A Walk at Claygate

Over the last few weeks my regular morning walk has been round the Lodge walks or the Pheasant Pens so today I decided to head for Claygate and do a walk I did regularly during the Covid pandemic year in 2020. Parking at Gilnockie Public hall I headed towards Gilnockie Station and then walked down the old railway line and from there down a lane back to the B6318 road.

After a heavy night rain it was a little muddy but perfectly passable.

A tree had fallen over the path but still left plenty of clearance for walkers

The path is slightly narrower from what it used to be and I don't think it is used as often as it used to be.

 

I have a new facility on my phone now and it will identify wild flowers as soon as I take the photograph. It identifies this as Bindweed (Calystegia sepium), although I wont accept that as read until Mike confirms it.

This is Sneezewort

This is named as Wood Betony or Marsh Woodwort

This is named as Common Knapweed

This was quite prolific in places and is named as Devil's Bit Scabious

When back on the road (B6318) I came to an area cleared of trees and as a result of this there was a lovely path had been left beside the old wood. It was only a half mile there and back but it was a superb walk.

A better view of the lovely path that at one time would have never been noticed

I hope that it is kept this way. In the field behind these trees there was a gang of 8 forestry workers clearing an area as if it will be replanted.

This looked to be very hard work and I am not sure exactly what they were doing.

It was a most enjoyable 3 mile walk.

Lower Tarras Valley Nature Reserve Walk with Mario and Leo

 

This morning I took son in law Mario and grandson Leo to the area above The Ponds at the Lower Tarras area of the Nature Reserve. It was a lovely morning and they enjoyed the challenge of the walk. This is Tom Stothart's seat placed there a few months ago. There was another group of 4 walkers visited it about 20 minutes before us so it is getting quite popular these days.

The forest area was felled 3 years ago and the two ponds created in November 2024. The progress of the ponds has been dramatic and lots of life has moved into them.

The amount of Heather starting to grow where there was once thousands of trees is spectacular. That Heather must have remained dormant all that time and as soon as there is light it re generates.

Lovely fresh Heather

Because of the dry summer the path created round the felled area is quite dry just now

Left to its own devices the felled area will eventually all green over and the old tree stumps will rot away

Mario and Leo enjoying the view and watching 4 Buzzards that were making a lot of noise

Heather everywhere

At this point we had climbed the steepest part and were just about a hundred yards away from the plateau at the top, where we got wonderful views over the Esk Valley

Gaye's Friends of over 60 Years

Every year for about the last 8 years we have met up with our friends Sandra and Bob and Margaret for lunch in the village of Morland near Penrith or on a pub on the A66. We have also had several holidays with them at their holiday cottage in Reeth in the Yorkshire Dales.

Sandra, Gaye, and Margaret were friends at Dough School in Glasgow in the mid 60s when they all worked at Glasgow College of Domestic Science. We met up today in the village of Morland near Penrith. I used to visit Morland when I worked in the Air Freight industry and a company called Survival Aids were based there and we imported most of their adventure equipment from China.

 

A Visit to Byreburnfoot House Gardens

This is Byreburnfoot House and the Gardens were open to the public today under Scotland's Gardens Scheme. It was a beautiful day for the event so we decided to go and have a look. I had been in the house and gardens about 7 years ago as I was friendly with the then owner Bill Frew and he was a a Director of Langholm Initiative when I was also a Director.

Gaye enjoying a seat in a quiet corner of the garden

The new owners have been here for about 6 years and are a group of friends who moved from London to Canonbie. They occupy the big house and two of the cottages with another two cottages being used as holiday lets. They have worked hard on the garden and it was looking really beautiful 

The two cottages at the end are used as holiday lets

One of the many Apple trees in the Orchard area of the garden

Another Apple tree

The Orchard

Apples and flowers

The first two cottages are used as permanent homes

The main house. It used to be owned by Fiona Armstrong.

Gaye enjoying a seat in another part of the garden. We also enjoyed Tea and Cake.

The lovely drive up to the house. A most enjoyable afternoon. There were a few visitors there, mostly from Canonbie but very few from Langholm. They missed a real treat.

 

Common Riding Day 2026

A lovely morning in the Market Place and the crowds seem larger than ever. I love to see the Emblems on display and in this case the Crown and Thistle. Delighted to see Stevie Barker has grown this year's Thistle.

Cornet Thomas Hope and nice to see a name I am familiar with as my father was called Thomas Hope Graham.

Stevie Barker's Thistle and a splendid specimen it is.

The Barley Bannock at the front of the procession

Myself and Sandria in the garden during our quick Coffee break

Bruce Latimer and John Irving have been my Langholm friends for over 60 years from when I came to Langholm from Rowanburn in 1958. John now lives in Edinburgh and Bruce lives in Hastings. We dont see too much of Bruce, but he try to make it back every year for Common Riding.

John with his two Granddaughters Charlotte and Imogen. They loved their first experience of Langholm Common Riding and Charlotte won the girls under ten race on the Castleholm with a prize of £20 so she will have to come back next year to defend her title. We had a lovely day with a superb lunch at Birkwood for about 25 people.

 

Afternoon Tea at Branxholm Castle and a Visit to Tom's Seat

We were invited this afternoon up to Branxholme Castle near Hawick by John and Sandria for afternoon tea. We were very lucky that the weather stayed quite nice and we enjoyed our tea in the summer house

Sandria, Niall, John, Elspeth, Gaye, Tom & Gavin outside their home for the week.

Outside the lovely little Summer House

Sandria and Gaye enjoying the sun

The tower adjoining the house and this part is used as a Spa. We had a lovely afternoon in good company and a very pleasant Afternoon Tea. We shall all meet up again on Thursday evening after the Flute Band perambulates the town for a drink at Ardlui and then for lunch on Common Riding Day at Birkwood.

On Wednesday John and his family came to Langholm for the day and after 9 holes of golf they joined Niall and myself for a walk to see Tom Stothart's seat at The Tarras Valley Nature Reserve ponds. Tom unfortunately couldn't make it for the walk as he was feeling very tired after doing odd jobs at the Golf Club in the morning. This is John and his partner Sandria with John's daughter and son and their spouses. The 2 little girls are his granddaughters and the great granddaughters of Archie Irving the Cornet in 1939. 

When I take visitors on this walk I always ask them to find the special stone with the heart shape on it and a little bird inside the heart. Imogen soon spotted it and this will cost me a Pelosi's ice Cream on Common Riding day.