Maiden Paps

Twin summits south of Hawick, the higher reaching 510 metres above the rolling Roxburgh Hills. The distinctive breast-shaped profile makes these hills a familiar landmark across the central Scottish Borders. Despite their modest altitude, they appear notably prominent against the surrounding gentle terrain, with Hermitage Castle lying six kilometres to the south.

• •The name derives directly from the hills' distinctive breast-shaped profile when viewed from the north, a landscape feature striking enough to override any more conventional Scots or Gaelic naming tradition.
• •The twin peaks stand just 10 metres apart in height, with the northern summit reaching 510 metres and its southern companion 500 metres, forming a genuinely symmetrical pair.
• •Hermitage Castle, one of the bleakest and most sinister fortresses in Scotland, lies only six kilometres south of the summits and features in numerous Border feuds and dark tales from the 14th century.
• •The nearby hamlet of Shankend, 3.5 kilometres to the northeast, was the site of a notorious 19th-century railway viaduct collapse that killed several workers during construction.
• •Despite the gentle character of much of the Roxburgh Hills, the Maiden Paps' isolated position and symmetrical form give them a visual prominence far exceeding what their modest altitude might suggest.