Coast-to-coast path reaches 40-year landmark

A coast-to-coast path across the south of Scotland is celebrating the 40th anniversary of its opening.

The Southern Upland Way runs 214 miles (344km) from Portpatrick in Dumfries and Galloway to Cockburnspath in the Borders.

The route was officially opened on 27 April 1984 and it has been estimated to have generated significant tourist revenue for the south of Scotland.

It means more than most, though, to ranger Tom Henry who works along its length.

"To me, it's an escape," he said.

"It's obviously been so difficult in the last few years, particularly with Covid, and I'm sure like a lot of people I've struggled a lot with that.

"But being able to get out onto those hills, suddenly my mind clears and everything opens up."

He said it allowed people to simply get out and "breathe the fresh air".

"It's so important, I think, for a lot of people and for me that's what I find really important about the route," he explained.

"I think in the entire country, there are very few places where you can get out into the countryside and feel completely alone where there just isn't another person in sight.

"And that's what you can do on the Southern Upland Way that you really can't do anywhere else."

Most people take about 12 to 16 days to complete it or can take on the route in two legs - from Portpatrick to Moffat and then from Moffat to Cockburnspath.

Tom said it remained a magnet for visitors.

"The countryside that we've got here in the south of Scotland is absolutely amazing as so many people who live here know," he said.

"But obviously a lot of people from elsewhere don't appreciate how amazing it is here.

"So having a path like the Southern Upland Way brings people into a part of Scotland that they maybe otherwise just wouldn't think of visiting."

He said the people who completed the route were only a small fraction of those using it.

"We believe there's about 1,000 people who walk the path from one end to the other every year," he explained.

"That's only a small number of the people who use the path, because even if you haven't got the time to walk the entire path from one end to the other, there are lots of fantastic short walks that you can do all over the place."

The financial impact of those walkers is not insignificant, according to Tom.

"We believe the people visiting the Southern Upland Way bring in about £500,000 of tourist revenue to the area every year," he said.

"So it's a vital support for local businesses bringing more people into the area."

However, he said he believed it had potential to make an even bigger contribution.

"We do think it's an underused resource," he added.

"Like I say, we think about 1,000 people walk it end to end every year, but that's a small fraction of the number of people who walk the West Highland Way or the Speyside Way.

"We think that if we can get the message out there about how fantastic this path is, we can bring a lot more people into the area."

As part of that effort, a special exhibition is being held in Glentrool to mark the 40th anniversary.

Then more visitors might be encouraged to sample even a small section of the very varied pathway across Scotland.