22 April 2015 – Oxton and the Lammermuirs

I’m going to start with a word of caution that despite being a great day out, I can’t unreservedly recommend today’s route. The reasons will come clear later on, so you follow our footsteps at your peril!

The weather has been kind of late: cloudy but with very little rain, and now a handful of warm sunny days thrown in before it’s all due to break down at the weekend. All the off-road tracks have dried out nicely, so this was the perfect time to explore some new cross-country routes with the least chance of having to deal with the dreaded mud.

The route for today was an attempt to join up Fountainhall with Oxton, going up and over the hill that separates them, then crossing the Lammermuirs to stop off at Humbie for a cuppa. First of all, we had to get from Middleton to Middletoun…

If I had more time and was feeling more confident about my abilities, then we would probably have reached Fountainhall by going over the Granites and via Heriot on the minor road. However, it was quicker and easier to just ride up the A7. It was warm and sunny and the traffic was light, so we got to the turnoff for Cortleferry (just after Fountainhall) without any problems. We then followed the decent quality minor road that leads to Middletoun farm. It was pretty steep at one point, after which Colette and I both removed our outer layers so that we were riding in T-shirts. Maybe that’s winter behind us at last!

Getting going again, we came across a pregnant ewe in the road that got very afraid and started running away up the road ahead of us. We didn’t want to terrify the poor thing, so we slowed down to walking pace. We proceeded to follow it for a good while till it finally found a field entrance and we could shoot past quickly. By that time we were almost at Middletoun, where the path to Threeburnford was signposted.

This path uses the bed of the long defunct Lauder Light Railway that at one time ran from Fountainhall to Lauder as a spur from the Borders railway. Where we joined it, the railway path was rutted, hard packed earth, but it showed signs of having been a muddy quagmire during the winter.

Riding along Lauder Light Railway

Riding along Lauder Light Railway

The path took us through quiet farmland, with rolling sheep-filled hills on either side. There were also occasional remnants from the old railway in the shape of a couple of ruined wooden trackside cabins with brick chimneys. We explored the best preserved one which was situated at the far end of the track. After that, we joined a farm track that took us alongside a daffodil-emblazoned enbankment leading up to Threeburnford.

Approaching one of the trackside cabins

Approaching one of the trackside cabins

Soon we were on proper tarmac again, though with a few potholes to dodge. Unexpectedly, we also had to dodge a large group of ramblers who were enjoying the wonderful weather and surroundings just as much as we were. Further along we spotted, perched on a telephone line, a couple of swallows (one swallow doesn’t make a summer, but two… we can hope…!). We continued along the lovely, quiet road for a mile or so further, but we knew it had to end soon when finally we caught glimpse of the busy A68 ahead of us.

Our route then turned parallel to the main road and continued to the village of Oxton, which neither of us had visited before. It might be a little isolated and off the beaten track, but it has a pub and shops and seemed like a delightful place to stay. On reaching the crossroads, I was about to consult the map, when a man working up a ladder on one of the houses asked us where we were going and helpfully pointed us in the right direction.

That took us down to the A68 not far from the Carfraemill roundabout. We managed to miss out even that short stretch of main road by taking what appeared to be the remains of the old, pre-roundabout road, which led right up to Carfraemill Hotel. We decided this would be a good opportunity to stop for refreshments, so we ordered tea and scones, which we had outside on the terrace.

This was also a good time to check the map again and take note of which route we were going to follow for our crossing of the Lammermuirs, which lay directly to the north of the hotel. It was somewhat concerning that there was a “Road Closed” sign at the start of the road but experience has shown that bikes can usually find a way past.

It was about noon when we got ready to go again, and I asked one of the workmen who were waiting next to the road closed sign whether it would be OK for us to carry on up the road. “You’ll have to go now!” he said, because they were getting ready to start tarmacking the road. That was good timing, so we hopped on our bikes and went ahead of the convoy of road surfacing vehicles, crossing a big section of freshly “de-surfaced” road that they were about to fill in with the hot, sticky black stuff.

The road into the hills from Carfraemill was paved at first

The road into the hills from Carfraemill was tarmac to start with

We then continued through the valley alongside Kelphope Burn on a fairly flat road, trying to ignore the sight of Tollishill farm perched high up on the hillside ahead. I was fairly sure our route didn’t go past that farm, at least I hoped not!

The road meandered through the valley floor till we reached a right turn that went very steeply uphill to the farm we had noticed before. We ignored it! However, the straight on road “ended” just ahead, turning into a private road. There was a collection of 4WD vehicles parked up before this, but we knew it was fine for us to carry on, as we were on bikes.

The track as it continued was a little rough, but perfectly fine for our hybrid bikes, and we followed it past some houses to a gate. A sign on the gate warned that we were entering a firing range, and not to enter when the red flag was flying. Luckily we didn’t see any red flag, but it would have been a serious bummer if we had. We would have had to re-route up that steep hill and take a considerably longer route going in the direction of Gifford.

We were really enjoying the ride through the peaceful hills and followed the track alongside the burn, which criss-crossed our path in five or six places, presenting us with fords to cross. These fords were quite substantial ones, and I would not have liked to try this route after heavy rains! Although Colette and I did moderately well at fording, we both had our “foot down” moments, ending up with wet feet. Luckily the warm temperature meant that it wasn’t a problem. However, we were starting to get hungry, so we were on the lookout for an ideal place to stop and eat our sandwiches.

My fording failure captured for posterity!

My fording failure captured for posterity!

As we progressed, the track gradually got rockier and steeper. That slowed us down, and I was just about to suggest to Colette that we stop for a rest and a bite to eat when she noticed cars in the distance. Sure enough, there was a convoy of Land Rovers and other such vehicles coming our way. I managed to cycle up to the high point of our route just before they caught up. There was a gate here, so I opened it up to let them through. Some went through and stopped, while the others parked up on the adjoining verge. The vehicles contained (mostly) men in green clothing carrying rifles. I asked if it was OK for us to continue on our way, and the answer was yes, but be quick about it!

By the time Colette caught up, there were three Land Rovers ready to head down the track which ran through a wooded area. We followed directly behind them on a fairly rapid and very bumpy downhill ride. They pulled over before the track got to farmland, where we waved goodbye and carried on up a steep slope. When we were far enough away, we deemed it was safe to stop at last for lunch.

We had a well-earned rest, eating tuna sandwiches as we looked back over the sheep field to the hills from where we had just cycled. Occasionally, the distant sound of barking dogs (hunting dogs?) broke the silence.  What I didn’t realise at the time was that a substantial body of water (Stobshiel Reservoir) lay hidden deeper down in the valley below. Something to explore on a future outing perhaps.

We finished our picnic and got back on our bikes for more bone shaking descending, which brought us back to tarmac. Humbie Hub was not far away, so we headed there for our post-sandwich tea and cake. Our visit was again well-timed, as the electricity supply was just about to be turned off as we left the cafe.

The route back was a very familiar one, and it came as no surprise that we broke no speed records on the way home, as we were feeling quite tired from our day of off-road exploration. It had been a great day out, but I wonder what would have happened if we hadn’t got lucky with our timing, getting ahead of the road surfacing crew and the hunters by the skin of our teeth, and if we had been much later we wouldn’t have got our cuppa in Humbie.

So a final word for anyone thinking of this route, just be aware of the potential impact of the weather on road conditions, and the possibility that the Lammermuirs Danger Area might be closed due to shooting.

 

 

 

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