0:24:50 > 0:24:57.
0:25:15 > 0:25:17It's a windy, wintry morning on the Scottish Borders
0:25:17 > 0:25:19and I'm just above the town of Melrose -
0:25:19 > 0:25:24world-famous, of course, for its rugby sevens.
0:25:24 > 0:25:27But it's another number that I'm interested in today -
0:25:27 > 0:25:28not seven, but the number three,
0:25:28 > 0:25:30because the hills we're going to climb today
0:25:30 > 0:25:34were once known to the Romans as Trimontium.
0:25:49 > 0:25:53The three conical mounds of the Eildons are, on that side,
0:25:53 > 0:25:55Mid Hill, North Hill,
0:25:55 > 0:25:57and away round the corner there, Wester Hill.
0:25:57 > 0:26:01They were formed a long, long time ago by an immense lava flow
0:26:01 > 0:26:03that once covered this whole area.
0:26:03 > 0:26:05That lava flow intruded into the sandstone below,
0:26:05 > 0:26:08the underlying sandstone,
0:26:08 > 0:26:12and through countless centuries of rain and wind and ice,
0:26:12 > 0:26:15they've been weathered down into three distinct tops
0:26:15 > 0:26:18that have become a well-loved symbol of the Scottish Borders.
0:26:18 > 0:26:21And you know, on a day like this,
0:26:21 > 0:26:24you can be assured that that weathering process
0:26:24 > 0:26:26is still going on.
0:26:26 > 0:26:28The wind is really fierce today.
0:26:28 > 0:26:29In fact, it's so fierce,
0:26:29 > 0:26:31that tomorrow we might even have six Eildons.
0:26:38 > 0:26:41Here's the first of our three hills of the Eildons - Eildon Hill North.
0:26:41 > 0:26:44Not very far now.
0:26:50 > 0:26:52This looks like a fairly substantial track I'm walking up,
0:26:52 > 0:26:55indeed you could get a horse and cart up here.
0:26:55 > 0:26:58And I suspect its origins are pretty ancient,
0:26:58 > 0:27:01because at one time, there was quite a large settlement up here.
0:27:10 > 0:27:13This is the first of our three Eildon Hills
0:27:13 > 0:27:15and archaeologists reckon
0:27:15 > 0:27:18that 2,000 years ago, the people of the Selgovae tribe
0:27:18 > 0:27:23had built about 300 hut circles up here on the slopes of the hill.
0:27:23 > 0:27:26Can you imagine that - 300 hut circles?
0:27:26 > 0:27:28It must have been like an ancient city.
0:27:28 > 0:27:30You know, it's not surprising,
0:27:30 > 0:27:32because by building their homes up here,
0:27:32 > 0:27:35they could see enemies approaching from a long way away.
0:27:35 > 0:27:37Later on, the Romans took over the site
0:27:37 > 0:27:39and they used it as a signal station.
0:27:39 > 0:27:41And by lighting a fire up here,
0:27:41 > 0:27:45it could be seen for dozens of miles all around.
0:27:50 > 0:27:54I've developed a real passion for walking here in the Borders,
0:27:54 > 0:27:55a passion that was born
0:27:55 > 0:27:58when I tackled a section of the Southern Upland Way
0:27:58 > 0:28:00about 20 years ago.
0:28:00 > 0:28:02I discovered this was an area of Scotland
0:28:02 > 0:28:03rich in legend and folklore,
0:28:03 > 0:28:07with some great hills into the bargain.
0:28:07 > 0:28:09Although it's not a long walk,
0:28:09 > 0:28:12the triple tops of the Eildons offer an excellent leg-stretch
0:28:12 > 0:28:15for these shorter days of winter.
0:28:25 > 0:28:31This is Eildon Mid Hill - 442 metres or 1,385 feet.
0:28:31 > 0:28:34Unlike the other tops of the Eildons,
0:28:34 > 0:28:37it really reeks of ancient history.
0:28:37 > 0:28:41There was apparently a burial cairn up here
0:28:41 > 0:28:44and today, we've got this view indicator
0:28:44 > 0:28:46and it's showing me the Teviots of Northumberland
0:28:46 > 0:28:48are over in that direction,
0:28:48 > 0:28:52the Moorfoots are over in that direction,
0:28:52 > 0:28:54and the Lammermuirs across that way.
0:28:54 > 0:28:55It's interesting,
0:28:55 > 0:28:58both the Moorfoots and the Lammermuirs have got snow on them,
0:28:58 > 0:29:01so winter has arrived with a vengeance.
0:29:09 > 0:29:14I'm heading towards the last of our Eildons, Wester Eildon.
0:29:14 > 0:29:18You know, while I'm fascinated by the geology of hills like this,
0:29:18 > 0:29:21I'm equally fascinated by the alternative theories
0:29:21 > 0:29:24of how a landscape developed.
0:29:24 > 0:29:27There's a lovely here that the Eildons were actually formed
0:29:27 > 0:29:30by a man called Michael Scott the Wizard
0:29:30 > 0:29:33and he was ordered by Old Nick, the devil himself,
0:29:33 > 0:29:36to turn the one single Eildon into three.
0:29:36 > 0:29:40So, using his supernatural powers, that's exactly what he did.
0:29:42 > 0:29:44It's also claimed in this area
0:29:44 > 0:29:47that the 13th century bard, Thomas the Rhymer,
0:29:47 > 0:29:54was captured by the fairy folk and spent seven years in Efland,
0:29:54 > 0:29:58which was apparently below the Eildons, right here in the Borders.
0:29:58 > 0:30:01But, you know, the one thing that bothers me is this name,
0:30:01 > 0:30:04Michael Scott the Wizard. It's a lousy name for a wizard!
0:30:04 > 0:30:07You really need a Merlin, or a Gandalf, or something like that.
0:30:07 > 0:30:10But I think what really worries me about it
0:30:10 > 0:30:12is I once had an accountant by the name of Michael Scott,
0:30:12 > 0:30:15and he was certainly no wizard!
0:30:32 > 0:30:36Here we are, the final top of our Eildons trio.
0:30:39 > 0:30:41You know, these might not be big hills in terms of elevation,
0:30:41 > 0:30:44but they are prominent hills
0:30:44 > 0:30:47in relation to the rolling landscape around them.
0:30:47 > 0:30:50They've also got one other good thing going for them
0:30:50 > 0:30:54from this final top, it's only about 30 or 40 minutes down to Melrose
0:30:54 > 0:30:57and a particularly good coffee shop that I know.
0:30:57 > 0:31:01With all this talk of supernatural powers and wizards,
0:31:01 > 0:31:06I think I can hear the distant magical call of a latte
0:31:06 > 0:31:09summoning me down below to somewhere warmer.
0:31:09 > 0:31:11See you next time.
0:31:24 > 0:31:27Subtitles by Red Bee Media Ltd