Sixteen Strollers met at Tweedbank station for a circular walk round by
Melrose and Abbotsford. Most had taken the opportunity to travel down by train
and enjoy the scenery of the Borders in a relaxed atmosphere.
The railway had been reopened in 2015 after having been closed in the
1960s as part of the Beeching cuts. A long campaign from the 1990s had
eventually led to the reopening of the line and has proved a great success. The
original line went to Hawick in 1849 and was extended in 1862 to Carlisle. It
became known as the Waverley Line, after Sir Walter Scott’s novels.
Following the path from the station down to the riverside, the walk
turned off just short of the Chain Bridge and continued on past Melrose and the
Greenyards - the home of Melrose Rugby club. There is an annual sevens
tournament held there in April featuring teams from all over the world.
The Strollers stopped for a bit of lunch in Darnock wood and tried to
master the technique of squeezing on to picnic benches while being dignified!
We moved on from there to Abbotsford which was the home of Sir Walter
Scott, the 19th century novelist who popularised tartan, saved the Scottish
banknote and rediscovered his country’s Crown Jewels. The house was completed
in 1824. We finished off the walk from there back to Tweedbank along the side
of the river Tweed.
Our thanks to Alistair B for arranging a very nice walk.
Some Strollers then went to Herges on The Loch but were disappointed
not to see Tin Tin and Snowy!
