Borders Hill Walking Club

Eight members met at Leaderfoot viaduct on Sunday, April 7 for what was a last minute change to the planned walk due to the winds of Storm Kathleen making any high level walking difficult.

Crossing the Tweed on the old road bridge we picked up the Leader Water path heading for Earlston, and although slippy underfoot in the shelter of the trees you did get the feeling that spring was finally coming, making for a pleasant walk with the river in full flow due to the rain over the previous few days.

Before reaching Earlston we took the path up to the A68 to pickup the B-Road to Anniesfield house before turning off to Sorrowlessfield Farm.

At this point we were starting to feel the impact of Storm Kathleen walking into a headwind as we became more exposed. Fortunately with the high air temperature it was not cold, and with the high cloud level we had pleasant views along the Tweed valley.

Following the path, which at points with the level of running water was more a “burn”, we headed for Gattonside, stopping for lunch in a sheltered area where despite the high winds we had blue sky and the warmth of the sun. Continuing down to Gattonside we crossed the Tweed at the Chain Bridge, picking up the walled path and following the Tweed to Newstead and back to the viaduct, passing the site of the Roman Fort and Camps. The walk is around 8.5mls with an ascent of 1,000ft.

For details of our future walks, please see: borderhillwalkers.wordpress.com

For other information regarding the Club, please either use the above web-site, or contact our Secretary Mrs Jane Bell on 01896 823 172.