Border Break 4: Tweed and Teviot

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River Tweed near St Boswells

Several of the walks we took on our Borders break last year were along the banks of the rivers Tweed and Teviot.

St Boswells and the Tweed

This circular walk took us along both sides of the Tweed, crossing at Mertoun Bridge and crossing back at the pedestrian suspension bridge at Dryburgh. We circumnavigated the grounds of Dryburgh Abbey but, as I said in an earlier post, all the Borders abbeys were closed for maintenance at the time. Because there are so many trees, we couldn’t even glimpse the abbey from either bank.

Tweed at Mertoun Bridge
Tweed at Mertoun Bridge
Tweed at Mertoun Bridge
River Tweed
Tweedside fungus
River Tweed and Borders Abbey Way
House near Dryburgh
Dryburgh suspension bridge
Dryburgh suspension bridge
House near Dryburgh
Gardeners’ cottages at Dryburgh

Melrose and Abbotsford

Another circular walk along the Tweed between Melrose and Abbotsford, both of which featured in earlier posts. Here are a few of the riverside views.

River Tweed between Melrose and Abbotsford
River Tweed between Melrose and Abbotsford
River Tweed between Melrose and Abbotsford
River Tweed between Melrose and Abbotsford
River Tweed between Melrose and Abbotsford

Kelso and Roxburgh

Once again, a circular riverside walk, though this time the river is the Teviot. Starting in Kelso, the confluence of the Tweed and the Teviot, we followed the latter past the ruins of Roxburgh Castle, built by King David I sometime in the 1120s. Reaching the village of Roxburgh, we crossed the river on an old railway viaduct then followed the line back to Kelso. Along the way, we got glimpses of Floors Castle and the striking white farmhouse, Maisondieu, once a medieval hospice.

River Teviot near Kelso
River Teviot near Kelso
Ruins of Roxburgh Castle
Teviot heron
Teviot heron
Teviot and Roxburgh
Viaduct over the Teviot
Teviot and Roxburgh
Teviot and Roxburgh
Teviot and Roxburgh
Teviot and Roxburgh
Floors Castle
Maisondieu
Return to Kelso

I’m linking this post to Jo’s Monday Walks. In my final Borders instalment, after a break for my end-of-month gallivanting post, there will be more walks, this time of a monumental nature.

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50 Comments »

  1. Pingback: Jo’s Monday walk : Fonte de Benemola | Still Restlessjo

  2. What a beautiful and historic walk. The Borders area really has it’s own character, I think. The Gardeners Cottages at Dryburgh look lovely, I’d quite fancy a nose inside!

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  5. Anabel, this was such a green and beautiful walk. That is quite a magnificent suspension bridge. Your rivers and architecture are so beautiful and different than what we have in AZ. It’s like taking a mini-vacation to walk with you. 🙂

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      • When we lived in Indiana, we had an abundance of both, green and trees and rain. I loved the rain, trees and green and hated the mugginess. Portland, Oregon was a good intermediary – lots of green and trees and rain, but it was cold and summers were mild and dry. Until recently when the summers have turned into monsters. I hope Glasgow stays moist and beautiful. I love all the pictures from there.

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  7. It’s so green and lush. Beautiful! It always interests me to see place names which we have here as well. I suppose people who came here named their settlements after their original homes. There is a Tweed River just over the border in New South Wales and the city of Tweed Heads is located where it flows into the sea.

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  11. Always adds a bit of interest when you have water to walk beside. Watched several films over the years set in small rural USA towns (Mud being one) where the drab flat inland location was completely transformed by a mile wide river beside them with islands, sandbars, gorges, woods, swamps, river traffic, paddle steamers etc. Any town or village with a river beside it has an extra scenic attraction.

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  14. Some nice riverside walks there, Anabel. Hope it wasn’t too muddy on those paths – it was when we walked alongside the Ribble near Settle a few weeks ago!

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  17. I love a riverside walk, Anabel, and there are some lovely shots here. I think I’ve crossed over that suspension bridge at Dryburgh, and I’ve definitely been to Floors Castle. I almost said ‘England’s green and pleasant land’, but thought twice! Many thanks for linking.

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  20. It’s a beautiful place, a great part of the country. I had a riding holiday up there once or twice. Can’t remember the exact base location though… We’re talking early-mid 80s, I think! Eagle’s Nest comes to mind.

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    • After extensive research – Google was hopeless, but I vaguely remembered the car route, so checked out Maps – I hit upon Lauder and it all came back to me. I think we stayed at the Black Bull Hotel, and the riding people were something like Eagle Holidays.
      I feel so much better for remembering that. The Lauder area is gorgeous.

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  21. Hi Anabel – they look like lovely tranquil walks on non-windy days! What gorgeous views … another visit due sometime to see the Abbeys – perhaps next year … falling masonry – not to be found! Cheers Hilary

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