Glentress Forest, Eshiels,Peebles.

Glentress Forest, located in the Scottish Borders, is an area of plantation forest and lies to the north of the River Tweed and 2 miles west of Peebles. Established by the Forestry Commission in the 1920s, it was one of the first State forests in Scotland and now has a series of word-class mountain-biking trails. It is one of 7 states mountain bike trails and the UCI MTB World Championships were held there in August 2023.

It was surprising how busy this area gets, especially at weekends when brave souls get on their very expensive looking mountain bikes, tackle the ‘Trails’ and get covered in mud, not something we really felt qualified to do. For us the area was also rich in walking paths, certainly something we were happy to explore.

The camp site we stayed on was a mecca for for the mountain bike sport, situated right at the start of all these trails, Glentress Forest Lodges consists of timber framed pods available to rent on a per night basis, alongside hardstanding EHU pitches for motorhomes, caravans and tents, although we were the only ‘campers’ there, as the facilities are geared up for the trail blazers who, as i have already pointed out seem to finish covered in muck!

Situated on the A72 which is served by Border Bus X62, which runs from Edinburgh City Centre to Galashiels. The reason i mention this that you can go on various walks and use the bus to return if required as it will stop at the road end that leads to the camp site.

As the weather was not too bright we decided our first trip into the market town of Peebles would be by bus, giving us a reasonable time to explore the town and have a fish supper in the very highly recommended Fish Restaurant ‘Jim and Jacks’. 

The town is a very thriving, and unlike other towns we visit is not run down. Places to see and visit including the Gothic styled Old Parish Church of Peebles. Standing majestically at the west end of the High Street and overlooking the Tweed Bridge. Built between 1885 and 1887 at a cost of £9500. 

Another must see is the Peeblesshire War Memorial, said to be one of the finest memorials in Scotland, it stands forty feet high and is located within the quadrangle of the Chambers Institute. It commemorates those 541 men and women of Peeblesshire who fell in the 1914-18 war and the 110 who died in World War 2. 

You can connect to the Tweed Valley Railway Path just across from the Glentress Forest road end. The tarmac path was officially opened in April 2013, it had taken ten years from concept to completion to complete. It replaces the old railway line to facilitate responsible access for all user groups - pedestrians, cyclists and horse riders. 

The walk to Innerleithen takes you via the village of Cardrona. It has been designed as a planned development from the late 1990s and consists of new executive homes, a luxury 159 bed hotel bordering the golf course and a country club. 

Once you reach the main track the path runs from Peebles to Innerleithen but we decided to do it in two segments, the first to visit the village of Innerleithen which unlike Peebles does seem little run down. Originally a centre for woollen, spinning and knitwear centre.

Robert Smalls Printing Works located in the High Street was founded in 1837and was acquired bye National Trust for Scotland in 1986.

Opened in 1881 as a monument to Charles, 7th Earl of Traquair and his sister Lady Louisa Stuart. Designed by John Biggar in English Decorated style. A substantial church in dark stone with cream margins and buttresses. Tall tower and stone spire at the corner. The church ha a bench outside which we took advantage of. We returned by the X62.

The following day we joined the railway path again and walked into Peebles, including a wee diversion which took us along the River Tweed. Following lunch in Greggs we did some food shopping in Sainsbury’s which made a walk back impossible, thankfully the X62 came to our rescue. 

Sorry to say it rained all the following day so unable to get out, but it gave us both a chance to catch up with our reading.

Scottish Borders Council produces a guide book to footpaths around the Peebles area. So if you do visit this area avoid Route 8 in the guide book. What we did not know was that a development of Forest Lodges for very rich folk were being built which unfortunately closed off a great deal of this walk. It did not stop us from attempting the 7 miles, which turned out to be nearer 9 miles, but it also turned out to be a much more challenging walk than we imagined, at times we were unable to stay on our feet!

The above walk should have taken us via the Buzzards Nest Car Park, so the following afternoon we attempted to get there from the other direction but found the route blocked again by contractors fencing. An easier walk which took us up via GoApe and two quite picturesque lakes and gave us the opportunity to enjoy the views.

