Introduction
My wife was off to Canada to visit her cousins. My granddaughter in
Scotland was celebrating her 15th birthday. Was there a way of
fitting a long-distance trail in as well? I could just about manage a 68-mile
circuit in the Scottish Borders if I got round in 4 days. We had the birthday
meal on the Saturday night and on her birthday itself, I wished Charlotte love
and best wishes and slipped out of the house into the early Sunday sunshine.
The drive on empty roads across southern Scotland was a delight. By 10.15am I
was parking up in Selkirk. After a quick cappuccino and scone in the Peony Rose
Coffee House, it was back to Sir Walter Scott’s statue for photographs at the
start of the Borders Abbeys Way (BAW).
Sunday 11th September 2022 Selkirk - Dryburgh
Temple on the Tweed
An uphill start passed the museum
and climbed up to the A7. Straight across, the gradient eased and by the time the route turned off the
road and onto the Selkirk Hills, I was on a contouring path with great views
back over the town and onwards to a distant Galashiels. A beautiful section on an
old drove road led to a track which dropped through some woodlands to
Cauldshiels Loch. A network of narrow country lanes led down to Abbotsford
House, Scott’s home on the banks of the Tweed. The visitor’s centre was right
on route and here the word ‘cake’ stopped me in my tracks. The morning walk was
halted by a cappuccino and lemon sponge.
The afternoon section was very
different in character. Now the trail became a riverside path through woods and
meadows and continued in this vein until the old chain bridge. I had crossed
this earlier in the year on the Southern Upland Way. But this time my route was
ahead along a quiet lane passing the rugby fields to Melrose Abbey, the first
of four ruined abbeys enroute. Having
already had my café stop, I continued on a path signed ‘Newstead’ walking parallel to the river on a bank above
the flood meadows. At Newstead, I turned under the main road and up a steep
hill away from the river. At the top was a viewing platform and the Rhymer’s
Stone, the mythical site of the Eildon Tree where Thomas the Rhymer met the
Faerie Queen. An undulating, traffic-free lane took me over the ridge and down
into the hamlet of Eildon and the town of Newtown St. Boswell.
A sign directed me down a side
street, round the back of a garage and into Newtown Glen on a wooded path that
eventually brought me back to the river. Dryburgh Bridge is another chain
footbridge across the Tweed. On the north bank is a conical hill upon which stands
the Temple of the Muses. I accessed this up a set of steps and a great view was
to be had over the river and bridge. The rather haunting metal figures gave me
time to reflect on the splendid situation. I then descended back to normality
and the Dryburgh Abbey Hotel, my accommodation for the night.
Selkirk dep. 10.45, Dryburgh Abbey
arr. 16.24
GPS 14.84 miles in 5hr 16mins 01secs
walking time with a 20-minute break in the café at Abbotsford House.
Stayed at the Dryburgh Abbey Hotel,
a magnificent old house by the river. I ate a very ordinary meal of chicken and
haggis and mashed potatoes followed by apple crumble and custard. I had halves
of Green King IPA and Belhaven lager served from kegs. And during the meal I
could not find anyone to get me a glass of wine, a most forgettable meal.
Monday 12th September 2022 Dryburgh – Kelso
Two Closed Abbeys and One Closed Castle
Accommodation distribution on the
next two sections required days of unequal length. There was hurry this
morning. This was to be a short day. I had time for a leisurely breakfast and a
walk round the grounds of this wonderfully situated hotel. The abbey ruins were
closed at this early hour so I peered over the wall to get a view of the old
buildings, surrounded as they were by the usual security barriers. Although it
had rained in the night there was hardly a cloud in the sky as I set off along
the riverside path on a peaceful stretch of the Tweed, with swans gliding
majestically against the flow. The route then climbed a grassy ramp through
some trees and along higher ground to Mertoun Bridge.
It was getting really warm in the
sunshine as I descended to the racecourse, two days early for the next race meeting.
Passing the school and threading though housing estates, I eventually emerged onto
a grassy park near Floors Castle. This was closed following the Queen’s death
last week so I strode back to the river across the manicured meadows of the
Cobby. I stopped to ask for directions from a guy working in his back garden,
then followed his instructions along the river and up to the Market Place. My
hotel was just off the square. As I was so early, I had time for a quick shower
and change of clothes before finding the ’Off the Square’ café. Here I enquired
about real ale and was sent scurrying back to the Market Place and into Rutherfords,
a micropub selling three real ales on hand-pumps. I tried two of these, Magus
Pale Ale (3.8%) from Durham Brewery and Dhu Brew IPA (3.8%) from Stow Brewery. Sitting
at a table outside, Ian McKirdy introduced himself and pulled up a
chair. We spent a couple of hours sitting in the sun and exchanging life experiences.
Then a woman from the next table recognised me from the Gordon Arms last year, She
had been heading in the opposite direction on the Southern Upland Way and
valued our advice on the section we had just completed. Bev was here shopping in
Kelso with her daughter, an amazing and delightful coincidence. Then Helen and
Derek rolled into town having had a much easier-paced walk once they had rid
themselves of me. I was wonderfully happy and a little bit tiddly as I tottered
back to my hotel for my meal.
Dryburgh Abbey dep. 09.09, Kelso arr.
14.25
GPS 14.13 miles in 5hrs 16mins 30secs
walking with a 10 min break near Harrietfield.
I stayed in Ednam House, a superb
hotel in contrast to last night. I ate a top-class meal of belly pork with a
dessert of Eccles cake and yarg cheese. A glass of Portuguese red wind
complemented it perfectly.
