Hopes Reservoir: Harestone Hill & Whitestone Cairn

Hopes Estate is an absolutely magical spot in the Lammermuir Hills. The dramatic centre-piece, Hopes Reservoir, nestles amongst the embrace of some of the highest peaks in the range, notably Lammer Law, which can be easily accessed from here. The reservoir itself makes for a nice gentle wander on a sunny day- I have not done so, but I believe that you can easily walk the full circumference of the water. The walk to the reservoir from the car park is lovely in itself, passing through a small unspoilt patch of woodland that teems with wildlife. We once ventured ‘off-piste’ to explore an old abandoned shed-type building here that had been thoroughly reclaimed by pigeons, but that was a long time ago now... which tells me it is definitely time to return!

A wee bonus pic from a previous walk to the reservoir itself!

Today’s hike is a circular hill hike, I would estimate as somewhere between 6 and 8km (you will be delighted to know that I have finally joined the modern world and downloaded Strava, so from here on in my estimates will be considerably more precise!!!). There is one particularly important thing that I do really need to point out to you before you attempt this walk. Parking at Hopes Reservoir has historically been a contentious issue. The basic gist of the saga is that during that weird phase in lockdown when everyone was allowed outside only for ‘exercising’ , the newly-identified outdoorsy folks seemingly caused a fair bit of hassle with rubbish, fires and whatnot, thus annoying the land-owners to the point that they are understandably no longer particularly welcoming towards large numbers of visitors. A quick google search will throw out more questions than answers with regards to parking, and most likely also cause unnecessary alarm, with comments relating to cars being vandalised and locked in etc (which, for the record, we have not experienced ourselves)... At the time of writing, I believe the current situation is this: at the start of the month a limited number of parking permits are issued to the post office in Gifford- these can be purchased for £10 and allow you to park in a labelled car park at Hopes Reservoir as many times as you like, for the duration of that month. It used to be possible to park in a nearby carpark owned by Scottish Water for free, however, on our last visit we discovered that clear ‘No Parking’ signage has appeared all around this area, and a chat with some Scottish Water workers emphasised that this is no longer an option. (I can however, neither confirm or deny that if you were to park in the main car park and stick a tenner under your windscreen wiper with a note apologising that you don’t a permit, you may or may not be lucky enough to have zero issues, and find that tenner still under your windscreen wiper when your return...)

Once you have passed the first test and successfully parked up, continue on foot down the track toward the reservoir. After a couple of hundred meters or so, just beyond West Hopes Farmhouse on the left, you should reach a large sign detailing information about the estate, wildlife, ticks, dog etiquette etc. Hills loom over you on both sides at this point, and a number of inviting tracks beckon in all different directions. Continuing straight on will eventually take you to the reservoir, however today’s adventure lies to your left, directly up that steep, straight path you can see behind the farmhouse. This is a direct route to the summit of Harestone Hill, and it is STEEP(!) but as we all know... the great thing about a steep climb is that views come thick and fast, and what views these are! As you ascend, the glistening diamond shape of Hopes Reservoir creeps into your panorama, a stunning backdrop to the miniature gorge carved out by the aptly named ‘Fall Burn’ as it tumbles alongside you down the hillside, winding it’s way steeply down before eventually tracing a slower path back to where you parked up. All around you, as far as the eye can see, is nothing but the rolling heather-smattered hills inviting you to keep climbing up and into the clouds.

Looking down towards West Hopes Farm house at the start of the path up the hill

Stunning views to your right as you climb!

You will now find yourself in classic Lammermuir Grouse country, and as such, will certainly come across various signs of an active shooting community. Random grouse butts are dotted about on the rugged burgundy moorland, and you may observe huge blackened patches on the slopes where the wild gorse and heather has been strategically burned as part of the annual ‘muirburn’, so destructive to the delicate ecosystem, but designed to encourage fresh growth from the embers which provide a rich food source only for the farmed grouse, destined to later end up as a food source themselves, or perhaps just killed for sport. I am afraid I can’t align myself with that particular countryside pursuit... However, I digress...

Continue right up to the very top of the hill until a farmers track or fire road becomes visible in the distance, and as you clamber onto the plateau look over to your left and you should soon be able to see an enormous pile of rocks, stacked up for years around the original stone cairn marking the neolithic burial site of Whitestone Cairn. I simply adore these wide, exposed peaks, where the wind rips through your clothing, and you feel that you could shout as loudly as you like and the only ones to hear you would be the widely roaming, and sparsely scattered sheep that adorn this rugged, sweeping landscape. Run freely to the Cairn, breathing in the fresh air and bask in that wonderful exposure, find yourself a rock and delight in that fabulous tradition of marking your arrival! A small, traditional stone sheep pen to the back of the cairn provides a little shelter from the elements and I am sure you will agree that this is a great spot for a picnic. We planned ahead (for once!) and brough our handy jetboil which allowed us to make a lovely cup of tea... I hold to it that there are not many things in life better than a fresh brew with a view!

When you are ready to move on, retrace your steps back to the original hilltop path and head towards the dirt road which now lies to your left. Turn right and follow the road as it tracks towards the reservoir below you. You will catch up with the Fall Burn at its source somewhere around here, and we spotted lots of wooden and wire contraptions that looked like small animal ‘traps’ positioned across the stream. We have no idea what these were for, I did wonder if they might be for monitoring numbers of rodents, or possibly something to do with testing water quality?! If you know, please do ping me a message and I will be most grateful to find out!

From here, continue along the road as it takes a sharp right and descends steeply back down the hill where you will find yourself all at once immersed again in that magical panorama of hills and glistening water. Be careful here- the track is so steep in places that it is difficult to keep your footing on the loose stone- I actually found it easier to take my chances, attempting not to break an ankle in a rabbit hole or tangled in the woody heather, to pick my way down alongside the path instead of on it (and that was with my trusty leather hiking boots so consider yourself warned!).

In no time at all you will find yourself back at West Hope Farm where it is just a wee scamper alongside your old friend the Fall Burn and back to your car. Do be sure to make the most of that parking permit though... there are plenty more routes to explore and sumptuous picnic spots to be found!

Papple Steading: Papple Wood and the Whittinghame Water