This area of the Scottish Borders is a rather a lovely and a joy to visit.We enjoyed our stay at Glentress Forest Lodges and the young manager there, Blair Ritchie, made us very welcome. The campsite is in all honesty is geared up for mountain bikes but we enjoyed learning how popular this sport was. If you are an enthusiast of this sport this would be your ideal stopover. 

Melrose. Scottish Borders.

Our last trip away for 2022 was across to the Scottish Borders. This area of Scotland is largely rural with undulating countryside and hills. Its 63 square miles borders the City of Edinburgh, Dumfries and Galloway, and various council areas in between . Also it borders the English counties of Cumbria and Northumberland which meant that the it bore the brunt of not only armed raids by Border Reivers but conflicts and wars with England. Although the Scots and English no longer shot one another anymore, the English still do not know the true meaning of the words ‘voluntarily union’ or ‘democracy.

The area boasts some beautiful picturesque towns and villages, one of which, Melrose is were we decided to pitch up for our Autumn week. Our campsite at Gibson Park is situated virtually in the town itself. It boasts the normal high standard facilities you would expect from a Caravan and Motorhome Club site and is a couple of minutes walk from a large well stocked Co-Op.

This small traditional town lies in the valley of the River Tweed and is best known in the modern world for originating rugby sevens in 1883. An annual Tournament between the Border teams takes place on the second Saturday in April each year. At Greenyards, Melrose RFC also has various rugby union team’s of all ages. It also allows local youngsters to use it for football practice. The late great Doddle Weir played at his rugby here between 1989 until he moved down south in 1995. 

Melrose Abbey is said to be the most interesting of all the Borders abbeys and only a short walk from our base. Founded by Cistercian monks in 1136 who aspired to live by an austere set of monastic principles. At Melrose they found fertile land by the River Tweed. The abbey would become one of the wealthiest monasteries in medieval Scotland. Unfortunately you can not explore the ruins because of health and safety reasons which is a shame but you can still get to appreciate its wonderful Gothic architecture. 

As normal the abbey was repeatedly destroyed by the English in the 14th century. Following an attack on the town by Edward 2nd in 1322 the abbey was damaged and it was King Robert the Bruce who ordered its rebuilding.

Shown around the ground by our volunteer guide, who has been doing the job three days a week for twenty years, we came across where Roberts heart was buried on his return from Holy Land and the Crusades around 1330 and discovered in 1996 and placed in a lead casket.

From the Abbey its well worth the short walk to the Chain Bridge.This suspension footbridge crosses the River Tweed from Melrose to the village of Gattonside. It was opened in 1826 and is an early surviving example of this type of bridge with a span of 91 m (300ft). A notice is fixed advising on use of the bridge: no more than eight people at one time and no swinging allowed.

Gattonside was the orchards for Melrose Abbey.The village was granted to the Abbey by King David the third in 1143 and still has many place names associated with the Monks testifying to its ecclesiastical history. 

The weather was very wet during the week which curtailed our walk along the River Tweed to Newstead Village, forcing us to cross the soggy fields back on to the road. The villages lies on the River Tweed to the east of Melrose and is reputedly the oldest continually inhabited settlement in Scotland. It was also the home of the masons who built the abbey. At the top end of the village just before the site of the old Roman Settlement is the Newstead Millennium milestone. 

Even with the flooding along the River Tweed we did manage to reach the Battery Dyke which was built by the monks to protect their fields from flooding. On a better day its still possible to to walk along of the wall but it is narrow and can be slippery. Personally I would not want to chance it. 

A much more successful walk the following day with only some light rain to contend with. An interesting circular walk that took in Darnick, the Lowood Bridge and Garttonside. From here you again make use of the Chain Bridge across the Tweed to return to Melrose. Darnick is another traditional Scottish village with winding streets and narrow lanes. The original Lowood Bridge was built in the 16th century with the present bridge being built in the 1790s to replace the ferry. 

 

At last some blue sky and even some sunshine allowed us to walk up Eildon Hill North to enjoy the magnificent panorama of the Borders. There is some evidence that prehistoric peoples regarded the Hills as a holy place. Further support for this theory followed excavations on the top of North Hill which uncovered what could have been a shine. A wee bit cold on top but otherwise a grand walk. 

