Braw, brilliant Borders...

Ye surely ken by now that I am a bit of a fan of the Scottish Borders...and if ye dinnae ken this then where have you been?

I've had some great wee trips recently around the Borders, and a couple of lovely walks too.

Dave and I took a trip to Kelso and after a wander around this historic Borders town, we caught a lovely sunset over the 'Cobby', by the Tweed.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Last weekend I took myself off for a wee bit of a stroll, with the combined benefit of a wee bit of head space too. Sometimes I need to force myself out, but once I get walking I am instantly so much happier. I still think and worry a lot whilst I'm walking, but the freedom of being out in nature calms me. I feel that *anything* is possible, and that's a great feeling!! Addictive too.

I planned a loop starting and ending in Melrose, although I actually parked my car in Gattonside so extended my walk ever so slightly by way of the chain bridge.

Leaving the town of Melrose behind me, I walked up the old railway station and along what was once the track. It felt quite poignant actually - given that the Borders Railway will be up and running in the not-so-distant future, but not here.

 

 

The path took me under the main road, and past Borders General Hospital. Thankfully I was about to leave civilisation behind and enter the peaceful Rhymer's Glen, an area of picturesque woodland much loved by Sir Walter Scott.

Now I do sometimes get a bit feart walking through woods on my own, because my imagination runs away with me and I'm scared of every noise (lions? tigers? bears? oh my!). The same happened here, although I was mostly preoccupied by keeping an eye out for faeries, and also picking my way through this: 

There's obviously been some recent damage to these woods, but thankfully I found my way round.

The following wee snippet of poetry seems suitable here, from 'Rhymer's Glen' by Kenneth Erik Moffatt:

Tangled trees greet me
as I pick a path through Rhymers Glen
they let fall their down
wanting me as them
lichen bearded
moss-scented.

Soon I emerged from the woods into this open landscape:

(looking back to the direction I'd come from)

The boardwalks were great because it was fairly boggy and icy on this stretch. I was a wee bit nervous that I was in an open field, and could only imagine that there was a herd of cows awaiting me over the next hill.

Thankfully though, all that awaited me was this view:

 Cauldshiels Loch. I just loved the wee stroll by its edge.

 

I met a couple of dog walkers here, who were the first people I'd seen since leaving Melrose.

I was so busy thinking that Cauldshiels Loch would be a great wee place for wild swimming later this year, that it look me a while to realise that I'd been here before. When I walked from Selkirk to Melrose on the Border Abbeys Way in June 2012, the path came past this loch. It was great to be back.

Apparently the loch is home to a water horse (kelpie), but thankfully I wasn't lured to a watery grave. I did spot a couple of real horses in the field nearby, but no kelpies today.

I then continued on the Border Abbeys Way from Cauldshiels Loch all the way back to Melrose, which was lovely really, as I didn't have to worry about missing a turn or going the wrong way at all.

The Eildons were looking spectacular on this bright, sunny Borders day.

 

I did face my fears when I had to walk right past a herd of cows....thankfully they were a bit preoccupied, but I still got some stares as I ran - I mean, strolled - past.

The walk then descended to Abbotsford House (barely visible through the trees). When I walked this route in June 2012 the visitor centre was still under construction, and it hadn't been easy to navigate through the muddy building site. Now, it was straight past...

And I was alongside the Tweed once more, past Galashiels and onwards back to Gattonside.

Dave and I often walk along here, and this is one of our favourite wee spots:

I crossed the chain bridge once more, almost exactly 3 hours since I'd gone the other way. My 9 mile stroll on a stunning, crisp, cool day in the Borders was complete.

I was chuffed - and tired!


On Thursday of this week I decided to walk to Lauder and back. I was itching to get some miles done, and although this walk is entirely on the road (or on the grassy verges), it's a good training walk. It was 2pm when I set out, so I knew I'd have to go reasonably quickly to get back before darkness descended.

It was beautiful - cold, snowy, bitter, but stunning.

Looking back towards Stow

On the road again...

Lauder Moor

Beautiful skies on the return leg

 

 

 

 

 

 

My outbound foot and my inbound foot!

The walk took me just over 3 hours to complete. I felt great when I finished - revitalised, rejuvenated, refreshed. Dave had spotted me coming down the hill towards home, and got the kettle on - magic! About five minutes after my cup of tea, I crashed. I felt exhausted! 

But positive.

I've been keeping a note of my mileage throughout January (and will continue to do so throughout the year) just out of interest. Obviously I have time at the moment to walk, which has been so beneficial both to my fitness and my wellbeing (physical and mental!). I'm around the 90 mile mark at the moment, generally through short 3 mile walks as often as possible, and a couple of longer walks thrown in for good measure.

This January has been far more positive than previous years. February, can you keep the pace going?