About Bareback Knowe [Windlestraw Law SW Top]
Sitting as a subsidiary shoulder on the broad southwestern ridge of Windlestraw Law, this quiet summit offers a quintessential Moorfoot experience. Expect peat hags and heather underfoot. The reward is a grandstand view south over Tweeddale towards the Ettrick Forest hills and the distinctive triple peaks of the Eildons.
Key Statistics
Rank
63rd Highest in Region
Parent Range
Southern Uplands
Nearest Town
Walkerburn
Prominence
?
29.2m
Geology
The fell is formed from the Gala Unit 7, a foundation of gritty, muddy sandstone that settled as sediment on an ancient seafloor.
Classifications
Nearby Fells
Did You Know?
- •The name 'Knowe' is a common Scots term for a small hill or knoll, while 'Bareback' likely describes the exposed, unwooded nature of these high heathery slopes.
- •This summit serves as a significant waypoint for walkers tackling the southwestern approach to Windlestraw Law, the highest peak in the Moorfoot Hills.
- •The surrounding plateau is a landscape of vast, rolling moorland, providing a stark sense of isolation despite being just a few miles north of the town of Innerleithen.
- •From the summit, you can look directly across the Tweed Valley to the broad, dark profile of Minch Moor and the higher summits of the central Southern Uplands.
- •In a range famous for swallowing boots in deep peat, the hill provides a name that accurately reflects the lack of shelter found on its windswept, boggy heights.
Find It
Latitude
55.6678°N
Longitude
3.0154°W