Drumelzier Law

Rising steeply above the Tweed Valley, this rounded Donald offers a classic Southern Uplands experience. Its grassy, broad-backed ridge provides straightforward walking, often combined with neighbouring Pykestone Hill. The summit offers a commanding perspective over the village of Drumelzier and the winding River Tweed towards the distant Eildon Hills.

• •The name likely derives from the Cumbric Drum (ridge) and the personal name Meldred, a 6th-century sub-king of the region.
• •Local tradition identifies the foot of the hill as the burial place of Merlin; a prophecy by Thomas the Rhymer correctly predicted that when the Tweed and Powsail Burn flooded his grave, a Scottish king would take the English throne.
• •Most walkers approach the summit via a long, high-level traverse from Pykestone Hill, following a boundary fence that acts as a reliable navigational handrail across the high peat hags.
• •The summit provides an excellent vantage point to study the topography of the Manor Hills, with the massive, communication-tower-topped Broad Law dominating the skyline to the south.
• •Given the rounded, featureless nature of the plateau, the summit cairn is less of a triumphant monument and more of a modest suggestion that you have finally run out of uphill.