Walking about

'Duchess walk' - Bowhill:- Selkirk July 15th At one time ownership of land in Scotland was distributed based on loyalty to King or Queen. From such beginnings the great sporting estates of Scotland were born. Bowhill on the   banks of the   river Yarrow, in the Scottish Borders, is one such example Gifted to the Scott clan in 1322 by Robert the Bruce for services rendered it has,   despite some upheavals over the years,   remained largely intact as a   country estate. The house and gardens are now in the ownership of the Buccleugh family, ancestors of the Scotts. On a damp sultry Saturday we park up on the edge of the estate and take the so called ‘Duchess track’ that provides a circular route of seven miles, through and around this settled realm. Heading away from the main house we quickly find ourselves alongside the tower house of Newark castle. In good condition despite it’s nearly 700 years of existence. One of many Border keeps built to protect at a tim

Up and down the River Tweed 8th July 2017 A warm summers day sees us walk a stretch of the River Tweed where it bisects the B6404 between St Boswells and Kelso in the Scottish Borders. At this point the river loops back and forth on itself, carving a path that creates waterside cliffs of red sandstone on one side, on the other, flat flood plains that quickly give way to fertile farmland. We park close to the riverside before crossing Mertoun Bridge to drop to the water’s edge down some timber steps. Our route keeps us close to the water throughout, running three miles east before re-crossing the river on the foot bridge adjacent to Mertoun house before returning on the far bank.   The outward stretch sees the track rise and fall through the dips and hollows of the high ground that lines this side of the river. Wooden steps and walkways allow for easy navigation, the high sections through woodland opening at times to expose slices of the river, glistening and bright in the morni