Galashiels –Milngavie,
6 – 10th June 2017
Introduction
Almost 20
years ago Mike and I had set out from Minehead with a plan to walk round Land’s
End on the South West Coast Path. In 5-day annual jaunts of 100 miles a time,
we completed our objective and then continued northwards using long distance
footpaths to John O’Groats. Via the Macmillan, Mid-shires, Pennine and St
Cuthbert Ways, we got to Galashiels. Mike then missed a year through illness
before he re-joined me at Milngavie the following year to use parts of the West
Highland and Rob Roy Ways and the old drove and military roads across the
Highlands all the way to the north coast. So Mike needed to complete the
missing link. I accompanied him on the condition that we chose a different
route across the South of Scotland to the one I had walked in 2012.
So Jill took
us, her annual pilgrimage, down to the station for our train to Edinburgh where
we used the newly reopened Waverley line to Galashiels. Here we stayed at
Craigielea B&B on Lawyers Brae and ate at the Salmon Inn, sausage &
mash followed by sticky toffee pudding. We found a lovely real ale, Summer Buzz
(3.8%) from Box Steam Brewery in Wiltshire.
Tuesday 6th June 2017 Galashiels – Peebles
Southern Upland Way and Cross Borders Drove
Road
The forecast
was dismal so we were fully togged up as we, just before 9am, left our digs and
weaved our way up the hill onto the Southern Upland Way which skirts round the
south of the town. Little did I know that I would be carrying an open umbrella
for every minute of the day, except where the wind threatened to demolish it.
The weather got progressively worse as we crossed over a low ridge to the Tweed
Valley and then up the big climb from Yair to the Three Brethren. Here we
donned full winter gear. So much for waiting for summer. We walked into a stiff
cold wind along the high and exposed ridge over to Trachair by which time I was
soaked, battered and rather dispirited.
A mile of
sheltered road gave us a brief respite for the weather but we were soon
embarking on a rough climb following the line of the Cross Borders Drove Road. I
needed a sugar-fix to get me up and over the col which was a long traverse into
what was now a raging storm. This led us onto a long narrow ridge that pointed
us down to Peebles. On a better day this would be a highlight in anyone’s
walking calendar but today it was a survival mission. Slowly, slowly we dropped
into town and then onwards through endless suburbs to the bridge over the
Tweed. At our b&b our landlady stood ready to collect our soaking clothes
and hang them on her kitchen rack. She said later that she had never
experienced clothes so wet as mine. We felt warmed and stronger after a shower
and cup of tea but the rain was not relenting outside and we walked to the pub
in sandals and bare feet so as to prevent our spare clothes from getting wet as
well. A month’s rainfall fell that day in the Borders.
Galashiels
dep. 08.57, Peebles arr. 17.01
GPS 22.80
miles in 8hrs 4mins 26secs: the conditions were too bad for stopping.
We stayed at
Lindores Guest House in Old Town, Peebles. The Crown on High Street provided a
good meal of chicken stuffed with haggis and I topped up with sticky toffee
pudding again. The beer was Belhaven Bitter.
Wednesday 7th June 2017 Peebles - Biggar
The John Buchan Way
It was a
much better day, sunny and dry with a biting wind that dried the sodden
countryside. We got a leisurely start as it promised to be an easier day. We
planned to follow the John Buchan Way for its entire length to Broughton. We
readily found the correct way out of Peebles and had just come out of a wooded
area and were starting to climb through open fields when we had the most
amazing of coincidences A lone figure, repairing a wall, was Roger, an old
friend and running mate who had left my home town maybe 15 years ago. I had
never seen him since nor had any idea where he had resettled. What are the
chances, throughout the entire Scottish Borders of me bumping in to him? Although
I suppose that if he is to stand all day on a long distance footpath, then it
would be inevitable.
