Monday 12 November 2012

Braw day on the BAW

Having recently turned my attention to all things 'winter' and perhaps resigned myself to not conquering another Munro this year (9 in a year ain't too shabby...), I'd managed to forget that some of the best walks are right on your doorstep.

And in this household, the Borders rules okay. Once I'd realised that there was a window of opportunity for a walk, I was very keen to progress on my 'bagging' of the BAW - the Borders Abbeys Way. It's 68 miles long, and I'm thrilled to now be another step closer to completion.

The stage I had in mind was the 13.5 mile section from Kelso to Jedburgh. It is the second longest stage of the walk (not counting Melrose to Kelso, which we'd done in 2 parts), and so I was interested to see how I'd cope with more than ten miles.

Dave was, of course, keen. It's nae called Kelsae bonnie Kelsae for nothing, he tells me. Ken.

Dad was up for it too, and we arranged to meet in the car park in Jedburgh on Saturday morning. We left one car there and drove together to Kelso.

There's not much left of it now, but Kelso Abbey makes a dramatic start to any walk:
It was a nice day. Crisp, cold, sunny. Blue skies. Chilly. Some of my favourite walking weather, although I still get too warm in the sun!

We left via the Kelso Bridge, saying goodbye to the Tweed and heading onwards to the river Teviot. We knew we'd be down by the riverside for much of the walk, and were expecting it to be a bit wet on the path. And it certainly was - quite muddy too. It made for some tough squelchy walking.




It may have been muddy, but the Autumnal colours were simply beautiful and walking alongside such beauty was a pleasure.














We were alongside the River Teviot for a good few miles at this section. We stopped for lunch on the way, enjoying the peace and tranquillity of our surroundings.


This was certainly one of my favourite sections of the Borders Abbeys Way so far. It was just so pleasant, and on a day like this, a delight.

We left the river and made our way through the tiny village of Roxburgh. The path took us under the Roxburgh viaduct, a remnant of the old Borders railway. There would be more of that later in the day...

Things were about to become slightly more challenging when we rejoined the river...


We each took a different route through the 'glaar'. Dave took the high road, Dad took the low road, and I opted for straight through the middle.

We each came out the other side extremely muddy. No surprise there then.

It was very clatchy (love the onomatopoeia of that word!) and we had sore necks from staring down at our feet the whole time.








We finally got through the mud and headed up some steps away from the river. This took us to our first section of the old railway line. I have to say it was a relief to be away from the soft squelchy riverside path, and onto a more solid path. The former railway line made for a great path. Very straight, and therefore straightforward. There were some muddy patches, but nothing too challenging thankfully.

We exited the railway line briefly, and saw plenty of hens:
Then we were back on the railway line, seemingly for miles to come.

I quite enjoyed the simplicity of this walking. Some may have got a bit bored but I found it gave me the time to think. I wasn't worried about where I was going next (despite a good map and instructions, and plenty of waymarks, I still seem to worry about getting lost) and I could just be in the moment. And that's what I'm working on after all :)

After passing by the small hamlet of Nisbet, we crossed onto the other side of the River Teviot.


One of my favourite pictures of the day
We were then directed into a field, back onto the remains of the railway line, and finally onto a main road. We crossed the road and joined 'Dere Street', part of the Roman Road from York to Edinburgh.


It may not look it from this picture, but Dere Street went gradually uphill. I assume this was our ascent of the day - a total of 100m! It was a bit of a slog really - we must have been around the 11 mile mark and our legs were starting to feel it. Combined with the mud, it wasn't my favourite part. When I read we'd be on a Roman Road, I knew it would be straight but I didn't think it would be so vertical!

Finally we turned right (the St Cuthbert's Way keeps going straight up Dere Street), and there was a moment of light relief that we were back on the horizontal. Feeling Jedburgh getting closer and closer, we were starting to feel weary. We took a wee rest to chat to some four-legged friends:




We got a rest and the horses left with fresher breath - a win win!

All of a sudden we were down onto the road and could sense our arrival in Jedburgh was imminent. The path directed us alongside the Jed Water.
As we got further round, a group of people stood on the path watching the river. It didn't take Dave long to realise that they were keeping their eyes out for leaping salmon - and it didn't take long before we saw some ourselves. The excitement! This was only the second time I have ever seen salmon leaping - the first being just a few months ago in East Linton. It was just a great way to end a walk.

Once we reached Jedburgh proper, Dad and Dave made their way towards Mary Queen of Scots House. I decided to keep following the BAW waymarks and see where the path led into town. More fool me, the path was blocked further along the river and I was forced back onto the road. However it led me straight back to the car park with Jedburgh Abbey ahead. Sadly I have no photos of the Abbey as the rain (which wasn't forecast) began to fall. We hopped into Dad's car and drove back to Kelso.

Dave was insistent it wouldn't be raining in Kelso (centre of the universe) but it barely mattered because the rain had given us a beautiful ending to the day:


And of course, the pot of gold was to be found in Kelso.

We were muddy and quite tired, but had enjoyed our day. It's always nice to get out and about on a lovely day such as this, and to feel you've made the best of it.

Importantly for me, I didn't feel absolutely exhausted (not until later that night anyway) and would have been able to keep walking. The balls of my feet were starting to get sore, so I know I need to address that. But I want to feel able to walk that distance - and more - comfortably. I've already decided that next year I'm going to attempt the West Highland Way (and get my Munro count to at least 18). The real challenge will be walking day after day. I've always had a recovery day the next day, so it will be interesting to see if I can really carry on for seven or eight days.

Until then, I'm pleased to have completed another section of the Borders Abbeys Way, and have 2 to go before the Way is completed. The next two sections, Jedburgh to Hawick and Hawick to Selkirk, look a bit more challenging than what's been done already. I'm not sure whether I'll get them in this year or not.

I'll be chuffed to have bagged the BAW. After all, the best walks can be just on your doorstep.

Sunday 4 November 2012

A year ago...

...the 4th of November was a Friday night. Mum and Dad had been to the Dominion. Dave and I had met them afterwards at the Merlin for some dinner. Mum had brought with her a letter that I had asked her to print for me. I had signed it and posted it at a Morningside postbox on our way back to the flat.

The next day we'd planned to climb Schiehallion.

I felt strange that night, a real mixture of emotions. I had finally committed to a decision that was over a year in the making.

My letter didn't arrive until the Monday morning. By that point I was on a ferry to Arran in the sunshine. I was beginning a new chapter.

The letter was my letter of resignation and one of the hardest things I've ever had to write. Or feel.

It is such a weird feeling to look back on this time last year and to think about how much has changed. I am quite a reflective person, and although I am trying to look back less - and live in the present more - it is often useful to think back on a time in a previous year and to measure the progress, the changes, the differences.

These dates stick in my mind so much. The 2nd of November - I finished my last Skye tour. The 4th of November - I posted my letter of resignation. The 5th of November - remember, remember. A small bump on the motorway. The 7th of November - Dave's birthday. Our trip to Arran. The day the letter arrived and it all became real.

I'd taken a scary step. But the right step. It didn't feel brave but looking back I suppose there was an element of bravery behind it. I can't say that I left a comfortable job for the unknown. It was never a comfortable job. But there certainly was unknown. A few months of it.

And finally, things started to look brighter in the first 2 months of 2012. Things have been progressing for me. It is time to look forward - but mostly to attempt to live in the present, to enjoy the moment, to feel what I am feeling.