Bluebells and Birdsong

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Bluebells and bird song


A cold wet day sees us seek a sheltered river side walk along a stretch of Leader water. This tributary of the Tweed runs from the small town of Earlston to enter the main river below Leaderfoot bridge. Not far away the old Roman fort of Trimontium sits above this watery meeting spot. This section of the Leader sits within a narrow gorge producing an undulating path that dips between river side and the  higher ground above, producing views across the surrounding farm land or down into the river valley. The well-tended track, in place since 2010, runs either side with a metal foot bridge traversing a narrow canyon section about four kilometres from our starting point, allowing for an easy looped walk of about three hours.  The walk is dominated by the seasons awakening. We are accompanied throughout by a cacophony of bird song. Chaffinches, blue and grey tits, bullfinches,  pigeon, blackbirds and crow are everywhere, the urgency of spring leading to chatter, and much activity.. Not all sounds are familiar to us, some strange cackling, sees us peer upwards but no sighting is made.  At ground level banks of flowers line the route. In particular, spectacular fields of bluebells, sitting within copses of beech and interspersed with newly opened ferns are a sight to behold. Despite the lack of sun light they paint the valley floor with eye catching sprays of purple. Elsewhere, wherever a flower has taken hold it has spread to carpet a large section of the ground, squeezing out any competitors. Wild garlic has now produced its end of season flowers, white dandelion like balls, protrude from the deep green garlic leaves to populate large swathes. One such patch runs from the path to the river side, rolling over mounds, surrounding the base of trees, disappearing and re-appearing in a flowing mass of green and white. Occasional patches of yellow Fleabane dot the steep inclines.  Little stands of orange poppies, delicate and alone, seem destined to succumb to the rising wind. The pinkish purple hue of Common Comfrey stands tall and conspicuous. Many others draw our eye but are beyond our naming. As we stop for lunch a heavy shower crashes through the canopy, rain drops plopping into cups of hot coffee. Shortly after a rise above a section called the 'otter bank' reveals a stunning if slightly surreal sight. A recently ploughed field, oblong in shape, has an outer section of tilled ground marking the field’s border. Inside this, following the same contours is a green strip of new growth, while the large inner section is ploughed but not tilled. The soil is a reddish brown and the field itself must run to twenty acres. The effect is amazing, resembling a large painted canvas, set against a backdrop of the cone shaped Black hill outside Earlston and edged by a line of large oak and beech trees. We follow the path back, re-joining the river side before exiting the route at the stone bridge that first took us across the Leader and into the land of  'bluebells and bird song'.  

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