Cross Borders Drove Road

Welcome to our journal of our hike of the Cross Borders Drove Road. Eve and I started the trail in late November, just as the UK was experiencing a particularly cold period that brought snow and ice to large areas of the UK and freezing temperatures. Every day the walking conditions became increasingly challenging as the temperatures plummeted, snow fell and everything froze into a perfect winter wonderland. As we walked into December it was the perfect start to the Christmas period.

Day 1 | Cross Borders Drove Road

Little Vantage to West Linton | 12.2. miles

On day one of the Cross Borders Drove Road we walked 12.1 miles over the frozen moorland of the Pentland Hills. It was an early start for us as Sarah had to be at work, but it gave us the chance of an early start and hopeful of an early finish.

We walked through fog and mist that was wonderfully atmospheric and we only met one other hiker and a dog walker all all day.

Day 1 journal entry was published on the website, not on Facebook as we would normally do. I got slightly carried away with uploading photographs, including more than 180. The page might be slightly slow to load!

Cross Borders Drove Road | Day 1

A cold exhausting day on the Cross Borders Drove Road, hiking 12.1 miles from the carpark at Little Vantage to West Linton over the Pentland Hills.

Our Spectrum AdventuresIan Alderman

Day 2 | Cross Borders Drove Road

West Linton to Pebbles | 15.2 miles

This was our toughest day on the whole Cross Borders Drove Road. We hiked into increasingly wintery conditions, through the cold freezing rain and into a winter's night. By the time we reached Pebbles, we were exhausted and needed some hot food and a warm drink!

Day 3 | Cross Borders Drove Road

Pebbles to Tranquair | 10.4 miles

Waking to snow falling outside, we felt in no rush to head off into the cold white moring air. The first order of the day was to resupply and grab some breakfast. The wind and the cold felt bitter on the exposed hilltops, with snow and ice covering the trail. We hiked into the evening again arriving in Tranquair with backpacks covered in ice that reflected our torchlight like glitter on a childs painting!

Day 4 | Cross Borders Drove Road

Traquair to Yarrowford | 00.0 miles

Snow fell over night covering everything with a cold white blanket creating the ultimate winter wonderland. It was perfect, and Eve was... so excited! Todays section of the Cross Borders Drove Road to Yarrowford was slightly shorter than our avwerge as we were meeting with Sarah. We had plans to decorate our backpacks for the festive period ready for the start of Christmas advent.

We received our largest donation of £500 to Just Giving.

Day 5 | Cross Borders Drove Road

Yarrowford to Ashkirk | 9.8 miles

The penultimate day on the Cross Borders Drove Road was excellent. It felt festive with decorated backpacks (have a look at our Facebook reel). Everyday on trail feels colder than the previous day. By the time we reached Ashkirk it was dark, our waterbottles had frozen solid and we had ice forming on our cloths. The sunset however was spectacular, with a shade of orange so bright we couldn't help but to feel warm against the white that surrounded us.

Please support us at -justgiving.com/page/scotlands-great-trails | gofundme.com/f/scotlands-great-trails | buymeacoffee.com/ourspectrumadv | Our Spectrum Adventures

Please support us at -justgiving.com/page/scotlands-great-trails | gofundme.com/f/scotlands-great-trails | buymeacoffee.com/ourspectrumadv.

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Day 6 | Cross Borders Drove Road

Ashkirk to (west of) Hawick | 6.9 miles

The perfect ending to the Cross Borders Drove Road. We hiked through falling snow, over prestine, crisp white that covered the trail where nobody had walked. We felt like everything was falling (excuse the pun) into place for the perfect ending and it didn't disappoint! The ending was perfect as we walked through falling as we listened to christmas songs and met Sarah to share in the feeling of complaint trail 19 of Scotland's Great Trails.

Day 6 Cross Borders Drove Road Journal

Our final days journal was originally published on Facebook, but in typical facebook style it was removed for reasons unknown to us... We republished it on the website.

Cross Borders Drove Road | Day 6

Ashkirk to (west of) Hawick | 6.9 miles The snow was falling outside as we woke snuggled up in our warm bed. Eve and I felt privileged to be ending the Cross Borders Drove Road on such a beautiful winter’s day! Today was the last day on the Cross Borders

Our Spectrum AdventuresIan Alderman

Summary of the Cross Borders Drove Road

The Cross Borders Drove Road was a spectacular adventure and we would highly recommend it to anybody, novice or experienced hiker alike. The Scottish Borders offers so much of everything ,from woodlands to hills and moors with views as spectacular as any of the mighty Scottish munros, especially in the darkness! We had the perfect adventure, meeting some wonderful people on the way, and stayed in some amazing accommodation the likes of which we have never stayed in before!

The Cross Borders Drove Road also taught us a lot about ourselves, from our love of the tranquil piece of winter hiking to refining both of our winter walking equipment and cold weather hiking techniques. Eve loved the ice and snow and hopes to through more over the coming winter months.