The official
path contoured below Cademuir Hill but the route over the top looked very
tempting. A gale threatened to blow us over the steep edge as we traversed the
hill to its westernmost point where we descended steeply back onto the marked
trail. A second climb took us over another ridge and down to Stobo, a quiet
little hamlet with a lovely church. A delightful wooded valley alongside Easton
Burn took us to the foot of the last climb and here we sat on a bench in front
of a ruined farmhouse to have a quick sandwich. Then we ascended into a
fabulous group of hills and a series of tracks and paths that led us through some
magnificent country. The gusting wind made it very exciting as we gained the
final col and turned southwards down Hollows Burn to Broughton. A man walking
his dog in the lower reaches of the valley was the only person we saw on the
entire crossing.
We turned
onto the main road through Broughton and, joy of joys, there was a tea shop.
Coffee and cakes were quickly demolished and we received the welcome news that
we did not have to walk down the road into Biggar. The old railway line was now
an established footpath. All we had to do was to find Broughton Brewery and the
route was signed. I have an instinct for this sort of thing so we were soon
motoring at nearly four miles an hour on a pleasant but flat route across
pretty countryside. In no time at all, it seemed, we were turning across the
golf course and into town passed the school. This route came out right opposite
our hotel and a great day’s walking was complete.
Peebles dep.
09.13, Biggar arr. 16.57
GPS 19.27 miles
in 6hrs 53mins 13secs walking time plus a 20 minute break near Stobo and a 20
minute café stop in Laurel Bank Tea Shop in Broughton.
We stayed at
the Elphinstone Hotel in Biggar where I devoured pork & black pudding stack
and an apple crumble sundae. The ale was Jaguar (4.5%) from the Kelburn Brewery
in Barrhead, one of my all-time favourites.
Thursday 8th June 2017 Biggar – New Lanark
Election Day Special
The weather
forecast was not good, but if we were to have a chance of climbing Tinto, we
would have to go early to avoid the worst of the rain. We had set our hearts on
traversing this lovely mountain as a way of minimising the road walking on this
section. But the moment we stepped outside the hotel, at just before 8.30am, the
drizzle started and by the time we had walked the length of Lindsaylands Road,
the clag was down on the hills and the rain was getting heavier. The prospect
of walking down the A72 to Symington, with little likelihood of gaining the top
of Tinto, was rather depressing so we change our minds and our route.
We abandoned
our plans for the off-road traverse of the mountain and instead we took the
Sustrans-signed lanes along the river to Thankerton. Here we crossed the Clyde
and the railway line before turning right up Perryflats Road keeping parallel to
the main road. After a couple of miles, as we contoured below Chester Hill, we
turned sharp left and headed down a track towards Warrenhill. A mirage appeared
out of the rain. There, on a wall across the road, were painted the words ‘Farm
Shop & Tearoom’. Hardly believing my eyes, we followed the signs round the
back of the farm to a small café and bistro. Leaving our umbrellas outside, we
entered the tiny café and stripped off our sodden waterproofs. The owner did
not seem to mind the puddles on the floor. He gave us an orienteering map of
the Carmichael Estate and indicated the off road options ahead.
So we
followed tracks and traffic-free lanes for the next two miles passing an old
ruin of a castle which evidently fell prey to Oliver Cromwell. We emerged from
the estate into the village of Carmichael. Then onwards through quiet lanes to
the A70 and thence to the bridge across Douglas Water at Sandilands. We had
spotted from the map the opportunity of accessing Bonnington Linn from
Kirkfieldbank Road but were not sure whether it would go. Heading down to the
river from the road corner, we were at first dismayed at seeing a high metal
security gate across the track. We were relieved to see that there was a
pedestrian gate to one side and we were soon crossing the weir above the Falls
of Clyde. The two miles down the path beside the fall were so spectacular that
we could not drag ourselves away from the viewing platforms. But it was still
raining as we came round the final bend into the impressive complex of New
Lanark and its mills and old houses. One of these mills was a very smart hotel
and it was here that we spent the night, election night.
Biggar dep.
08.25, New Lanark arr. 15.00
GPS 16.08 miles
in 5hrs 49mins 43secs walking time plus a 20min stop at Carmichael’s Tearoom
near Thankerton.
