🥾 Walking route
Leader Water Path
Scottish Borders
- 📏 3.9 km · 2.4 mi
- ⛰ +159 m
- ⏱ 1 hr 15 min
- 🐕 On lead
Walk stats
- Distance3.9 km · 2.4 mi
- Elevation+159 m
- Duration1 hr 15 min
- DifficultyModerate
- Route typeLinear
- TerrainRiverside paths, farm tracks and quiet lanes
- Best seasonSpring to autumn
- DogsDog friendly; keep on lead near livestock
About this walk
The Leader Water Path traces the lower reaches of the Leader Water through the gentle countryside of the Scottish Borders, linking Leaderfoot Bridge with the small town of Earlston over just under four kilometres. The route sets out beside the Leader near its confluence with the Tweed and heads north through mixed farmland and wooded riverbank, with the elegant span of Leaderfoot Bridge behind you as you begin.
From here the path passes Drygrange and continues through quiet pastoral country, with glimpses of Cowdenknowes House among the trees before the final approach into Earlston. Underfoot the going varies between riverside track, farm path and quiet lane, with a modest but steady total ascent of around 159 metres to keep the legs honest.
Nearby the Trimontium viewing platform and the Trimontium Roman Amphitheatre offer a rewarding detour for anyone interested in the area's Roman past, while Blackhill Westwood, Tweed Wood and Kirklands add further options for extending the day on foot.
Route map
Route line drawn from OpenStreetMap footpath data. Numbered markers are waypoints on the route; amber star markers are points of interest a short detour away.
Waypoints along the route
4 waypoints along the way
- 1
Leaderfoot Bridge
- 2
Drygrange
- 3
Cowdenknowes House
- 4
Finish: Earlston
- Finish
The end of the route.
Worth a short detour
Points of interest just off the route, look for the amber markers on the map.
Trimontium viewing platform
~331 m off the route
Trimontium Roman Amphitheatre
~464 m off the route
Blackhill Westwood
~425 m off the route
Tweed Wood
~496 m off the route
Kirklands
~207 m off the route
Route & waypoint data © OpenStreetMap contributors (ODbL).