I set off this morning for an easy 4 km walk along the Tweed to see and photograph the striking Leaderfoot Viaduct and to enjoy the river. It was a beautiful morning, and I walked along the peaceful path, alone and happy.
I passed only one gentleman and his three dogs, and one lady walker who told me, when I asked, that the grain in this beautiful golden field is probably barley, grown in this area mostly for the production of whiskey.
The trail just got better and better, with fields and the Eildon Hills on my right, and the river on my left.
After about 2 km, the trail left the river and climbed a short distance to the small village of Newstead, said to be the oldest inhabited village in Scotland and once home to the stone masons of Melrose Abbey. Here is a very charming cottage in the village, and then a collage of village scenes, including a very friendly speed limit sign!
Past Newstead, I followed a hedgerow-lined lane up and across a hill, and along the way were many educational signs that gave details about Trimontium, a Roman fort which was built here beginning in the year 79 AD. Trimontium means “place of the three hills” and takes its name from the three nearby Eildon Hills (my photos have so far only shown two of the hills). It was once one of the largest Roman forts in Scotland, but was not long-lived, as described on this marker.
I continued along the road and enjoyed the sight of a few late-blooming roses in the hedgerow, some pink and some white, but most of their cousins had already turned into glossy rose hips.
After a short while, I got my first glimpse of the impressive Leaderfoot Viaduct in the distance, and then again as I got closer. The Viaduct was built between 1862 and 1865 for the Berwickshire Railway, and stands 126 feet above the river at its highest point.
Here are several photos of the Viaduct, taken from down at river level. The morning sun highlighted the warm, rich colour of the stone.
Just down stream from the viaduct are two other bridges, the Drygrange “Old” Bridge, built in 1779, and a modern steel and concrete bridge that carries the current A68 highway. Archaeologists believe that this is also the place where the Romans built a bridge across the Tweed as part of their road north from York to Edinburgh.
I returned to the road above the riverbank and headed towards a path from which I hoped to access the south end of the Viaduct in order to walk across it. I had seen two figures walking on the Viaduct, visible in the center of this photo which I took from the Drygrange Old Bridge. (And that’s a lady angler, fly fishing for salmon in the center of the river).
When I got to where the Viaduct begins, I was disappointed to find the way blocked by a steel fence, topped with barbed wire. I looked for a way to get over or around the fence (not having seen any sign threatening possible imprisonment!), but there were no horizontal bars upon which to get a foothold. Here is a picture of where I couldn’t go, taken from between the bars.
So, I turned back but my effort to get to that point was not totally wasted because nearby was a view of the Eildon North Hill which made me pause and consider climbing that hill today instead of retracing my steps along the river path to Melrose as I had planned.
All day yesterday and again on this morning’s walk I’ve been glancing up at the Eildon Hills with no small amount of trepidation as that is where St. Cuthbert’s Way will take me tomorrow, albeit only to the saddle between North Eildon and Mid Eildon. Over the last two days, the hills have seemed to get taller and steeper with each glance! That led me this morning to think seriously about “cheating” by asking a baggage transfer company to transport my big pack for me tomorrow. But, if I climbed the hill today, without my pack, I could go all the way to the top, higher than the saddle, for the best views, as well as hopefully allay my worries as to whether or not the climb would be too challenging for me on the morrow. So, decision made, I used a map provided by walkmelrose.org.uk, to find the find my way around some fields and under a highway and up onto the proper path to lead me to the top of Eildon Hill North. I’m so glad I did!
I reached the flat, grassy top and looked over the other side to see Eildon Mid Hill (which is actually slightly taller than the hill I am on) and then the smaller Eildon Wester Hill. There’s a dark line curving across the left half on the photo which is the remnants of rock walls and from the Iron Age hill fort.
I took two photos of the view down towards Melrose where I could clearly see both Melrose Abbey and the Chain Bridge over the River Tweed (the second photo is zoomed in). What a patchwork of greens and golds, and such a beautiful sky!
I decided to stay on top for awhile so I choose my favourite view towards Black Hill and had a lovely, quiet time resting and enjoying the warm breeze and the sight of swallows zipping and zooming about. I had a snack, took off my boots, and maybe had a snooze (I’m not quite sure!). I had the hill top to myself for a good while before some other walkers arrived and we chatted together about how great Melrose is as a center for walking, with multiple circular trails of varying lengths that start in town, as well as being on the path of three long-distances walks: St. Cuthbert’s Way, the Border Abbeys Way, and the Southern Upland Way.
Soon it was time to descend to the saddle and turn right down towards Melrose. Tomorrow I’ll be coming back up and then going down the opposite side.
I arrived in town, happy that Melrose is a “Walkers are Welcome” town, as well as a very pretty one. Thank you Melrose!
