A proper hike, big views, and one very energetic dog.

Usually I can start this walk from my house, but this time I got a lift to Cardrona Forest car park and started from there instead.

There are toilets at the car park, which is always handy, and normally you do have to pay to park. There was plenty of space when I arrived, and enough room to avoid the other dog when we got there, just one quick woof from Pepper.

I started at 9am on a Friday, and in the end it took me around 3.5 hours to get into Peebles. If I’d done the full route back home, it would have been another hour on top of that, but I definitely wasn’t in the mood for an extra hour on a cycle path with Pepper. So technically this was only half of the full AllTrails loop, but definitely the harder half.

I also did this walk with just Pepper. I wasn’t confident I could safely manage both girls on something this long and challenging, so Heidi will need a make-up adventure another day.

First Impressions

From the car park, the route starts off fairly gently through the forest. At first it just feels like a nice woodland walk.

It’s not until about an hour in that it starts to feel like a proper hike.

That’s when the views begin to open up, and suddenly it all feels much bigger and more dramatic.

It was quiet for most of the walk, which made a huge difference. We saw two separate hikers, one group of cyclists near the forest section, and a set of joggers with a dog right at the start. Other than that, it felt very peaceful.

The weather was a mix of sunshine and cloud, but the wind at the top was something else. I checked the forecast carefully before going because the last time I did this route we ended up getting caught in a mini snow blizzard, which was an experience I won’t forget.

The Terrain

The first hour or so is fairly straightforward on decent forest track, but after that the terrain gets much rougher.

A lot of the path becomes narrow and uneven, with deep bike tracks, rocky sections, and awkward surfaces underfoot. By the end I could really feel it in my ankles.

There are quite a few steep sections too, and according to AllTrails, the route has around 752 metres of elevation gain, which sounds about right. You definitely feel it.

There were at least three points where the climb felt like it would never end, especially once the wind started hitting full force. Walking into it made everything feel harder.

And annoyingly, once you’ve finished climbing, you then have to deal with a pretty steep descent, which felt just as hard – especially with a pully dog attached to one arm.

The Best Bits

The views are what make this walk worth it.

There are a couple of points where you stop and properly take it in, and when Peebles finally comes into view, it really is spectacular.

You get a bit of everything too. Forest at the start, open hillside later on, and that feeling of being completely out in nature with nothing much around you.

At one point we sat down on a little rock piles for lunch, which felt like the perfect viewpoint and a good excuse to stop for five minutes.

It’s the kind of walk that reminds you why you bothered to leave the house in the first place.

How It Was With Pepper

Pepper came along for this one on her own, and honestly, she was in her element.

She pulled until the very last minute like it hadn’t tired her out at all. She probably trots five times the distance I walk, which feels deeply unfair when I was absolutely feeling it.

We saw a couple of walkers she clearly wanted to lunge at, but I had her on the lead and it was manageable. Near the end, once we were approaching Peebles, we also got quite close to sheep. Some behind fences, some actually on the path, but by that point she was tired enough that she didn’t react.

Once we came off the hill and into Peebles, we saw a surprising number of dogs in a very short space of time, probably around ten dogs in ten minutes. Again though, Pepper did much better than I expected. She was looking, but there were no barks or lunges, which I’m putting down to tiredness.

There was enough space to manage most situations throughout the route, although some of the narrower paths were lined with heather, which made stepping aside a bit awkward in places. We were definitely helped by how quiet it was.

Was It Hard?

A proper hiker might read this and think it sounds easy, but for me it felt like hard work. The climbs are steep, the route feels long, and some of the surfaces are genuinely tiring to walk on.

There was a point, when the wind was battering us and the path felt endless, where I did wonder whether to turn back. But by then I was already far enough in that it didn’t really make sense.

So we kept going, and I’m glad we did.

What You’d Need

I definitely wouldn’t treat this as a casual walk.

You need proper walking boots, food and water, extra layers, and ideally decent weather.

I would avoid it in winter unless you’re really prepared. I’ve had snow up there before and wouldn’t rush to repeat that. I also think a very hot day would make it hard going, because there’s not much shade once you’re out in the open.

It’s probably best for people who don’t mind a bit of a challenge and are comfortable with steep hills and longer distances.

I’d also say it’s more suitable for active dogs. If your dog is older, less fit, or not used to longer walks, it might be a bit much.

Final Thoughts

Would I do it again? Yes.

I’d just want to make sure the weather was decent first.

It’s a proper hike, not a casual wander, but the views are absolutely worth it. And there’s something about being out in the open with nothing but hills, wind, and one very happy dog that makes the hard bits feel worthwhile.

Pepper was thrilled from start to finish.

And if I’m honest, after a hard week, I think I needed the walk just as much as she did.

I’d give it 5/5 for this particular day.

Maybe that says more about my mood than the route itself, but either way, it was exactly what I needed.