Megget

Craigierig is a village on the Megget Reservoir, in the Scottish Borders area of Scotland, in the former Selkirkshire. Places nearby include the Glengaber Burn, Henderland, St Mary's Loch, the Tibbie Shiels Inn, and Yarrow Water.

Megget Reservoir is an impounding reservoir in the Megget valley in Ettrick Forest, in the Scottish Borders. The 259 hectares (640 acres) reservoir is held back by the largest earth dam in Scotland. The reservoir collects water from the Tweedsmuir Hills, which is then conveyed 28 miles (45 km) via underground pipelines and tunnels to Edinburgh. The pipelines are routed through the Manor Valley and the Meldon Hills, to Gladhouse Reservoir and Glencorse Reservoir in the Pentland Hills. These two reservoirs store the water until such times as it is required. Excess water which overflows from the reservoir is returned to the Megget Water, and hence into St. Mary's Loch.

Black Law is a hill in the Manor Hills range, part of the Southern Uplands of Scotland. One of the more remote Donalds, it does not easily combine into a round with other hills in the area and requires traversing rough terrain to reach the top. Common ascents are as part of an extended Dun Rig Horseshoe to the north-east, from the south at the Megget Reservoir or, most easily, from the Manor Valley itself.

Dob's Linn is a small steep valley in Dumfries and Galloway, just north of the A708 road between Moffat and Selkirk, in Scotland. It is part of the Grey Mare's Tail Nature Reserve which is owned by the National Trust for Scotland. According to tradition, Dob's Linn is named for a covenanter, Halbert Dobson, who took refuge there from Government troops during The Killing Time in the late 17th century.Dob's Linn is important in geology as the location of the Global Boundary Stratotype Section and Point (GSSP) which marks the boundary between the Ordovician and Silurian periods, and marks the base of the Llandovery epoch, on the geologic time scale. Dob's Linn was ratified as the GSSP by the International Union of Geological Sciences in 1984.The boundary is defined as the first appearance of graptolites Parakidograptus acuminatus and Akidograptus ascensu 1.6 m above the base of the Birkhill Shale Formation. The shale section also contains chitinozoa and conodonts, but neither are well preserved. Dob's Linn has been criticized for the difficulty in relating its graptolite biostratigraphic sequence with shallow water sequences elsewhere, although the stratotype also appears to correspond with a carbon-13 isotope excursion in the latest Ordovician which can be identified worldwide.The area was first studied by Charles Lapworth in the late 19th century. His work established fossil graptolites as a method of understanding stratigraphic sequences. A more recent description of the area, enumerating the zones established by Lapworth, is given in the British Regional Geology Monograph. Before Lapworth's work, it was thought that the Silurian rocks of the Southern Uplands formed a single sequence, that would have to be about 6000m in thickness. By his identification of particular graptolite species in different zones of the Dob's Linn exposure, Lapworth was able to demonstrate that the Uplands consist of a much thinner layer, consistent with Silurian deposits elsewhere, that had been repeatedly folded and faulted, with multiple repetitions of the same strata, often upside down. The understanding that sequences of sedimentary rocks could be inverted played an important part in the later resolution of the Highlands Controversy in which Lapworth was also involved.

Megget Water is a river in the parish of Yarrow, Selkirkshire in the Scottish Borders area of Scotland. The Water rises at Broad Law (2,760 ft), passes through Megget Reservoir and empties into St Mary's Loch. Places in the vicinity include Cappercleuch, Craigierig, Cramalt Tower, the Glengaber Burn, Meggethead Farm. The Megget area, formerly a parish united with Lyne, Scottish Borders, is of geological and archaeological interest, through stone artifacts at Henderland in the lower Megget valley (now in Wilton Lodge Museum, Hawick), and discoveries of gold.

Cappercleuch is a settlement on the A708, at St. Mary's Loch in the Scottish Borders area of Scotland, in the historic county of Selkirkshire. Places nearby include Bowerhope Law, Craigierig, Deer Law, the Dryhope Tower, Ettrickbridge, the Ettrick Forest, the Megget Reservoir, the Megget Water, Mountbenger, the former Tibbie Shiels Inn, the Yarrow Water and the Glen Cafe overlooking the Loch of the Lowes.