Tuesday 13th September 2022 Kelso
– Denholm
Go to Jail, Do Not Pass Go
This was to be my long day so I was first down for breakfast and out into
the morning sunshine before 8.30am. The ruined abbey was difficult to see or
get near to. So I marched onto the bridge above the confluence of the Tweed and
the Teviot and paused to take in the distant view of Floors Castle. A long drag
along a busy A-road wound round to the River Teviot where a stile led to a
riverside path that I followed for at least three miles, all the way to
Roxburgh, the ancient county town. The view ahead was dominated by the beautiful
old railway viaduct. The route continued for a short way along the riverbank
before ascending up a grass track and steep field to join the old railway line.
Another three-mile stretch took me at a good pace along the curving old railway
track round to the hamlet at Nesbit. Emerging onto a road next to a narrow metal
bridge, I crossed the Teviot and turned into the flood meadows on the east
bank, following for much of the way a raised flood bank. Where the Jed Water
enters the Teviot, the trail turns up the side stream and across a main road.
For a short while and a big climb, Deer Street and St Cuthberts Way is joined. After
a mile or so, I turned off onto a wooded path which gentle descended into the
outskirts of Jedburgh. An urban pathway followed the stream as it weaved below
the town eventually coming out onto a road below the abbey ruins. These sit
like a parish church on a hilltop above town centre. The Abbey View Café caught
my eye and brought my long morning to a conclusion. A cappuccino and apple cake
were vital to further progress.
It took some getting going again after my lunch break. The trail exits
Jedburgh via a steep street passing the police station and heading for the
Castle Gaol. I fleetingly passed through the cell block but had no time for the
museum. The route beyond the castle descended to a stream and then reared up to
gain the highpoint beneath the summit of Black Law. Here I paused for a bite to
eat. This was a magnificent section of hill walking culminating in a dramatic
decent through bracken and woodland to the small village of Bedrule. The last
section began easily enough with a steady climb to a ridge, but I lost all
signage and directions in the top field and took the wrong line down to Spital
Tower. Here I picked up the official route and found the wet and overgrown path
down to Denholm. It was a lovely moment to emerge opposite the huge village
green and to see my hotel in one corner.
Kelso dep. 08.30, Denholm arr.17.00
GPS 21.50 miles in 7hrs 47mins 38secs
walking time plus 30mins in the Abbey View Café in Jedburgh and a 10min brake
on Black Law.
I stayed in the Auld Cross Keys, a
friendly pub with nice accommodation. After a couple of pints of Kirkstall Pale
Ale (4.0%), I settled down to a large plate of fish and chips with a dessert of
treacle tart & ice cream.
Wednesday 14th September 2022 Denholm – Selkirk
Through the Flood Defences
Another sunny morning, if a bit chilly in the shade. I crossed the
village green and set off from the far corner down the road to the bridge
across the Teviot. The riverside path on the far bank was closed due to a
landslip and I had to follow the diversion along the lanes round to Knowetownhead.
Here I picked up to a lovely stretch of riverside path with the river on one
side and open pasture on the other. This brought me to the old bridge at
Hornshole where the path continued through woodland into the outskirts of
Hawick. The way was then barred because of the flood defence workings but some
very understanding contractors showed me the way through the barriers and onto
the road passing the rugby grounds. This brought me out on the A7 at the foot
of the town, not close to any cafes. But as I started my ascent up the other
side, there was a small post office cum shop which had a coffee machine and a
stock of carrot cake. I adjourned to a bench across the street and sat for a
while taking my morning sugar-fix.
Setting out again up the very steep Stirches Road, I was overtaken, yes
overtaken, by a couple of walkers, Nigel and Lesley Clayton from Heptonstall.
Having recovered from the shock of this disgrace, I managed to keep with them
to discover that they were very fit and experiences walkers with a CV of serious trail-walking. And they were a lot younger than me. They left me near
Drinkstone Hill and I continued at a more sedate pace over splendid moors and
into a remote plantation of pines. Paths and tracks brought me down to the Ale
Water and then onto a golf where the route was well signed. Just near Wollrig,
I stopped for a short break before taking to the road and the steep climb
through Hartwoodmyres Forest. Good tracks led into and through the forest to
emerge above pasture land on a long straight path to Middlestead. Here I fell
into step with two ladies from Carlisle who were also walking the entire BAW
but at a more civilised poace. A mile of road brought me to my last major turn,
a path on the left that headed off toward Selkirk. Still lots of fields and
stiles to negotiate but I eventually reached the tracks of the Haining Estate
which twisted passed fine buildings before coming out onto the busy roads of
the town centre. One last climb and I was back in the Market Place and at
Scott’s Memorial. The car had survived its four-day stay in the car park and,
after a quick change of clothes, I was ready for the long drive home.
Denholm dep. 08.31, Selkirk arr.15.18
18.40 miles in 6hrs 21mins 29secs walking
time with 20 mins on a bench outside a post office in Hawick and a 10 min stop
at Wollrig.
Conclusion
I had completed another of Scotland’s
Great Trails, my ninth I believe. At 68 miles in length (I walked 69 miles due
to my wanderings above Denholm) it should have been comfortably walkable in
four days but the way the towns and hotels are distributed, it might have been
wiser to take 5 days. The route divides itself into two days of easy riverside
walking and two or three days of pleasant hills and moors. The towns are lovely
but the abbey ruins are progressively being shut off behind construction site
barriers. Health & Safety gone mad. It is one of the best signed routes I
have walked although there are one or two places where I felt abandoned. I was
incredibly lucky with the weather and I shall always remember it for being in
the national period of mourning for the late Queen.
