Peniel Heugh – Up Through the Woods to the Waterloo Monument
About 5.6 miles on foot.
You can see the Waterloo Monument from half the Borders, a slim stone tower 150 feet high on top of Peniel Heugh, near Ancrum.
Walking up to it from Harestanes takes you through quiet woods and out onto an open hilltop, where Teviotdale is laid out all round you. The council's waymarked round is nine kilometres and takes about three hours.
- Time
- About three hours: a waymarked round of 9 km, or five and a half miles, by Folly Loch and Peniel Heugh, on the council's figures.
- The path
- Woodland paths and tracks, with a short, steeper climb to the grassy top. Stout shoes or trainers.
- Where to start
- Harestanes Countryside Visitor Centre, off the B6400 near Ancrum, TD8 6UQ.
- When to go
- All year in daylight. Harestanes' visitor centre, café and toilets are open Friday to Sunday, 10am to 5pm. From November to January set off by 11.30am.
- Dogs
- Under close control: livestock graze here.
- Children
- A long walk for small legs at five and a half miles. There is a play park at Harestanes.
- Toilets
- At Harestanes visitor centre, open Friday to Sunday, 10am to 5pm. Plan on none from Monday to Thursday.
- Before you set out
- The stair inside the monument is not open to the public. The visitor centre, with its café, shop and toilets, is open Friday to Sunday, 10am to 5pm.
The walk
Park at Harestanes Countryside Visitor Centre, off the B6400 just outside Ancrum. TD8 6UQ is the postcode. The centre has a café, a gift shop, toilets and a play park, and it's open Friday to Sunday, 10am to 5pm. From Monday to Thursday plan on finding it shut, and bring what you need with you. The marked paths start from the centre, and Scottish Borders Council gives the round by Folly Loch and Peniel Heugh as five and a half miles, or 9 km, and three hours.
Most of it is on woodland paths, with a short, steeper climb at the end onto the open top. The monument was raised to mark the Battle of Waterloo. The first tower, designed by William Burn, collapsed, and the one you see today was redesigned and finished by the architect Archibald Elliot. It stands on private land, and the spiral stair of 226 steps inside isn't open to the public, so the view is from the foot of the tower. It's a very good one, right across Teviotdale and the Roxburghshire countryside.
The hill itself is an old volcanic outcrop, and long before the tower two Iron Age forts stood up here. Stones from their walls can still be seen on the north side. Stout shoes or trainers are enough in dry weather. Livestock graze this ground, so keep dogs under close control. From November to January, set off by 11.30am.
If it rains
The woods keep the worst of a shower off, but the top is bare and windy and the view needs clear air. In low cloud, walk the woodland paths round Harestanes and keep the hill for a brighter day.
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 House in the Hill, 7 miles away. Sleeps 4; next free Thu 29 Oct to Sat 31 Oct.
For further reading, before you go.