Penchrise Pen

About Penchrise Pen

Rising as a distinctive, conical landmark south of Hawick, this Southern Uplands summit offers a rewarding climb through typical Borders sheep pasture. The grassy slopes lead to an ancient hillfort-crowned top, where the views extend across the Teviot Valley to the Eildon Hills and the distant, rounded crests of the Cheviots.

Key Statistics

Find It

Did You Know?

• •The name Penchrise Pen is a linguistic relic of the Cumbric language once spoken in the Scottish Borders; 'Pen' signifies a head or prominent hill, a term still common in Welsh and Cornish topography.
• •The summit is encircled by the well-preserved ramparts and ditches of an Iron Age hillfort, occupying a strategic position overlooking the valley of the Slitrig Water.
• •To the north-east, the view is dominated by the volcanic plug of Rubers Law, while the south-eastern horizon is defined by the massive, plateau-like forms of The Cheviot and Hedgehope Hill.
• •The hill stood as a sentinel over the famous Waverley Route railway; though the line is long closed, the dramatic rock cuttings and embankments remain visible in the valley below the western slopes.
• •With a name that effectively translates to 'Hill-cross Hill', it seems the early cartographers were determined that no traveller should mistake this 439-metre peak for anything other than a hill.