Another beautiful day on the Border Abbeys Way!

This week has brought some of my very favourite Scottish weather - cold sunny days. I'm not a big fan of the heat, so when the sun shines and there's a chill in the air, I love it. It has been great walking to and from work in this weather, and even better to have light evenings that last just slightly after I get home.

However it was all for nothing if it didn't last until the weekend. I was hoping to get back out on the Border Abbeys Way and complete one of my last two stages. Thankfully the good weather was due to continue on Saturday and so Dave and I decided to make the most of this.

Unfortunately I woke up on Saturday morning feeling awful - washed out, sore stomach, earache and a big ugly sty on my eye. I wasn't feeling good but I still wanted to get out for a walk. We decided to head down to Hawick and see how I felt.

The drive down was beautiful and we arrived in Hawick just after 11 - a bit later than we had intended! We dropped a car off and headed to Jedburgh to begin the walk. By the time we got going it was around 11.45am and we had 14.5 miles to go.

The route heads uphill out of Jedburgh towards and past the Gaol.

We were walking uphill into the sunshine - and we'd be doing this for the next few hours!

I knew that we were heading towards the highest section of the walk, at Black Law. What I wasn't prepared for was how tough I'd find the slog up to that point. By the time we'd reached Jedburgh I was feeling well enough to walk, but these uphill sections were a real test. My legs just weren't up for it, aching from the first incline.

It was a punishing start to the day but all I could keep in mind was that once we were up - we were up. And the only way was down. Of course the best thing about heading uphill was that the views just kept getting better and better.

Soon we were skirting around the edge of Black Law and reaching the highest point of the walk. The views ahead to Rubers Law were fantastic - looks like a really fun hill to climb at some point!

The downhill was a relief after my uphill struggles, and I was more into my stride by this point.

Soon we reached the 'Blacklaw Strip' and were on the fringes of a small wooded area. Looking back to where we'd come down the hill brought this view:

As we headed down, we could see a man coming up the way with his dog. The dog barked and in doing so, startled something near us. We heard a rustling in the grass and turned to see what it was. All of a sudden I was staring at a badger - it looked just as surprised to see us as we were to see it! Slightly disorientated, the badger made a run for it, almost running into me! It brushed close to my leg and disappeared further down the hill. It was an amazing moment! The first (live) badger I've ever seen - and a bizarre coincidence that it came in a week that was a lot about wildlife. I was too stunned to whip my camera out but it was a really special moment.

Further down the hill took us to the small settlement of Bedrule and its church:

Across the river we had a steep-ish section of road which was another test for the legs. After my close encounter with Mr Badger I was excited to see this sign:

But the next wildlife we saw was a bit more approachable:

I love this photo so much and think it is more than worthy of a caption competition...

We chatted to the horses for a while, and after they'd stopped trying to maul Dave, we continued. The next section was certainly the boggiest section of the walk, and we were amazed that despite the lack of rain recently, the ground was still so saturated.

We tried our best to get round the boggy bits but despite my best efforts, I ended up like this again:

By this point we'd been walking for a couple of hours and I was starting to wilt. It was hot, we were trudging through bogs, and Denholm - where we planned to stop to eat - didn't seem to be getting any closer. We were out in the open fields and it wasn't always entirely clear where the path meandered to next.

However we figured it out, and soon we were heading up yet another ascent. This ascent was rewarded by views of Denholm below us. Before we got there though we had to trudge down a path known locally as 'The Loaning'. It was a downward avenue of mud. It seemed as though it had been raining just hours before, it was so wet underfoot.

Eventually we reached Denholm, and were sure we were past the half way point. We knew that the walk from here to Hawick was alongside the river the whole way, so were relieved the hilly sections were over. We stopped for 15 minutes at Denholm and ate our pieces sat on a bench on the village green, watching the local kids play football. It felt almost warm in the sunshine, and we blissfully dunked custard creams into our flask of tea.

Soon we were off again and enjoying the stroll along the river Teviot. It was pleasant, the perfect after-lunch amble.

We reached Hornshole bridge but alas I did not get a photo. Just before the bridge we stopped to chat to a lovely old gentleman, with a sheep-like poodle dog. We didn't see many people on our walk (which was lovely in itself!) but those we did meet were very pleasant indeed.

I liked this section a lot because it didn't require much thought and the path was straightforward. Before long we could see Hawick in the distance, much to the relief of our feet!

It was an interesting walk into Hawick, past Mansfield Park - the rugby ground - and so many former mill buildings. This was a real eye-opener for me, having not spent much time in Hawick, to see what was left of its once-thriving industrial past.

This section of the walk ends at the Teviotdale Leisure Centre, which is where we'd left one car. We got there around the 5 hour mark. However, we couldn't leave Hawick without taking a photo of one of its most famous landmarks - Ken, the Horse.

On the way to Ken I snapped a photo of an interesting memorial to the orientalist John Leyden. We'd seen his birthplace in Denholm, and were intrigued:

Then it was into the centre of Hawick for this:

A fitting end to a cracking walk!

We made our way back to Jedburgh as the sun was going down behind us. Unfortunately we got there too late for the public toilets still to be open, so it was a fairly tense journey up the road to Peebles! However, it was a lovely drive - I've always really enjoyed that Melrose to Peebles section.

We reached my granny's house around 6.30 and were greeted with a 3 course dinner - I've always said my granny should cook for hungry walkers! It was just what we needed, and enough to send us - almost - to sleep!

Back in Edinburgh at 10ish, and fast asleep not long after, Dave and I had had a great day doon the Borders. Ken. It was a great feeling to get 14.5 miles under my belt, despite starting off not feeling great. Today I've felt tired and perhaps not 100% but with only two weekends left until I start the West Highland Way, it was really important for me to get out there.

Now only Hawick to Selkirk remains for me on the Border Abbeys Way, and I'll be chuffed to complete this circular route around a truly beautiful part of the country. I've been really lucky with the weather (and the company! And the sights!) on every stage and I hope the last bit is no different.

I hope to get out and about somewhere next weekend in amongst the rugby, and here's hoping for many more good miles to come!