then descended due south, walking easily through banks of gorse..... 

View down to Peebles.....

I can highly recommend this walk.

It was still early when I got back to the car so I diverted at Carluke on the way home to bag Swinsy Hill. No view from this one, which I accessed from a side road leading to a plant nursery at Cozieglen. I parked in their overflow car park and headed straight up the hill. A bit of a mistake, there was a path further round to the north which I found on the way down and which was much less steep. There were lots of bluebells. The high point was an obvious grassy mound.....