England Scotland Border Walk
A 125-mile long-distance coast-to-coast walk following as closely as possible the line of the England and Scotland border from Annan in the west to Berwick-upon-Tweed in the east. With map, statistics, and GPX route file.
Statistics and Files
Grid Ref: NY 153 631
Distance: 125 miles (202 km)
Time: 50–70 hours
Duration: 8–12 days
Ordnance Survey Explorer Maps (1:25,000):
323 Eskdale and Castle O’er Forest
324 Liddesdale and Kershope Forest
OL16 Cheviot Hills
340 Holy Island and Bamburgh
346 Berwick-upon-Tweed
Summary
The England Scotland Border Walk was conceived in a book written by Ian Crofton in 2014. He made a journey on foot from Gretna Green in the southwest to Berwick in the northeast, following as closely as possible the Anglo-Scottish Border as it has been fixed since the Union of the Crowns in 1603. Much of the line of the border runs through a wild, overwhelmingly unvisited no-man’s-land — the sort of trackless waste perfect for keeping two belligerent peoples apart. During the course of his journey, Ian Crofton considers a number of questions, such as how “natural” borderlines really are: sometimes they follow physical barriers, and sometimes an arbitrary line on a map. The book is a must-read, and the walk is a fascinating, albeit challenging one. Completing it will not only allow you to find the border; you may also find yourself.