Southern Upland Way

How long it really is

We measure Southern Upland Way at 348.3 km (216.4 miles), computed by walking the OpenStreetMap route geometry point by point across the 3 relations the route is mapped in.

Access rights along the way

The route stays within Scotland, so one access regime applies along its length.

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 — 2 of them within 350 m, so effectively on the route itself. Distances are measured from the nearest point of the path, not from a trailhead.

The route in day stages

Southern Upland Way cut into 17 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.

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

Daylight at the midpoint today

Sunrise

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Sunset

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Daylight

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Civil twilight ends

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Computed astronomically for 55.368, -3.742. 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

• Romans and Reivers Route · 80 km
• Annandale Way · 107 km
• River Ayr Way · 66 km
• Cross Borders Drove Road · 86 km
• Clyde Walkway · 62 km
• Ayrshire Coastal Path · 150 km

Sources for this route

• Route geometry, name, waymark and operator: OpenStreetMap relation 50325 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.southernuplandway.gov.uk
• Background reading: Wikipedia (CC BY-SA).

OpenStreetMap data is licensed under the Open Database Licence. Our derived trail measurements are published under the same terms — see data sources.