May

Lance

Gattonside – Tweed river bank- suspension bridge – Melrose – Eildon Walk – Eildon Hill (SW top) - St. Cuthbert’s Way – Bowden – Bowden Burn – Newton St. Boswells – Wallace’s Statue.

Sunny throughout, although there was a cold wind in exposed parts.

Lance, Julie, George, Ashley, Diane, Richard

Ron and Sandy - visiting Chatsworth on the Northern Belle

Mike and Michelle - touring Europe with a caravan

Comments

Joined by Martin and Janette Foo, from whose house the walk started. We started walking northwards then descended down to the river bank where Janette treated a passer-by with a bleeding nose. We crossed the suspension bridge into Melrose and wandered through the town past the gardens before joining the Eildon Walk.

There were several horses and riders on the Eildon Hills taking part in an orienteering race. We had a steep ascent up to the SW top of the Eildon hills. There were superb views in all directions. The descent was nearly as steep. We found a nice sheltered lunch spot at the bottom. After lunch we descended southwards through sunlit woodland (beech trees) to Bowden with its water well.

During the walk we saw several types of trees and bushes displaying colourful (i.e. pink or white) blossom, including blackthorn, gorse, broom and elderflower.

After crossing the Tweed a second time we walked by another suspension bridge at Dryburgh, passed the Tower of the Muses and some renovated cottages before climbing up through the woods to Wallace’s Statue – it bore no resemblance to Mel Gibson. We met a North American lady en route. From there we picked up the cars and drove back to Gattonside via Scott’s View.

Wildlife / Flora / Fauna

Birds: Robin, chiffchaffs, swifts, swallows, house martins, starlings, wagtail, blackbirds, hooded crows and mating pheasants.

Animals: squirrels.

Buccleuch Arms, St. Boswells – nice meal, good wine, good service. Joined by Stephen Foo.

Meal of the Year 2016

May walkers

Bridge work

Bridge

Trees

Abbey

Group in the Gorse

The way up

Panorama

Horses

Summit

George enjoys the view

River