The Well Path – A Roman Fortlet above Durisdeer
About 4 miles on foot.
Durisdeer is a handful of houses and a grand church at the foot of the Lowther Hills, on what was once the main road to Edinburgh.
The old road, the Well Path, still climbs the green glen behind the village to a Roman fortlet, one of the best preserved in Britain. It's a quiet walk of 6.5 km on tracks and rough ground, and worth a morning.
- Time
- Two to three hours: 6.5 km from the village square up the glen to the Roman fortlet and back. A walk on tracks and rough, soft ground.
- The path
- A minor road, a hard track, then a rutted grass track with a ford and two ladder stiles.
- Where to start
- The village square at Durisdeer, without blocking any access; no charge.
- Set off
- From November to January, set off by noon to be back in daylight.
- When to go
- All year in daylight and clear weather. From November to January set off by noon. The glen is wet underfoot after rain.
- Dogs
- Under close control: sheep graze the glen.
- Children
- Children who manage ladder stiles and wet ground; no pushchairs.
- Before you set out
- A ford, ladder stiles and soft ground; the longer round crosses pathless ground and needs a map and a clear day.
The walk
Park in the square at Durisdeer, a small village under the Lowther Hills, on a side road that leaves the A702 three miles from Carronbridge. There's no charge, and take care not to block anyone's gate or door. The council gives its Well Path walk as 6.5 km and allows an hour and a half, which is brisk. Give it two to three hours, with time at the fortlet and the church. The Well Path is the old road through the hills, the main way to Edinburgh until the Dalveen Pass road opened in the early 19th century, and the Romans came this way long before.
Up the glen their fortlet still stands as a square of grassy ramparts, one of the best preserved in Britain. The council's leaflet has it rising from the ground like a surfacing submarine. You can come back the same way, or make a longer round over rough, pathless ground higher up, which needs a map and a clear day. Expect a ford, ladder stiles and soft ground, so wear boots. Sheep graze the glen: keep dogs under close control.
Before you leave, look at the parish church by the square. It's far grander than a village this size would suggest, with the Queensberry Marbles inside and a martyr's monument by the main door. From November to January, set off by noon to be back in daylight.
If it rains
An open glen with no shelter: in rain or low cloud walk only as far as the fortlet and back, and look round the church.
Before you go
Book accommodation nearby
If you are staying over: here are ours nearest where the day starts and ends.
For further reading, before you go.
Photograph by Russell McAllister via Google