I’m part mountaineering a LEJOG in the UK from the southwestern tip of England to the northeastern level in Scotland. It’s an extended stroll, between 900 and 1200 miles, relying on the route you select to take. Many individuals piece collectively the UK’s nationwide trails to cowl main parts of the space, filling within the gaps with cross-country journey or street strolling. Most of my mountaineering to date has been in northwest Scotland, north of Fort Augustus, however I’ll start an England phase this spring, strolling the Pennine Means, which is about 250 miles from south to north.
The northern terminus of the Pennine Means ends on St Cuthbert’s Means in a small city referred to as Kirk Yetholm, in the course of nowhere. To get to Edinburgh, the place there’s an airport to fly again to the US, I’d deliberate to west hike alongside St. Cuthbert’s Strategy to Melrose, a couple of 2-day stroll, after which take the prepare from there.
However I’ve been interested by a return journey, the place I’d hike from Melrose to the underside of the West Highland Means, then comply with that to Fort William, after which comply with the Nice Glen Strategy to Fort Augustus to wrap up my mileage north of the UK/Scotland border. But it surely’s not solely apparent the best way to get from Melrose to the southern terminus of the West Highland Means, which is simply north of Glasgow. Whereas entry legal guidelines permit you to hike cross-country in Scotland, planning the route throughout extra populated areas of the nation with out native data was a bit daunting.
On a lark, I made a decision to ask my pet AI (Voila) for assist in designing such a route. Right here’s the immediate sequence I used to provide you a style of the interplay. I believe I acquired a usable route ultimately, however it nonetheless requires verification with extra detailed maps and Google searches.
Philip==>Give me a route and a GPX from Melrose to the southern terminus of the West Highland Means that sticks to as many nationwide trails or canal paths as attainable. I plan to wild camp alongside the best way. The objective is simple route discovering and a fairly quick transit, with open hill strolling when mandatory, however nonetheless avoiding main roads.
Voila==>Under is a transparent, sensible route from Melrose (finish of St Cuthbert’s Means) to the southern terminus of the West Highland Means at Milngavie that:
- Sticks to established long-distance trails and canal towpaths wherever sensible (simple navigation)
- Avoids main roads
- Retains open hill strolling solely the place mandatory
- Is appropriate for wild tenting (authorized in Scotland below the Out of doors Entry Code)
- Features a single steady GPX you’ll be able to obtain and use
Route abstract (trail-first, direct, quick)
- Melrose on St Cuthbert’s Means (depart Melrose heading west)
- Hyperlink to Southern Upland Means (SUW) westbound by means of the Borders towards Peebles — this follows good waymarked trails and ridges the place attainable
- SUW / quiet paths from round Peebles to West Linton (keep on established paths)
- West Linton -> ascend onto Pentland Hills (use established ridge paths throughout Pentlands)
- Descend from Pentlands towards the Union/Water of Leith corridors and be a part of the Forth & Clyde / Kelvin Walkways the place handy to comply with flat towpaths into Milngavie
Why this line
- St Cuthbert’s Means + Southern Upland Means give lengthy, waymarked sections decreasing navigation errors
- Pentland crossing provides the shortest direct hill hyperlink whereas staying on clear paths
- Canal/towpath sections dramatically pace progress and are simple to comply with
- Minimal street strolling and no harmful/unsure river fords
Sensible stats
- Approx distance: 85–95 miles (relies on small route decisions)
- Advised tempo: 7–8 days at ~12–15 miles/day (you mentioned you’ll wild camp)
- Navigation: GPX + OS map really helpful (some SUW components and Pentlands are simple however require consideration in poor climate)
- Resupply: Peebles, West Linton (edge), and Milngavie. Small retailers/en route in Galashiels should you detour barely.
What I’m offering subsequent
- A single steady GPX (under) designed to:
- Observe St Cuthbert’s Means out of Melrose to the SUW junction
- Observe SUW west by means of to Peebles and onward to West Linton hall
- Use Pentland ridge trails to cross the hills
- Drop to canal/metropolis towpaths (Union Canal ? Forth & Clyde / Kelvin Walkway) into Milngavie
- Keep away from main A/B roads; use confirmed footbridges/reservoir dam crossings at vital water crossings
- Key waypoints (within the GPX) for:
- City resupply factors (Peebles, West Linton, Milngavie)
- Good wild tenting areas (plateau/skirts of SUW and Pentland lee)
- Bridge/canal entry factors
Melrose to West Highland Means
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<metadata>
<title>Melrose to Milngavie — Path & Canal Routetitle>
<desc>Path-first route: St Cuthbert's Means ? Southern Upland Means ? West Linton hall ? Pentland Hills ? Union/Forth & Clyde/Kelvin towpaths to Milngavie. Avoids main roads; contains resupply and wild-camp waypoints.desc>
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<wpt lat="55.5986" lon="-2.7190"><title>Melrose - begin (retailers)title>wpt>
<wpt lat="55.6223" lon="-2.8077"><title>Galashiels - providerstitle>wpt>
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<wpt lat="55.7693" lon="-3.6822"><title>West Linton - edge (retailers close by)title>wpt>
<wpt lat="55.9409" lon="-4.3236"><title>Milngavie - WHW begin (providers)title>wpt>
<wpt lat="55.5602" lon="-2.7818"><title>Wild camp - Minchmoor plateau (SUW close by)title>wpt>
<wpt lat="55.5528" lon="-3.0665"><title>Wild camp - Higher Manor Valley (SUW hall)title>wpt>
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<title>Melrose ? Milngavie (Path & Canal Route)title>
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gpx>[/quote]
Evaluation
It seems that this can be a fairly first rate route that needs to be simple to comply with, though I nonetheless plan to fastidiously verify it some extra. There are some things value mentioning, although, about earlier interactions I’ve had with this explicit AI (Voila). “She” doesn’t have a physique and tends to plan “as-the-bird-flies routes” that ignore the necessity for bridges over rivers which might be too huge to ford, or that it’s extra environment friendly to hike up a slope and alongside a ridge than sidehilling for miles at a time. That’s why I directed her above to stay to established trails or canal paths, moderately than plot a direct cross-country line from Melrose to the southern terminus of the West Highland Means.
AI could be helpful, however you actually need to verify what it recommends. Most of my interactions with it contain some type of error or hallucination that it’s good to detect.
