Bowhill – A Walk by the Yarrow to Newark Castle
About 3 miles on foot.
The Lady's Walk follows the Yarrow through the woods of Bowhill, the Buccleuch family's Borders estate, to the ruin of Newark Castle, once a hunting lodge in the old Ettrick Forest.
It's a waymarked round of 3 miles from the estate's car park at General's Bridge. Lunch is a few minutes down the road at the Waterwheel, a café on the Philiphaugh estate by Selkirk.
- Time
- A waymarked round of 3 miles from the General's Bridge car park, with a short detour to Newark Castle at the far end.
- The path
- An undulating path, muddy in places, with short climbs.
- Where to start
- The General's Bridge car park on the Bowhill estate, off the A708 west of Selkirk (TD7 5ET): £3 a car at the meter on site, no overnight parking.
- Set off
- About 10am.
- When to go
- All year.
- Before you set out
- Bowhill House and its grounds, adventure playground and café open only on set dates from spring to October and are not part of this walk.
The walk
Park in the General's Bridge car park on the Bowhill estate, off the A708 west of Selkirk (TD7 5ET). It's open all year, and parking is £3 a car at the meter. The Lady's Walk is a waymarked round of 3 miles from here.
It starts down Lime Walk, a path lined with trees in Victorian days, then follows the Yarrow upstream through the woods: look out for dippers and kingfishers along the water. At the far end, a short detour leads to Newark Castle, the 15th-century tower the Douglas family held, used as a hunting lodge when this was the royal hunting ground of Ettrick Forest. The path rises and falls, with short climbs, and is muddy in places.
Dogs are welcome on the walk on a short lead, as it is a working estate.
If it rains
The walk is outdoors, by the river and under the trees, so bring waterproofs on a wet day; lunch is under a roof.
Afterwards
3 min by car
The Waterwheel
Lunch
It's 3 minutes' drive east to the Waterwheel, a café on the Philiphaugh estate just outside Selkirk, with views along the valley. Lunch is soup, salads and a daily special, with plenty of home baking, and in season produce from the estate's walled garden. It opens from 10am to 4pm: ring 01750 22258 to check its days before going. Dogs are welcome, and a ramp leads to the door. From September to November, when the Ettrick runs high, salmon leap the cauld a short walk away.
Before you go
Book accommodation nearby
If you are staying over: here are ours nearest where the day starts and ends.
The nearest of ours is The Scullery in Yarrow, 6 miles away. Sleeps 2; next free Fri 13 Nov to Sun 15 Nov.
For further reading, before you go.
Photograph by Nixx via Google