Distances are given in the Route section of the Trail Guide only in metres and kilometres, as OS maps are metric and to quote imperial units as well would be tedious and would clutter the text with too many conversions. Any readers still unfamiliar with metric units of distance are reminded that a metre is just a little over a yard, and that to convert kilometres to miles, you should divide by 1.6 (approximately). Summits and other heights are given in both metres and feet, as many British walkers find it easier to visualise height in feet rather than the metres now marked on OS maps.
Finally, each stage includes ‘Places of Interest’ sections to provide concise but adequate information on the many towns, villages, country houses, gardens, monuments, etc, on or close to the route. In a few instances the items of interest are not actually ‘places’ (the Killing Times described in Stage 3 is one example). This information will enable SUW walkers to appreciate in full the areas through which they are passing, and allow decisions to be made as to which places to spend further time exploring. Part of the joy of walking a long-distance route through an area new to the walker is the chance to explore previously undiscovered places and the history and topography of the area. All SUW trekkers should take some time out from their walk to visit one or more of the many places of interest on the route. The places of particular merit to visit on or alongside the Way, are:
Castle Kennedy Gardens (Stage 2)
Lead Mining Museum, Wanlockhead (Stage 7)
Traquair House (end Stage 10)
Melrose Abbey (end Stage 11)
Thirlestane Castle and Gardens, Lauder (end Stage 12)
The walking stages associated with most of these attractions are relatively short, so that time should be available for an extended visit.
THE ROUTE
Cold Moss, near the highest point of the SUW in the Lowther Hills (Stage 7)
STAGE 1
Portpatrick to Castle Kennedy
| Start | Portpatrick |
| Finish | Castle Kennedy |
| Distance | 21.9km (13.6 miles) |
| Ascent | 350m |
The walk starts with a highly scenic section of about 3.5km of coastal walking, along cliff tops and down to small coves and beaches. Some care is required on the cliff sections on the first half of this route from Portpatrick. At the Killantringan Lighthouse on Black Point the trail leaves the coast to head eastwards on minor lanes and tracks across the Rhins peninsula, reaching its high point on this stage at 156m (512ft) on Mulloch Moor. Knockquhassen Reservoir is passed on a moorland path to its south, after which the SUW descends towards Stranraer and Loch Ryan. The SUW does not enter Stranraer itself, although a diversion of less than a mile would allow a visit to this town, the capital of the Rhins and a former port to Larne and Belfast in Northern Ireland. The route skirts to the south of Stranraer, but offers good views down to the town and Loch Ryan. It then makes its way via narrow lanes, tracks and paths to Castle Kennedy, a small village on the A75, and home to the renowned and eponymous gardens.
This first stage of the SUW is a short one for a number of reasons. It allows walkers who arrive at lunchtime in Portpatrick to reach Castle Kennedy in the afternoon (although this would leave only a brief time to enjoy beautiful Portpatrick). Secondly it is never advisable to over-stretch yourself on the first day of a long walk, when your leg muscles and feet are unaccustomed to strenuous exercise and shoulders unused to the weight of a rucksack. Far better to walk yourself in over the first couple of days, rather than exhaust yourself early on in the adventure. There is plenty of opportunity to do just that in the days to come! Tomorrow is also a short day, designed to allow sufficient time to visit the Castle Kennedy Gardens. These two moderate days will hopefully have increased your fitness and you will then be prepared for the more rigorous days to come. Strong, fit and experienced walkers could nevertheless reach New Luce on the first day if they so desired.
PORTPATRICK
Portpatrick
No more splendid starting place for the SUW can be imagined than pretty little Portpatrick on the rocky west coast of the Rhins peninsula. Portpatrick is a lovely small coastal town with its brightly painted blue, white and cream buildings huddled around an attractive horseshoe shaped bay and neat harbour. It makes a very pleasant place to spend the evening before venturing out on your long walk. There is plenty of accommodation on offer in the town, from harbourside hotels to B&Bs, but note that booking is well advised, particularly during the main summer season, as Portpatrick is a popular place for a holiday or short break.
You could be forgiven for thinking that you were in the Scottish Highlands or Islands from the surrounding landscape. Indeed the BBC in the early 2000s conned its viewers into believing that this area was one of the Hebridean Islands in a popular TV series, Two Thousand Acres of Sky (photographs of the cast of this series can be viewed by clients of one of the harbourside café/restaurants). Portpatrick and its harbour also wouldn’t be out of place on the Cornish coast. If you are arriving here on the midday bus from Stranraer then there are several cafes and restaurants awaiting you, for lunch or tea and coffee before setting out on the Way. Although today the town is mainly of interest to tourists and television directors, in former times it was a major port to Ireland. Indeed the very name of the town, after the Irish patron saint, indicates its importance for communications and trade with Ireland. In its heyday in 1812, 20,000 horses and cattle were imported here from the Irish port of Donaghadee, a mere 21 miles away across the North Channel. Troops were sent to Ireland from Britain via Portpatrick, the town having a large and permanent barracks, and many Covenanters sailed from here to safety in Ireland. It was also the Gretna Green for Ireland, offering a quick and easy marriage with few questions asked. Even Peter the Great is said to have spent a night here on his visit to Britain in 1698. But by the 1840s, with the invention of the large and faster steamship that soon superseded sail, Portpatrick fell rapidly into decline as Stranraer was developed.
To start the SUW, head for the north-west end of Portpatrick harbour (toilets) to reach a SUW information board, the first of many encountered along the Way, and the very first SUW wooden fingerpost, situated at the foot of a long flight of concrete steps heading up the coastal cliff. These mark the start of your 347km epic journey eastwards to Cockburnspath. But for the first few miles you stay with the west coast, enjoying an excellent coastal path. Note the various dates from historic, prehistoric and geological times marked on these steps. Head up to the huge Portpatrick Hotel with its Scottish Baronial architecture.
Sea cliff north of Portpatrick
Take the good path at the top