Heritage Paths ~ Stobo Old Drove Road
Lothian and Borders
Stobo Old Drove Road Return to 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: 13km
Accessibillity info: Suitable for pedestrians
From 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), 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 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 along the B712 for 400m, then left to cross the Tweed by a bridge and go north east to Easter Dawyck. Go east up to the col (400m) and down to The Glack, situated on the public road up the Manor Valley.
From The Glack it is possible to follow the rest of the John Buchan Way 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)
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. These days most of this old route is promoted as the John Buchan Way.