Cross Borders Drove Road
86 km (53 miles), in Scotland.
- Distance
- 85.9 km
- In miles
- 53.4 mi
- Day stages
- 5 at ~20 km
- Typical trip
- 3–4 days
- Countries
- Scotland
- Highest ground nearby
- Birkscairn Hill 661 m
- Listed summits within 2.5 km
- 1
- Northern end
- NT 1016 6288
- Southern end
- NT 4789 1448
- Managed by
- Scottish Borders Council
One of the 29 routes designated by NatureScot as Scotland's Great Trails — largely off-road, well-managed long-distance routes that are signposted and mapped end to end.
How long it really is
We measure Cross Borders Drove Road at 85.9 km (53.4 miles), computed by walking the OpenStreetMap route geometry point by point across the 3 relations the route is mapped in.
This is horizontal distance only. Our trail dataset carries no elevation profile, so we will not quote a total climb or a confident walking time — on hill routes ascent can add hours a day. A flat-ground pace gives roughly 20 h 14 min of walking for the whole route, which is a floor, not an estimate. Add your own ascent figure in the walking-time calculator for something usable.
Access rights along the way
The route stays within Scotland, so one access regime applies along its length.
Scotland
Yes Right to roam: Statutory right of responsible access to most land and inland water.
Yes Wild camping: Wild camping is broadly lawful under the 2003 Act.
A waymarked route is a route you may walk — it does not follow that you may camp beside it, leave it, or take a dog on it. Long-distance paths cross farmland, estates and access land in turn, and byelaws and seasonal restrictions override the general position. This is general information, not legal advice. Check a specific spot with the access checker.
Summits on and beside the route
Listed hills from our hill dataset whose summit lies within 2.5 km of the line — none of them directly on it. Distances are measured from the nearest point of the path, not from a trailhead.
| Summit | Height | From path | Lists |
|---|---|---|---|
| Birkscairn Hill | 661 m | 0.9 km | DonaldSimm |
The route in day stages
Cross Borders Drove Road cut into 5 stages of roughly 20 km, measured along the line itself. These are equal-distance splits computed from the geometry, not an official itinerary — they will not always land on a village, a bunkhouse or a station, and the real day you walk should be set by where you can sleep.
| Stage | Distance | Cumulative | Starts near | Ends near | Flat-ground time |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 20.8 km | 20.8 km | NT 1016 6288 | NT 1746 4810 | 4 h 35 min |
| 2 | 20.2 km | 41 km | NT 1746 4810 | NT 2797 3517 | 4 h 27 min |
| 3 | 20 km | 61 km | NT 2797 3517 | NT 4195 2907 | 4 h 24 min |
| 4 | 20.4 km | 81.4 km | NT 4195 2907 | NT 4760 1679 | 4 h 29 min |
| 5 | 2.9 km | 84.3 km | NT 4760 1679 | NT 4789 1448 | 38 min |
Positions are 8-figure (100 m) OS grid references for points on the line, computed from WGS84 coordinates. Flat-ground times are Naismith at 5 km/h with a 6 min/hour rest allowance and no ascent — add the climb in the walking-time calculator before you plan around them.
Conditions on the route
Weather at the route midpoint live
Loading forecast for the midpoint of the route…
Forecast for the midpoint of the Cross Borders Drove Road, at MET Norway's own ground level — we hold no elevation profile for this route, so nothing here is altitude-adjusted, and conditions vary considerably end to end on a route this long. Weather data from MET Norway (CC BY 4.0).
Daylight at the midpoint today
- Sunrise
- —
- Sunset
- —
- Daylight
- —
- Civil twilight ends
- —
Computed astronomically for 55.598, -3.139. Set a turnaround with the daylight safety planner.
Plan this walk
- Walking-time calculator — add ascent, terrain, pack weight and fitness to get a usable time.
- Pack-weight calculator — multi-day routes live or die on base weight.
- Kit-list generator — season and terrain aware.
- Access checker — what a specific grid reference on the route allows.
- Best month to walk — historical rainfall, temperature and wind by area.
- Safety notes — conditions change fast; build in margin.
Other long-distance paths nearby
Sources for this route
- Route geometry, name, waymark and operator: OpenStreetMap relation 19763992 and 2 further relations making up the route — © OpenStreetMap contributors, ODbL.
- Distance, stages, country crossings, park crossings and summit proximity: computed by OpenFell from that geometry.
- Boundaries: Office for National Statistics (OGL v3.0). Summits: Database of British & Irish Hills v18.3 (CC BY 4.0).
- Official route website: www.southofscotlandcountrysidetrails.co.uk
OpenStreetMap data is licensed under the Open Database Licence. Our derived trail measurements are published under the same terms — see data sources.