The New Lanark Mill Hotel was a magnificent building in a
magnificent setting, a World Heritage Site. I had fish and chips followed by
warm carrot and orange cake, all slightly disappointing. The only acceptable
beer was Caledonian 80/- adding to my disappointment.
Friday 9th June 2017 New Lanark – Uddingston
Motorway Chaos on the Clyde Walkway
My
disappointment with the hotel continued in the morning when we were charged for
breakfast even though I had a booking that included breakfast in the advanced
rate. Getting a refund took 30 precious minutes that would come home to bite us
later. Our departure was further delayed by not finding any signage for the
Clyde Walkway within the New Lanark village. Eventually we found a high level
exit which took us on our way down the gorge passed more waterfalls and rapids.
The best of these falls came after the village of Kirkfieldbank, the Stonebyres
Falls. With the high volume of water thundering over through the cataract, it
was the most impressive river setting I have experienced in the British Isles.
The only problem was that it remained difficult to see. The path was thickly
tree-lined and there were no viewing opportunities. This probably explains why
it seemed relatively unvisited compared with the more touristy Falls of Clyde
up-stream.
By the time
the river reached Crossford, it was out of the narrows and once more flowing
gently between water meadows. The route climbed steeply over a last ridge
whilst the river went round a long loop. Then we descended into the central
belt of Scotland with its towns, roads and industry. The background hum from
the M74 was ever present. The high rise blocks of Wishaw and Motherwell
dominated the view to the right. But the return to civilisation had one
advantage. As we ventured into Strathclyde Country Park we found a tearoom in
the Water Centre. So rather late in the day we had our first break, not knowing
the chaos and problems ahead.
The last
phase of the day started quietly enough with a pleasant walk on roads and
grassland beside the loch. But at the far end there was no indication of the Clyde
Walkway. We enquired of a local the way ahead but he had no knowledge of a
path. He pointed us towards the motorway complex and its adjoining hotel,
mentioning a new footbridge. To a walker, the view of the motorway exit
(junction 5 on the M74) was a nightmare: roundabouts and new roads with no
pavements or walkways. The new footbridges were there. It was just a matter of
reaching them. Mike set off to climb a newly landscaped bank of loose earth and
scrambled over the metal handrails to gain the first one. This took us over to
the main roundabout and into a tunnel under the motorway. Then we gained the
second bridge via a long spiral which eventually led us into a network of busy dual-carriage
ways and some green-man controlled crossings. We chose a dual-carriage which
look to be heading in the right direction and at the end of this, we found
Bothwell Bridge, our original target.
Our problems
were far from over. We crossed the river, as per the map, but failed to see any
exit from the cycle way that ran beside the busy road. So we ended up following
the road signs for the David Livingstone Centre which took us a long way round
passed Stonefield Station. It was only when we reached the river again that we
saw a Clyde Walkway sign, our first for several hours. Re-crossing the Clyde on
a metal footbridge, it was a relatively short walk passed Bothwell Castle and through
peaceful woodland beside the river. At Uddingston High School we left the path
and turned into the town and our hotel. It had been a long and frustrating day.
New Lanark
dep. 09.02, Uddingston arr. 18.45
GPS 25.69 miles
in 8hrs 57mins 36secs walking time plus a 20 min stop for coffee and cake in
Strathclyde Water Centre.
We stayed at
Redstones Hotel in Uddingston and ate in their restaurant, Il Capo. I had a
marvellous beef burger and chips, washed down by Caledonian beer. The sticky
toffee pudding that I had as dessert was my third of the trip. There is a
definite lack of diversity in Scottish puddings.
Saturday 10th June 2017 Uddingston - Milngavie
Clyde and Kelvin Walkways
The hotel
did not start breakfasts until 9am at weekends. This was a problem for us. A
long day was on the cards and, with a train to catch, we had planned for the
earliest departure of the week. The manager, with no other staff available other
than the night porter, agreed to make us breakfast himself. So, at 8am, we were
sitting in the dining room with our rucksacks packed beside us, eating porridge
and bacon rolls. The drizzle that we faced when we stepped outside just after
8.30am was not heavy enough to trigger waterproofs. And it was quite mild and
muggy as we retrace last night’s route from the riverbank.
