My Birthday Walk at Lauder

We last did this walk in Lauder in January 2015 on a bitterly cold day with snow and ice all around. I thought it would be good to go back so I selected it for my Birthday Walk. The weather was perfect for walking although the sun did not come out until the last mile. Only us 6 men today as the ladies were all otherwise engaged

Tom and Martin beside the memorial of a young Tree Surgeon called Hamish who was killed in a tragic accident in 2005.

Loads of Gorse

We had a discussion about what these huts could be with some of us thinking they were for pigs but it turns out they are breeding huts for Partridges

The early part of the walk was along an old railway line

Everywhere you look there is Rape Seed plants which are very colourful at this time of the year

Starting to climb up to Blackchester with more fields of Rape Seed in the background

Blackchester which was originally an ancient settlement and then a Roman Fort

The lads on the top of the Roman defensive ditch

This row of outhouses draws the eye to what looks like an optical illusion

Near the end of the walk somebody is making this area of the Harry Burn into a nature reserve

We were booked into a nice Brasserie called Firebrick and the food was excellent. 

The Apple Pancake which was undoubtedly the highlight of the day and superb

A Beautiful Day in Newcastleton

This was todays walk at Newcastleton. With the small detour to the local cemetery it was just short of 7 miles on such a beautiful day. It was only Tom and myself today as the rest are otherwise engaged.

The view from the east side of Newcastleton and what looks like a superb ridge walk although the distance can be misleading and its probably tougher than it looks.  

This is the garden at Yethouse looking very attractive today

This is my first selfie using my Apple watch as a timer and propping my phone up against my rucksack. I should use a small tripod to get a better centred picture. 

They may be small but my goodness what a noise they made as we passed their gate

The cemetery at Newcastleton where we stopped for a rest and a snack 

On the road towards Newcastleton we passed this house which used to be an old Manse and the owner has gone to great lengths to give his walled garden more light by dramatically cutting his trees.  

We met this gentleman outside his lovely cottage and he was keen for a blether. It turns out him and Tom have a lot in common. Tom is slightly younger but both of them have lived most of their lives in the same house and have never married. They both insist they are still looking though.  

The old and the new bridges

Another cottage beside the road with a lovely blossom and in a day or two's time it will be even nicer as 50% of it is still to fully come out. 

Plenty of Bluebells

A pond full of Tadpoles on the old railway line that took us back into Newcastleton 

The new community Petrol Pumps in the village

Walking from Bentpath to Langholm through Westerhall

We always walk through Westerhall at this time of the year to see the Azaleas. They are a wee bit late this year so not at their best yet but by the end of May they should be stunning. Starting at Bentpath we noticed this new seat in memory of two locals from the village.

Just as we pass the cemetery we noticed this wall has collapsed so will need some urgent repairs done to it.  

We met Roddy Innes working in the cemetery on behalf of the Commonwealth War Graves Commission. He is paid by them to regularly tidy the paths to various War Graves throughout the area. There is only one War Grave at Bentpath but he has to keep the path tidy and the area round the grave. He obliged by taking a photograph of the four of us. 

This is the War Grave he has to keep tidy. It is a Royal Marine Commando killed in 1943 when he stepped on a mine

Rhododendrons near the big house

The regular pose in front of Westerhall

And the Folly looking up from where we stood for our photo

On the second half of the walk we are in more open country looking towards the Gates of Eden and Craigcleuch

A beautiful Rhododendron at Tom Scott's house at Potholm

Bluebells beginning to appear but not yet at their best

Pens for Breeding Pheasants at The North Lodge. We finished our walk with lunch in the Buccleuch Centre

Sandra's 70th Birthday Weekend in Reeth

We had been invited by Sandra to Reeth for the weekend to spend some time together celebrating her 70th Birthday. We met Margaret and Robert at Gretna and I drove the 4 of us to Reeth in time for us to go on the Wensleydale Railway from Redmire to Leyburn. This is a lovely railway line run by volunteers and today they had added extra trains to take people into Leyburn for the Tour of Yorkshire Bike Race. It was a great way of doing it and avoided problems parking and the service was free with just a collection tin for donations. We are on the old train and these kind of carriages brought back some happy memories from 50 years ago.

Sandra, Margaret, and Gaye have been best friends for well over 50 years 

Having our picnic in Leyburn before the race. Bob and Sandra were the perfect hosts and this was a lovely place just a few yards from where the cycle race would pass in about 30 minutes time.  

This shopkeeper provided Gaye with a chair from which she could watch the race go by

The breakaway group of 5 riders were a good 3 minutes ahead of the peloton but much later in the race and just a few kilometres from the finish they were caught and eventually these 5 finished well back in the field. It was a great atmosphere in Leyburn with plenty of entertainment going on in the square.

On Saturday evening Sandra, Margaret, and I went for a lovely walk along the river Swale and it was the most beautiful evening with so much wild life to be seen beside the river.  

Sandra & Margaret enjoying the last rays of sun beside the river. 

The sun had disappeared in the valley but up on the hill my cousin Hilary's house was still enjoying the late evening sunshine on The White House at Fremington Edge. I walked up there early on Saturday morning and it was just beautiful looking over the town of Reeth

The village of Reeth from the road heading up to The White House 

On Sunday Sandra had planned a walk from the village of Muker up the Swaledale valley to a small village called Thwaite where we stopped at a lovely pub for a drink before heading back along the trail to Muker.

After our walk we headed to Arkengarthdale for a birthday lunch at the CB Inn which was Gaye and Margarets treat to their best friend Sandra. It had been a whirlwind weekend and we had to leave after lunch to come home but the weather and hospitality had been superb and it was a weekend to remember for years to come. Special thanks to our hosts Sandra & Bob.

Up and Down the River Annan

Despite a lot of overnight rain it was dry and almost sunny when we started our River Annan walk from Annan to Brydekirk and back. 

The first obstacle was this Gorse near the Annan bridge but Tom manages to negotiate it without much hassle. He looks a bit like a Hoolet in a Whin bush.

This caul is a mile upstream and occasionally you can see some Salmon leaping here but not today 

Lovely shades of green on the trees on the bank of the river. 

Brydekirk Bridge beside one of the ugliest painted pubs in Scotland 

Tom went to a lot of trouble to take this photograph but did not try his usual pose of kneeling down and then being unable to get up. We ended our walk with lunch in The Whitshiels Cafe back in Langholm.