Dundreich from Portmore Loch

By Westloch, track leading to Portmore Loch

The A703 travels from just outside Penicuik to Peebles in the Borders and on this road, around halfway between these towns, a sign points eastwards towards Temple and Gorebridge.

Heading off the A703 here, an classified and narrow road climbs and twists for around 1km to reach the farm buildings of Westloch. Just before reaching the farm there is a gate with an estate track heading southwards, which is the starting point for the route up Dundreich.

Parking is limited to the verge by the gate with enough room for around 4 or 5 vehicles.

Dundreich above Portmore Loch

From the roadside, head through the gate and hike down the track as it aims south-eastwards towards forestry. Through the forestry, the track reaches the dam at the northern end of Portmore Loch .

Ignore the track heading off left (east) and follow the track hugging the north-eastern shore of the loch. On the track for just under 1km and having passed forestry on your left, more forestry is reached where the track comes to a junction .

Turn left and on a rough track, strike uphill through a felled forest. The track twists and turns a couple of times, crossing through the remains of a wall and ends by the edge of a fence-line . Keeping on the southern side of the fence, turn right (south-east) and on a faint path, follow the fence-line uphill.

The path reaches the upper boundary of the forest plantation, where a wooden gate is crossed and from where progress is on a line of ATV tracks through delightful grass as a little height is lost to reach a bealach directly below Dundreich's northern shoulder.

Coulter hills and Tinto from Dundreich's summit

Coulter hills and Tinto from Dundreich's summit

Descending Dundreich's western spur

From Dundreich's summit, continue following the faint ATV tracks initially southwards along the hill's grass-covered wide crest aiming towards the flat summit of Brown Dod.

After around 500m on from leaving the cairn, a faint trod can be seen heading slightly to the right - follow this which further on meets with a more defined set of ATV tracks. Turning westwards onto this line of tracks, jog along the top of a grass-covered spurleading north-west from Brown Dod.

Just beyond a slight rise, as the track begins to turn northwards, leave it here and continue north-west, beginning to lose height down a steep grass-covered slope. There are some minor crags (unmarked on OS Landranger, but marked on OS Explorer) to avoid on the way.

After losing around 200m of height and hiking through some bracken, a track is crossed, followed by a patch of damp ground, to reach some woodland. Keeping the remains of an old wall on your left, aim west to reach a gate in a wall ahead.

Through the gate and follow a rough track covered in heather (as detailed on the OS Explorer maps). Keep right at the first split, the track then heads into forestry. Coming to a break in the trees, the weird remains of an ancient fort is discovered with its ruts forming concentric circles.

Onwards from the old fort, the track heads north-west, passing a wooden lookout by a junction (ignore track on left).

In the woods below Dundreich

In the woods below Dundreich