Crossing the
metal footbridge, we followed a well-signed section of the route across waste
ground and woodland edges. This was not according to the map where the land
that it had originally crossed was now a huge development of new houses. Our
path lay down by the river on the outside of miles of security fencing. Some
red deer appeared to be caught inside the fencing but had got out before we
reached the spot. Two runners came towards us on a training run and recce for the
40 mile ‘ultra’ race along the entire Clyde Walkway which was now only a month
away. We saw nothing at all of Cambuslang which lay away to our left and only
knew it was there from the map and fingerposts. By the time we arrived at the
second river crossing of the day, we were well and truly back on tarmacked
cycle ways, Sustrans routes into the city.
The next 90
minutes or so took us passed Celtic’s football ground and a greyhound stadium
before we burst out into the verdant parkland of Glasgow Green. Another runner
stopped and set us the mental task of finding the only US state which did not
contain any of the letters in George W Bush. This kept us happily employed
until we came to the busy road crossing in the city centre. Before we knew it
there was the Clutha, the scene of the tragic helicopter accident. Then we were
passing under Central Station and out passed the SECC and science centre. As
the tall ship came into view, our route turned away from the Clyde, our
companion for the last 40 miles, and over the dual-carriageway and northwards
towards the university, We found the River Kelvin and came to a shield on a
lamppost marking the start of the Kelvin Walkway, Round the bend was the Kelvin
Hall and Kelvingrove Museum and Art Gallery. With 14.5 miles behind us, it was
time for a coffee break. An organ recital was just coming to an end as we
tucked into some very welcome cakes.
As we
restarted, the weather was fast improving. Kelvingrove Park was just preparing
for a festival and was full of families and dog walkers. We had a slight
problem finding the Kelvin Walkway from the northern end but, by staying as
close to the river as the streets would allow, we came back onto the official
route which was signed but confusingly and inconsistently. But the further we
got out of the city, the easier it was to follow. The Kelvin valley was
surprising deep and wooded, a wild strip going right into the city. Near the
university science park, the way took a short cut across a large loop in the
river, and we only regaining the riverbank after a mile of suburban walking.
But there was no more tarmac from now on, just a narrow and slippery footpath
through water meadows. The clock was ticking now. We were getting conscious of
the pending train departure. There was an opportunity of a short-cut, by walking
up a busy and narrow A-road. The path followed the river round a long
gratuitous loop. It was not a well walked section and it involved scrambling
along an overgrown riverbank, slowing our progress. I was delighted and
relieved to get back to the main road and then onto a good straight track that
led us straight into the town of Milngavie. As usual the signage failed us and
we had to carefully navigate from the map to find the station which, after 5
very hard days, we reached with 25 minutes to spare.
The trains
worked perfectly and we were soon back at Glasgow Central grabbing a bite to
eat before clambering rather stiffly onto a pendolino heading south. Jill once
again met is from the station and took us home for a very welcome sleep in our
own beds. Oh, and the American state is Indiana.
Uddingston dep. 08.35,
Milngavie arr. 17.15
GPS 24.80 miles in 8hrs 7mins 41 secs walking
time plus 25 minutes in Kelvingrove Museum Coffee Shop.
Aftermath
In the week
we walked 109 miles in generally poor weather. The rain and low clouds had
frustrated our plans to climb Tinto, one of the highest hills in the South of
Scotland. So we had a day of road walking in the wet. But we loved the John Buchan Way, a very fine
route through remote hills. And the upper parts of the Clyde were spectacular. The
people that we met were all very chatty, welcoming and helpful, not like the
more introverted country folk of the south.
So our mission is complete. Mike and I have walked the entire length of
Britain together and we are still the best of friends. Is there life after
LEJOG?
