Duns Law – A Hill Fort and the Covenanters' Stone
About 1.9 miles on foot.
Duns Law is the green hill that rises straight behind the little Berwickshire town of Duns, and it gives a big view for very little effort.
On top are the banks of an Iron Age settlement and a square earthwork left by a Scottish army in 1639, with the stone where the Covenanters are said to have raised their standard. The round from the Market Square is three kilometres and takes an hour or so.
- Time
- An hour to an hour and a half: a round of 3 km (1.9 miles) from the Market Square, with about 80 m of climb.
- The path
- Steps, an estate road, a woodland path, open field, a farm track and roadside pavements, with a short climb. Boots after rain.
- Where to start
- Newtown Street car park, Duns: free, 38 spaces, a couple of minutes' walk from the Market Square.
- When to go
- All year in daylight. From April to June keep dogs on a short lead where birds nest on the ground.
- Dogs
- Under close control near livestock, and on a short lead from April to June when birds nest on the ground.
- Children
- A short hill with a stone and an old fort to find at the top.
- Toilets
- Public toilets in Briery Baulk, off South Street, in Duns. None on the hill.
- Before you set out
- Livestock graze the hill, with lambs and calves in spring.
The walk
Park in Duns at the Newtown Street car park, which is free and a couple of minutes' walk from the Market Square, where the walk begins. The public toilets are in Briery Baulk, off South Street. Scottish Borders Council gives the Duns Law walk as 3 km, a little under two miles, and allows an hour to an hour and a half. It's a short climb of about 80 metres, on steps, an estate road, a woodland path, open field, a farm track and pavements. The top of the Law is crowned by the low banks of an Iron Age settlement, and there's an old tradition that the first town of Duns stood up here.
In 1639, during the First Bishops' War, a Scottish army under General Leslie occupied the hill. The square earthwork the soldiers left unfinished is known as the Covenanters' Redoubt. Inside it lies the Covenanters' Stone, a boulder now kept under an iron grille, where the standard of the National Covenant is said to have been raised. On the south side of the hill there's a seat and a plaque, built by local people for the millennium, that picks out the view, with the town laid out below you. Livestock graze here and there may be lambs and calves in spring, so keep dogs under close control.
From April to June, when birds are nesting on the ground, keep them on a short lead. The field and the woodland path can be muddy, so wear boots after rain. Duns has cafés and shops near the square for afterwards.
If it rains
The top of the Law is open and the field can be muddy, but it's a short walk and the town is never far away. Go on a clear day for the view.
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 Blue Cabin by the Sea in Cockburnspath, 11 miles away. Sleeps 4.
For further reading, before you go.
Photograph by John Wildman via Google