Our final day was again dry so we walked up through the town to the old station then on to Rhymes Stone which was erected in 1929 by the Melrose Literary Society and marks the spot on which the fabled Eildon Tree once grew. It was under this tree that Thomas the Rhymer took a fateful nap while hunting on the estate of Melrose Abbey. He was awakened by the Queen of Elfland, who he kissed. He then spent seven years with her in the Land of the Elves before returning to his home in Earlston for seven years, then disappearing for good: presumably back to the Land of the Elves and the Fairy Queen. 

The End.

Jedburgh – The Scottish Borders.

Based in the Scottish Borders, Jedburgh is a picturesque village only 10 miles from the English border making it subject to raids and skirmishes back in the day. It has plenty to offer the visitor. Its biggest attraction, other than one of the best-stocked ironmongery shops we have been in for a very long time, is the substantial ruins of Jedburgh Abbey founded in 1147. It was the borders wars with England in the 16th century that left it in its ruined state we see today.

 

View towards Jedburgh from the Jail.

Another attraction is the Jedburgh Castle/Jail, which includes a museum of local history situated in what was the Jailers House. The prison was built in 1823 on the site of a mediaeval castle that was destroyed in 1409. The prison was far ahead of its time being designed by the British Prison Reformer John Howard to be ‘hygienic and humane’. Each prisoner was weighed, measured and details of his or her appearance were recorded.  Although not very appetising prisoners were put on individual diets to suit there needs, given medical treatment when required, they took part in exercise routines and were given work to do to relieve there boredom. All of which were unheard of at that time and went a long way to improve prison conditions not only in Scotland but in many other countries as well. 

The Jedburgh Jail formally a castle.

Another must see attraction is the Mary Queen of Scots Visitor Centre housed in a fine fortified tower house dating back to the 16th century. It is the house in which the Queen of the Scots stayed in October 1566 overseeing the local district court. A year later she was forced to abdicate and spent the last nineteen years of her life as a prisoner following this she was beheaded by her cousin for being of the wrong religious persuasion.

 

The front of Mary Queen of Scots Visitors Centre.

The rear of the house. 

The Borders Railway.

After a very long campaign taking around 46 years The Borders Railway was finally opened on the 6th September 2015. Scotland’s First Minister Nicola Sturgeon, who was joined by the Queen and other quests and dignitaries, was there at the official opening. The journey which takes under an hour links Scotland's capital city with Galashiels, where the original railway closed in 1969, the commuter station Tweedbank and passes through various stops including the former mining village of Newcraighall, Eskbank, Newtongrange, which was at one time Scotland biggest mining community and is now the home of Scottish Mining Museum, and Gorebridge which is another village that was on the original railway network but was also closed in the 1960's. A pleasant journey that winds its way through some very beautiful borders countryside and has good links from local bus services, some of which are not too regular. We travelled on a number 68 direct from Jedburgh to the bus station in Gorebridge to catch the train to Edinburgh and returned the same way although on this particular route the buses only run every two hours! One of the highlights of the bus journey is visiting the picturesque village of St Boswell whose village green is said to be the biggest in Scotland and from there you are able to get various connections across the Borders towns from its bus station.

Abbotsford and Gardens.

To gain admittance to the house and grounds, in which one of Scotland's greatest and best known writers had made his family home, you have to pass through an award winning new visitors centre which houses a grand restaurant, you need to try the jam and cream filled scones with your coffee, a very well laid out shop and an exhibition highlighting the life and works of Sir Walter Scott. After paying the entrance fee you enter the world of the author who wrote Ivanhoe, Rob Roy and Waverley to name but a few of the mans prolific output. It was the cost of building Abbotsford  and the debt that was accumulated due to the 1825 UK banking crisis that drove one of Scotland best-known personalities to spend the last six years of his life writing to clear these debts and keep his pride. The house was originally a farmhouse that Scott had purchased for £4000. It was demolished to make way for the first stage of a two-stage building protect with the third section including the Chapel built after Scott’s death by his granddaughter Charlotte Hope-Scott. The house was built in the Scots Baronial Style of Architecture.

The House and its grounds. 

The grounds border the River Tweed and its river walk offered a sight of salmon fish jumping out of its flowing water, the sight of a blue winged Herron and a very large bird of pray eyeing up its lunch. An exceptional day out and a place that deserves subsequent visits, and as long as you keep your entry receipt and you’re within one year of your initial visit is free.