Stobo Old Drove Road Show path on map
Start location: A701, Broughton ( NT 111 368 )
End location: The Glack, Manor Water, southwest of Peebles ( NT 213 380 )
Geographical area: Lothian and Borders
Path type: Drove Road
Path distance: 14km
Accessibility info: Suitable for pedestrians
Route Description
Most of this old route coincides with the John Buchan Way (JBW), and is well waymarked.
From the A701 just north of Broughton, go northeast through Broughton Place and keep straight on along the old drove road which follows Hollows Burn and climbs to the col between Broomy Side and Hammer Head. On passing through the gate in the March fence (NT127393), leave the JBW to keep east along the drove road, rising slightly to cross the east shoulder of Hammer Head at about 400m. The track is indistinct. Then drop down to cross the farm road (leading north to Stobo Hopehead), leaving it southeast on the JBW to cross the Hopehead Burn by a bridge below a conspicuous sheep fank. Passing this the drove road climbs southeast to a col south of Mid Hill and descends to Harrowhope (ruin), whence follow the farm road on the north side of Easton Burn to exit on to the B712 near Stobo Kirk. Turn right (southwest) along the B712 for 400m, then left (southeast) to cross the Tweed by a bridge and go northeast to Easter Dawyck. Go east up to the col (400m) and down to The Glack, situated on the public road up the Manor Valley.
If so wished, from The Glack it is possible to follow the rest of the JBW into Peebles. Take the public road downhill to cross the Manor Water, turn south and 1km beyond Cademuir, leave the road to go northeast over Cademuir Hill to Peebles.
OS Landranger 72 (Upper Clyde Valley) & 73 (Peebles, Galashiels & Selkirk)
Heritage Information
This old road appears in many old maps such as John Ainslie's Map of the Southern Part of Scotland from 1821 and John Thomson's map of Peebles-Shire of 1820. In Thomson's map the route is shown as meeting a T-junction at Clover Law where a branch heads south to the church north of Broughton and a branch heads north to join the A701 just short of Bryland.
ScotWays' records indicate that this route was used by drovers; any further information will be gratefully received.