The Southern Upland Way is a 344-kilometre (214 mi) coast-to-coast long-distance footpath in southern Scotland. The route links Portpatrick in the west and Cockburnspath in the east via the hills of the Southern Uplands. The Way is designated as one of Scotland's Great Trails by NatureScot and is the longest of the 29 Great Trails. The Southern Upland Way meets with seven of the other Great Trails: the Annandale Way, the Berwickshire Coastal Path, the Borders Abbeys Way, the Cross Borders Drove Road, the Mull of Galloway Trail, the Romans and Reivers Route and St Cuthbert's Way.The path is maintained by the local authorities of the two main council areas through which it passes: Dumfries and Galloway Council and Scottish Borders Council; a short section in the Lowther Hills lies in South Lanarkshire. It is primarily intended for walkers, but many parts are suitable for mountain bikers; some sections are also suitable for horse riders. About 80,000 people use the path every year, of whom about 1,000 complete the entire route and a completion certificate can be applied for through the Southern Upland Way official website. It is considered the most difficult of Scotland's Great Trails but also one of the most rewarding to complete passing through some of the UK's most remote land. A popular and less challenging option is to walk it in two stages: typically Portpatrick to Moffat, then Moffat to Cockburnspath at a later date.

St Mary's Loch is the largest natural loch in the Scottish Borders, and is situated on the south side of the A708 road between Selkirk and Moffat, about 72 kilometres (45 mi) south of Edinburgh.

Grey Mare's Tail is a 60-metre (200 ft) hanging valley waterfall near to Moffat in southern Scotland. The fall is produced by the Tail Burn flowing from Loch Skeen cascading into the Moffat Water in the lower valley below. The surrounding area forms the Grey Mare's Tail Nature Reserve, owned by the National Trust for Scotland. The footpath from the valley floor up to Loch Skeen is one of the more popular walks in the area. Parking is also provided. Grey Mare's Tail Nature Reserve is situated along the Moffat Water Valley in the heart of the Southern Uplands. This National Trust for Scotland property extends over 922 hectares and is characterised by a dramatic waterfall (the 5th highest in the UK), an upland loch Loch Skeen and White Coomb which rises to 821m and is one of the highest hills in Southern Scotland. The post-glacial landscape is an open mosaic of heather and rough grazing that includes 8 habitats of European importance and many plant species of international, national and regional significance. The reserve is botanically diverse, containing the richest assemblage of rare upland plants in Southern Scotland. Recognised as a Special Area of Conservation, Grey Mare's Tail Nature Reserve is popular with hill walkers, botanists and wildlife enthusiasts. There is also historical evidence of Iron Age settlers and the Covenanters who sought sanctuary here in the 17th century. Notable animal species: peregrine falcon, ring ouzel, raven, vendace and wild goats. Rare plants: many, including oblong woodsia, montane willows, and alpine saw-wort.

Loch Skeen or Loch Skene is a loch in Dumfries and Galloway in the south of Scotland. It is located about 10 miles to the north-east of Moffat and feeds the 60-metre (200 ft) high Grey Mare's Tail waterfall. The area around Loch Skeen is popular with hikers, and the Daily Telegraph included Loch Skeen in a list of Britain's finest one-day and half-day walks. It is the highest loch in the Southern Uplands at approximately 510m.

Andrewhinney Hill is a hill in the Ettrick Hills range, part of the Southern Uplands of Scotland. It is the highest summit of a ridge that runs parallel to the A708 road on its southern side, with the Grey Mare's Tail in the Moffat Hills directly opposite. The northwestern slopes are designated as part of the 'Moffat Hills' SSSI and SAC.

The Southern Uplands (Scottish Gaelic: Na Monaidhean a Deas) are the southernmost and least populous of mainland Scotland's three major geographic areas (the others being the Central Lowlands and the Highlands). The term is used both to describe the geographical region and to collectively denote the various ranges of hills and mountains within this region. An overwhelmingly rural and agricultural region, the Southern Uplands are partly forested and contain many areas of open moorland - the hill names in the area are congruent with these characteristics.