The Cheviot from Cocklawfoot

From just outside Town Yetholm, a pretty village 10km south-east of Kelso, follow the narrow road that aims south from the B6401 for around 10km towards Cocklawfoot Farm.

The farm sits by the the end of the public road where there is ample parking either on the verge beside the forestry at the junction before the farm, or on a rough parking area just beyond the junction beside the bridge over the Kelsocleuch Burn.

From the junction, head along the track towards the farm buildings 1, crossing the bridge over the Kelsocleuch Burn. The track passes between the buildings before continuing east upstream beside the Cheviot Burn.

A little further on, keep left where the track splits 2, then cross another bridge before climbing through a gate and uphill beside the edge of a patch of forestry. The track eventually leaves the forestry behind, splits again (keep left) and climbs to a broad col 3.

Turning right at the col, and now on grassy ground following a set of tracks, head through two gates before climbing eastwards up Auchope Rig, keeping a fence on your right.

Higher up, an obvious path along the Scotland-England border is reached and followed beside the fence, passing a wooden Mountain Refuge 4 with lovely views northwards over College Burn and its surrounding valley. Beyond, the scenery becomes more interesting as the crags of Hen Hole, with its cairns above, appear to the left before the climb to Auchope Cairn. A burn around 100m to the left beyond the cairn provides a useful place to replenish water supplies.

A wooden boardwalk leads south-east to a junction with the Pennine Way and crosses Cairn Hill West Top (also known as 'Hangingstone Hill') 5 - the highest point of the Cheviot massif in Scotland and a Donald Dewey.

The route then heads east following excellent stone slab paving which provides easy walking for the next 2km. Turning north-east over Cairn Hill, passing a pair of large stone cairns, with a signpost and a stile over the border fence marking the way, the slabs continue across the broad plateau to The Cheviot.

The Cheviot's summit 6 is an unusual place - a vast, almost level expanse of heather and peat bogs, with the trig point standing on a raised plinth surrounded by stone slabs. Although The Cheviot is the highest point for many miles, the extensive plateau means the views are rather less impressive than its prominence might suggest.

The easiest return is by the outward route.

A more enjoyable alternative initially retraces the route to the Pennine Way junction before following the Pennine Way for around 3km over Score Head towards King's Seat.

Just before the trig point on King's Seat, cross the fenceline 7 and turn north-west. A short stretch of heather is bounded over before descending delightful grassy slopes to Kingseat Burn.

Lower down by a gate 8 in yet another fenceline, an estate track beside the burn is picked up and followed back to the junction 2 just east of Cocklawfoot Farm for the short journey back to the road end.