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.

Walking The Cross Borders Drove Road at Hawick

Mike and I headed up the A7 to Hawick for today's Thursday walk. The walk started at Wilton Park where they have an area of wild flowers planted at the entrance to the park beside the River Teviot and it is at it's very best at the moment. I always enjoy a walk round Wilton Park as there is so much to see and do in it. 

The winter wheat is ready for harvesting and further up the road we saw the Combine Harvester starting up for its day harvesting.

Once we left Wilton Park it was a steady climb up this B road towards Brieryhill where we would turn onto The Cross Borders Drove Road.

This road was fairly quiet apart from a couple of delivery vans.

This is the road back into Hawick after we had used the Cross Borders Drove Road

Plenty of fields of Barley and it looks as if it will all be harvested this week as the Combine was working in one of the fields next to this one.

It looks to be a good harvest

This is the mile long section of The Cross Borders Drove Road we walked along. It is around 52 miles long and runs between Hawick and Harperrig, near the Pentland Hills.It retraces the route drovers used for hundreds of years to walk cattle south from markets to buyers south of the border. The section we walked today had a Dry Stane Dyke on either side and was a mass of wild flowers 

This is Harebells or Scottish Bluebells identified by Mike, but I also discovered that if I looked up the photo on my phone the information section of the photo identified the flower. Mike could now be redundant but I think he is much more informative about it so we wont dispense of his knowledge just yet.

This is Lady's Bedstraw

This could be Widow Flower or Gypsy Rose, but Mike will certainly know which one is correct.

The Combine Harvester starting its work for what will be a full day.

This is Meadow Crane's Bill

Not a lot of grass on this field for the many Cattle feeding in it. 

Another view of the excellent path heading into the distance with the dry stane dykes on either side of the path. There were also several wooden seats along the pathway as well so plenty places to stop for a rest.

It really was a most enjoyable walk along this special drovers road.

This was the entrance to the Drovers road from the B road that led from Wilton Park. We completed the 3.5 mile walk in about 90 minutes and then had a coffee in the park cafe. We were back in Langholm by 1.00pm so the whole trip had only lasted for 3 hours, but the memory will linger for many years as we both enjoyed the walk immensely.

 

Another Grand Walk in Hawick - Vertish Hill and Williestruther Loch

This weeks Wednesday walk took us back to Hawick to do the 5 mile Vertish Hill and Williestruther Loch walk from the excellent booklet Paths around Hawick. From the car park we headed up the Howegate past this Motte. This huge mound once supported a Norman tower.  

This is the superb view over Hawick from the Motte.

Despite the fact we have walked in this area many times this was the first time we had been to the Motte.

The hills in the distance are at Minto and were mentioned in my blog 3 weeks ago.

Out into the countryside we came upon this observation seat and Peter couldn't resist climbing up for a seat. 

This is the site of the Hawick Curling Pond. It was last used in the mid 1960s

One thing I really like about Hawick is the way they promote the songs and music of the town.

On the way back we walked through the Golf Course and it is here on the 16th hole that Bill McLaren got a  Hole in One on the 292 yard par 4. The hole is now named McLaren's Miracle.