DAY 59: Cessford Castle to St Boswells

Today: 16.5 miles
Total so far: 857.4 miles
Percentage Completed: 51.3%

(Click map to enlarge)

A whole day in Scotland today; and what a day. I followed the St Cuthbert's Way - a beautifully crafted walk.

Having fly-camped at Cessford Castle, I was away early - on the road by seven, with mists covering the valleys below. The tent was soaked from a very heavy dew but all that can be sorted later. It was fun following the new revised route for the St Cuthbert’s Way; the new route following more woodland -and what woodland! Banks and banks of wild flowers with beech hangers on top of the gentle hills.

I then re-joined the old route on Dere Street, and was soon following the River Jed for a short while, with wild garlic all around, bluebells and all manner of other flowers. The Jed flowed into the Teviot, a stronger river, and I crossed it over the new suspension bridge. I found my way to the Harestanes Visitor for a welcome late breakfast.

I was soon whizzing along Dere Street again. There was a temptation to just nip into St Boswells, but having seen what St Cuthbert’s was like so far, I followed him down to the Tweed, for an ingenious board walk seemingly among the tree tops to one side and more and more scented banks of wild flowers to the other. He then drops you off at river level, and I took a rest watching clouds of sand-martins and swifts darting over the river as a lone fisherman was casting his fly mid river. It was timeless. I could have been in any of the last hundred years.

I made it to the Buckloo Hotel (It's not spelt like that, but that's what it sounds like) to get all clean and fill their washing machine with a rucksack full of incredibly smelly clothes!

A rest day tomorrow, so I shall lie back and remember England (and Wales too) but the second half of my walk will all be in Scotland. If it is going to be half as much fun as the walk so far, I am in for a good second half.