A Day in Langholm with our Edinburgh Friends

 

Our Edinburgh friends Martin, John and Ken came down to Langholm today for a day out with myself and Tom. After having Coffee or Drinking Chocolate and Biscuits at Ardlui we set out for a short walk round the Lodge Walks. Ten years ago our walks would be at least 8 miles but today was just about 2.5 miles as we had lunch booked at Whitshiels. The conversation was great but the pace was much slower as the average age is just under 80 years.

Tom and Martin bringing up the rear over the Langholm Bridge

Tom and Martin sit on the Langholm Walks seat on the Castleholm

A nice display of Snowdrops near the Duchess Bridge

Martin, John, Tom, and Ken on the Duchess Bridge. A most enjoyable day and a fabulous lunch at Whitshiels. We plan to meet again in April probably in Berwickshire when Gaye and I have a week in a nice cottage at Burnmouth. We have been walking together for all our retirement years and have had many walking holidays together all over the country.

Storm Arwen wreaks havoc in Langholm

This sequence of photos were taken over Saturday and Sunday and are out of the order taken but if they have snow on them they are Sundays. Storm Arwen hit us on Friday night and for about 12 hours Langholm was completely cut off from the outside world. Many areas in the countryside round about us were subject to power cuts and some are still not back on yet as I write this on Sunday evening.

The road from Stubholm to Murtholm with many trees blocking it

Lodge Walks heading to the Pheasant Pens.

Buccleuch Park

The Duchess Bridge which was damaged when a tree hit it

Looking down onto The Beechy Plains on Easton's Walk which has been devastated with many trees down all along the route.

The start of the route along Gaskell's Walk which is already closed due to a dangerous bridge.

Buccleuch Park

This tree is in the river just above The Duchess Bridge

Easton's Walk

The road to The Pheasant Pens

Near North Lodge

Blown over fence near the houses up from The Duchess Bridge

Easton's Walk

This was the A7 at Walkers Hole near the Kilngreen on Saturday morning and the work being done to clear the A7. The guys in the coloured jackets are supporters of the RAC Rally who got stuck in Langholm on Friday night and had to sleep in their cars. They all quickly volunteered to help clear the road.

Four RAC Rally supporters

On the Ty Pennington Trail near the Jubilee Bridge

Walkers Hole

Castleholm

The road is almost clear

The last tree and the road is open.