Phawhope Kips

Rising steeply above the head of the Ettrick Valley, these grassy summits offer a quiet, airy ridge walk. The terrain is characteristic of the Southern Uplands: soft underfoot but sharply defined. From the top, you gain a clear perspective into the deep cleughs and across to the craggy face of Croft Head.

• •The name is a linguistic blend: 'Phaw' likely stems from the Old English 'faw' for pale or variegated, while 'hope' refers to a secluded valley and 'Kips' is a Scots term for a sharp, pointed hill.
• •The summit is often visited as part of a high-level horseshoe walk that circles the Phawhope Burn, connecting the dome of Ettrick Pen with the more rugged terrain of Croft Head.
• •While the Southern Upland Way skirts the lower northern slopes near the remote cottage at Over Phawhope, the Kips themselves remain a sanctuary for those seeking silence away from the waymarked trails.
• •Calling these summits 'Kips' is an exercise in Southern Upland relativity; they are only considered sharp peaks when compared to the vast, rounded 'whales' backs' that dominate the surrounding skyline.