Time on Feet

Cyrils found on this hill: Eildon Mid hill, Eildon hill North, Eildon Wester Hill, and Eildon little hill.

While Eildon mid hill is the main summit of these shapely hills at 422m, there are 4 tops or viewpoints worth visiting This post will hopefully persuade you why each is worth a visit, offer the various routes to access each, and inspire you to create your own route with which to explore these brilliant little hills.

Eildon Mid Hill

A Borders stalwart, the Eildon hills rise prominently above quaint picturesque towns and villages and capture the eye of all who gaze upon them. The river tweed snakes halfway around the base of the hills and borders many a photographer’s camera. Eildon Mid Hill is the tallest and when seen from the south and east boasts a near perfect conical peak stabbing into the sky. The most common routes from Melrose through the golf course and on the St Cuthbert’s way provide a wide sloping hillside that rises constantly until around 300m has been ascended, with good paths and slopes coated in gorse and heather that show off vibrant colours in early and late summer. The final climb from the bealach is rocky and children or shorter adults would even be able to call it a scramble. A trig point and well-made viewpoint mark the summit and give information on all the other Borders hills visible.

From the west is the easiest ascent. From the fishing loch at the top of the Dingleton climb a fantastic reflection of Mid Hill and the outcrop beneath it (a great sunset dinner spot might I add) can be had if weather permits. An easy start through cattle fields quickly changes into steep scree slopes that sap the energy, and burning legs and heaving lungs find comfort in the sight of the summit trig.

From the south access is reached through wonderful deciduous woodland and is best done in mid-autumn when the concoction of colours is at its best. Trails crisscross through the woodland in numerous ways and the highest point of the woods leads one out just below the bealach, where the rocky eastern slope can be ascended.

Eildon Hill North

If Mid Hill is the conical would-be west coast peak, then Eildon Hill North is the high table plateau of the cairngorms. Where mid hill is the wannabe mountain, this top is steeped in historical charm. Used as a hill fort in the past this summit feels like it has had its top sliced off, as the ascent routes are just as steep as Mid Hill. Together they make the Borders Ben More and Stob Binnien if you will. From Melrose and from the south the ascent route is virtually the same, just head in the other direction to Mid Hill.

From the East, not only can the wonderful woodland be accessed but a mythical site can also be visited en-route. Rhymer’s stone, where Thomas the Rhymer was said to have met the fairy queen marks the start of an assault on the steep eastern slopes that give grassy going high up, much kinder than the scree and rock of Mid Hill. Above these eastern slopes you look down upon the site of Trimontium, a Roman fort named for the three hills visible from the valley floor. Mid Hill looks fantastic from here, particularly on descent to the bealach, and the expansive views range just as far as the taller top.

Eildon Wester Hill

If Eildon Mid hill is the dramatic one, and Eildon hill north is the historic one, Eildon Wester hill is the quiet one. When ascended from the bealach it barely feels a significant hill with only a few minutes climbing required but the views south and back to the taller two are brilliant. This can also be attacked from the fishing loch, the bealach, and the southern woodland but make sure to glimpse a view from the road to the south if you can. Here steep slopes that would be rough to ascend show off a rarely seen side to this quiet and unassuming peak.

Eildon Little Hill

Merely a small bump on the western side of the hill, likely bypassed by almost all that walk here, is Eildon little hill. It only rises a few meters above the bealach between Mid and Wester hill but seen from the north it is a rocky cnoc that sticks out above the path. It feels like an ever so slight escape from the popular routes snaking over the hill and is a simply blissful place to have date night dinner watching the early August sun set. As the vibrant summer colours turn a matt pastel, cows frolic and rabbits dart to and fro.

Route summary

It makes logical sense to combine all four tops in the one walk as once at the bealach the effort required for each one is minimal compared to the bulk of the climb. They can be done as a high loop, or all done as out and backs and visited fairly quickly if time crunched. For a big 10.5 mile walk one could park in Melrose, follow the Tweed to Newstead, gaining fantastic views to the hills as you climb, cross the bypass, and climb to Rhymer’s Stone before walking to Eildon on the old road. Just before Eildon turn into the forest and walk through to Bowden, turning right at the road to the fishing loch for the reflection picture. Climb up to Eildon Little hill then Eildon Wester hill before dropping down to the little lochan and climbing the western slopes of Mid hill, descending, and climbing Eildon north. From here descend to the edge of the forest on the easter slopes then contour west along the hill to join the St Cuthbert’s way back to Melrose.