Theatre Group - Christmas Pantomime 2014

This year's pantomime is Aladdin at the King's Theatre, Edinburgh. We have made a provisional booking for the Matinee Performance on Thursday 11th December 2014. Details of how to book have been sent out to members who have expressed interest in the Theatre Group. If any other members wish details, please contact our mailbox at sl.pensioners.association@gmail.com and I will send the details to you.

Outing on Monday 8th September 2014 to Perth Racecourse

The fifth and final summer coach outing was to the Scotland Food & Drink Race Day at Perth Racecourse. 49 of us enjoyed a beatiful sunny day, The food and drink market was fairly limited, but none the less everyone enjoyed the event and some even had a little flutter on a horse or two. Many thanks to everyone involved in making this year's outing such a success.

Strollers Walk no. 184, Thursday 21st August 2014, Duns Railway Walk

Walk No. 184:  Duns Railway Walk
Date:              Thursday 21st August.

Drew did hope for a cooler day for this walk. It was like an October day cold and wet.

Ten braved the elements. It was dry when we left The Market Square in Duns and headed down to the A6105 and up Bridgend to the turn off to the Sinclair Hill Road.  Half way down towards Wedderburn Castle the heavens opened and that was the rain on for most of the walk.  

 

We entered The Castle grounds by the The West Gate,  an archway butt defined by screen walls and gabled lodges. The Grounds and Castle are private, but as we had been given permission by David Home himself,  we walked through the grounds and round the castle. The Castle was designed and constructed 1771–5 by the famous architect brothers Robert Adam and James Adam, with the work superintendent being James Nisbet, for Patrick Home of Billie . He had already completed Paxton House (using James Adam and Nisbet, with Robert Adam doing the interiors c. 1773. (For those who were on the Paxton house outing they may remember that was the country house built for Patrick Home of Billie in an unsuccessful attempt to woo a Prussian heiress). Wedderburn was where he lived.

We left the Castle by the north gate and headed eastwards and north to the A6105 and to the the old Railway Line.  This railway line was opened in August 1849 as a branch line between Duns and Reston to the main east coast line.  The line was extended in 1865 to join the Edinburgh Hawick line to complete the route from Berwick to Hawick through the eastern Borders. However, the service ended after the devastating floods in 1948 when the line west of Duns was closed.

We followed  the old railway route westwards back towards Duns passed a farm that has Llamas and many types of sheep but I think they were hiding from the rain! The views here walking through the fields and looking towards the hills are usually very nice. By the end of this part of the line there was a bit that was muddy (It wouldn't be a Duns walk without mud!), some thought they had got something smelly on their boots but we had only walked passed the sewage works. We continued the walk passed the Industrial Estate and back towards the Square.

That was when the sun came out when we were having lunch in the White Swan. It has a pensioners lunch on a Thursday,  two courses for £4.95.

Moira
(Many thanks for Moira for organising this walk, if not the weather.)