A Low Level Walk at Meikledale

It's many years since I walked up at Meikledale. Walk 14 from the Langholm Walks Booklet is normally a tough 7 or 9 Mile walk and has not been on my list of popular walks for a long time. However Charlie suggested the start and finish of the walk as a low level 3 mile walk suitable for our regular Thursday walk. It was excellent and brought back many happy memories of days when the tough part of this walk was no problem to me. 

As this area is now being harvested for forestry the contractors have placed a new bridge at Rigfoot.

This takes the heavy vehicles away from the house nearby.

The old road and the new one

The forestry road is a good surface and the scenery is magnificent

This quarry was used to create the road.

At Burngrains there is a new bridge to cross the Meikledale Burn. For those who do not like heights it's a bit formidable and should really have a handrail.

Charlie a bit apprehensive but managed to cross OK

I enjoyed crossing this bridge and if Langholm Walks had created this part of the walk it would have to have a Handrail, but this section is not part of the official walk, just part of our shortened version so not a problem. 

On the way back down the Meikledale Burn there is a Cairn half way up Stibbiegill Knowe and neither Charlie or I know why it was placed there. Maybe somebody can enlighten us.

The nice cottage at Burngrains. The cottages up this valley used to be for Shepherds and their families, but since forestry took over they are no longer required so are sold of for private use.

The Meikledale Burn

A memorial stone at Ewes Hall in memory of the Little Clan

In the field next to the Ewes hall is this stone called Grey Wether Stone. These are large sarsen stones, a type of hard sandstone found scattered across southern England and in fact the big uprights and lintels at Stonehenge. How they came to be in this part of Scotland is unknown. 

A Day on Tarras Valley Nature Reserve

Normally on a Monday morning I drop Gaye of at The Day Centre for her Yoga and then walk round the Pheasant Pens, but this morning I was about to turn left over the Sawmill Bridge when I suddenly decided to go over the hill to walk on the road over the Langholm Moor. It was a glorious morning. It wasn't long before these guys came into view.

This guy crossed the road right in front of me

It looks as if there is not much to see, but this morning I saw 3 Deer, loads of Goats, several Grouse, and a Buzzard all in the space of 45 minutes.

A grand view of the monument in the distance

I was being watched all the time

I was lucky as only a couple of cars came by all the time I was walking on the road. That aeroplane was on its way to London Heathrow from Seattle, which was quite a coincidence as our Fraser was in Seattle last week.

Little Tarras Valley

The Bracken will soon be turning brown. After an hour's minutes walking I was back at The Day Centre to pick up Gaye and it had been a perfect morning for my walk.

After lunch it was still a lovely day so while Gaye was going out for a walk with her friend Adrianne I headed down to Lower Tarras to visit The Ponds. It will be 2 years in November since they were created and what a transformation to the area.

There were Dragonfly's everywhere especially on the first pond and this one was still for a few seconds on a bush beside the seat so I managed to get a photograph of it.

The first pond has different water in it from the second one and as a result there is much more insect life in it. The water in the second pond is from the Merl Well

A new seat provided by Daniel Lacey and I think it was made by his apprentice Mark

The upper pond which has less life it it, but is slowly changing.

Another seat provided by Daniel Lacey making a total of 4 of his at The Ponds now

While I was sitting watching Dragonfly's Jim and Helen Little appeared as they had been a walk on the path created above the ponds where all the trees were felled. It is becoming very popular and they had enjoyed a seat on Tom Stothart's Bench. This walk is about 2 miles circular. I would recommend it and best to go anti-clockwise and climb up the shortest but steepest path first to the right of the ponds and come back via the path to the left of the Ponds and past the seat provided by Langholm Rotary Club.

Another view of the new bench

A side view of the Bench. I enjoyed the hour I spent beside the Ponds and especially watching all the life in the first pond. This could be a perfect time to visit so please make your way there, even if it is just to enjoy a seat on Daniels excellent benches or better still visit Tom Stothart's Bench at the furthermost part of the walk, where you will be glad of a rest.

 

A Visit to North Berwick and a Walk to Musselburgh

On Wednesday Gaye and I headed up to Portobello to stay for a couple of days with John and Sandria. We arrived at 11.30am and after lunch headed out to the East Lothian coast to look at some of the many very posh Golf Courses and posh houses along that coast. We then went to North Berwick for a walk along the sea front.

Gaye, Sandria and John with the 187M North Berwick Law in the background.

North Berwick harbour looking a little bit crowded

The tidal paddling pool

Near the Seabird Centre

The Bass Rock

Sitting on the wall beside the beach. The plan was to have a walk the following day as John had worked out a 5 mile route along the sea shore from Portobello to Musselburgh, including the race course and the oldest Golf Course in the world. Unfortunately I was unwell on Wednesday night and had to come home early on Thursday morning so I missed the walk and lunch.

A toast to absent friends at the lunch after the walk. I had paid for the round of drinks. Photo courtesy of John. I was home by 3.00pm and had a Drs. appointment sorted for 4.10pm and hopefully will soon be on the road to recovery.

Nial, Ken, and Martin. Tom also missed the walk as he was resting after a tough week of moving house.

Sandria and Aileen who went shopping in Portobello instead along with Elspeth.

Tom Moves House After 83 Years

John and Sandria are Down for a couple of days to help Tom move house, but as Tom was resting this morning after a hectic day yesterday we had a lovely 4 mile walk this morning with Mike Tinker. While we were walking Gaye and Sandria were shopping at Latimers.

This afternoon we went down to his new house in Waverley Road to celebrate his move. He was ready for us with cakes and a bottle of Prosecco (non alcoholic). Tom has lived in Walter Street all his life and he will be 84 in December. This move has been quite dramatic for him, but he has been very organised and his planning has been perfect. He now has to find somewhere for almost 5000 books.

Good luck in your new house Tom

 

A Walk up Meggat Water

Gaye was planning to visit her friend Wilma at Bentpath this afternoon so I took advantage of the trip up the Esk valley to drop her off at Boonies and then travel a few miles up the Meggat valley in order to top up my daily miles walked. I parked up beside the river a couple of miles south of Glendinning and walked up this remote and beautiful valley.

Close to where I parked the car was this embankment next to the Meggat and I am sure there would have been Sand Martin nests there this summer.

A further away view of the banking

I was about an hour up this valley and in that time I saw no other vehicles or people

This is still sheep country and this is an old sheep stell. 

My car parked up beside the Meggat. It must be 4 or 5 years since I was last up this valley and I loved the remoteness of it. There were a pair of Buzzards flying about but too far away to photograph with my I phone camera.

Heading up the valley towards Megdale and then Glendinning further up the valley

The new bridge at Megdale

An old bridge at Megdale which is now too dangerous to cross

Megdale

Plenty of sheep up this valley. I hope it is never sold for forestry as it would ruin this valley.

I met these 6 big Rams or Tups as we call them in Scotland. They will be very busy in a few months time, but today they were enjoying a quiet life beside the river.

I saw a couple of Dippers at this spot but was not able to photograph them

A most enjoyable 1 mile walk up the valley and then back down again and I was back at Boonies for tea and cake exactly an hour after dropping Gaye off at Wilma's. One of the best hours I have spent walking in a long time. Just as I was leaving two cyclists appeared and gave me a big wave as they headed up the valley. I have a feeling they may have been heading for the Bothy at Greensykes which is about 4 miles up the valley from Glendinning. It was at Glendinning that the famous Scottish Engineer Thomas Telford was born in 1757 and there is a memorial to him there.