A Walk from The Beef Tub to Moffat

John was staying in Moffat for a week so he could regularly visit his mum in the home in Moffat so he fixed up a walk from The Devil's Beef Tub to Moffat and the advantage of this was it was all downhill. We like downhill. There were 7 walkers plus Sandria who was shaking off the effects of a virus but joined us after for a meal and had prepared excellent Bacon Rolls and Coffee when we arrived. 

Although the walk was nearly all downhill we started with a short climb from the Edinburgh road

It was a bit gloomy and very cold

Looking out onto the Devil's Beef Tub

John with the 2 ladies in the party Elizabeth and Anne. At the start of the walk in Moffat John was interviewed for C4 News and he featured in the 7.00pm News tonight. 

Tom with his famous Tea Cosy Hats

This beautiful Sheep was very interested in us going past its field

The route was the Annandale Way but it was a long time before we hit the river Annan

The last half mile of the walk into Moffat beside the river Annan. A most enjoyable walk in excellent company followed by a nice meal back in Moffat.

A Walk Through the Gelt Woods

Our walk today was in The Gelt Woods near Brampton. Tom and I headed to Carlisle to meet Peter and then he took us on this 4 mile walk through the woods. It was a perfect day for walking and although it was a little muddy in places the covering of dead leaves was a great help. In places the Gelt river flows quite fast and a slip could lead to disaster.

At this point the river is very narrow but flows deeply through the rocks.

The paths were well covered in dead leaves

This was Tom's first walk after having been off with a virus for about a month and it was good to have him back in good health.

A nice little bridge over a burn that joins the Gelt River

A natural bridge over the Gelt

A large area of land next to the Gelt Woods is owned by EWM owner Philip Day and my goodness he defends his privacy with loads of barbed wire and signs indicating it's private land. It makes you realise how well off we are in Scotland with open access and if these woods were in Scotland I doubt he could stop the public from enjoying the woodland walks as long as they behave responsibly. 

Near the end of the walk we passed by this sand quarry which is something I have never seen before

This is the route taken from my I Watch. Tom and I left Peter back at Aglionby as he had to go into Carlisle to pick up Elizabeth from the London train so we went to the Hidden River Cafe near Longtown for a lovely lunch. As the name suggests its not easy to find but it is a little gem and very busy despite its location and the fact its November.

Westerhall and the Rig Valley and Dam

Due to a computer problem these photographs have not loaded in the order I took them but they represent a lovely walk through Westerhall Estate and up the Rig Valley. This is an amazing hidden valley that few people will even realise is there and its like an Oasis in the middle of the Border Hills. This was the first time for a month that Tom was back walking with me. Its great to have him back fit and well and we only had about 2 arguments during our walk.

Depending on the how the light caught the view it can change the effect of the photograph and in this light the valley is very brown due to just a hint of sunshine peeking through the clouds. 

Just up from Westerhall Farm where the Rig Burn enters the river Esk is a Hydro Dam

This is the small lake caused by the Dam

On the Westerhall Estate road the autumn colours are at their best

At every season this is a lovely road to walk and the autumn is spectacular matched only by the spring Azaleas and the winter Snowdrops. It is without doubt my favourite walk and long may it continue to be such a well managed estate.

Even the pine needles on the road add a colourful magic to the road.

Westerkirk Church always looks so splendid standing in such an unspoilt village

The Rig Valley

This is one of my favourite photos from The Rig Valley on Westerhall Estate.

A Visit to Aglionby

As Tom is still not fully fit for walking we were invited for lunch to Peter and Elizabeth’s house in Aglionby near Carlisle. It was great to catch up with them as it was August when we last saw them. 

Two Walks in Edinburgh

I travelled to Tweedbank and got the train to Brunstane near Musselburgh in Edinburgh to be met by John, Ken, and Martin. Unfortunately Tom was still not very well and therefore unable to join us. We really missed him and never had an argument all day. John had planned 2 walks for us. The first one on Newhailes House Estate and the second one on Carberry Tower Estate. The total distance was almost 6 miles and we ended the walk with a lovely lunch in Carberry Tower Bistro.  

This was the closest we got to the sea near Musselburgh before we turned back inland to Newhailes House

This is Newhailes House now owned by The National Trust for Scotland and at the moment closed for renovation, although some of the facilities are available in the gardens and stables. 

Martin outside the Newhailes Shell Grotto which was part of a mid 18th Century pleasure ground near Musselburgh in East Lothian. It included other features such as a Palladian Bridge and a Tea or Summerhouse. 

A good autumnal view over Edinburgh 

Our second walk was in the grounds of Carberry Tower just a 10 minute car journey from our first walk. In the grounds we saw this memorial stone where Mary Queen of Scots surrendered to The Confederate Lords on 15th June 1567.  

Martin attempting to keep his trousers clean on the muddy paths

The most spectacular part of the day was to walk down this avenue of Sequoia Trees in the grounds of Carberry Tower 

This shows just how large the trees are. They seeds were brought to Scotland by a Scotsman called John Matthew in 1853 and they seem to like Scotland as they don't like hot summers and like a lot of rain.

Carberry Tower once owned by The Church of Scotland and now a very nice hotel. I made it back to Brunstane Station in time for the 3.00pm train and was back in Langholm by 5.00pm after a very enjoyable day in excellent company.

Kippford to Rockliffe via Rough Island

The Causeway from Kippford to Rough Island. If you are going to go there its important you check the tide times as you could easily get stranded as the tide comes in so fast.

It was only Tom and myself yesterday so with a good forecast for the whole of the South of Scotland we decided to go to Kippford and with the tide times perfect to enable us to walk to Rough Island and then do the circular path to Rockliffe and back. We arrived there at 10.15am and as high tide was not until 3.00pm we had a window of about 2.5 hours to cross to Rough Island. You need a 2 hour window each side of low tide. This is Kippford at low tide. You are not allowed to visit Rough Island between 1st May and 31st July to prevent disturbance to beach nesting birds.   

The walk along the shore from the car park takes you to this area where a local resident has for many years displayed many figures like these. Its a great place to take kids to see the many interesting figures. 

The beach at Kippford composed almost entirely out of Cockle Shells 

The view from the highest point on Rough Island looking over to Heston Island 

Tom at the highest point on Rough Island with Rockcliffe in the background.

The view from Rough Island looking towards Screel

The village of Rockcliffe

Looking back towards Kippford. It was a perfect day and we finished with a lovely lunch at The Anchor Hotel and then tea and cake at Canonbie Community Cafe on the way home.