I was looking forward to today, the weather was going to be dry and the views excellent, according to my guide book. It was another twenty mile day and it was a fantastic walk apart from the last section which seemed to drag on for ages before finally reaching Melrose.
I left Innerleithen after a good breakfast, got something for my lunch and retraced my steps back to Traquair where I had left the SUW the previous day. It still felt dangerous walking along the narrow road but thankfully it was a lot quieter than yesterday. I reached Traquair and cut off up a little road that soon became a stony path and then into the woods. The sun wasn’t out but it was still warm and the sweat was soon running down my face and back as the track felt quite steep in places.
On and on it went, I stopped often and looked back down towards Innerleithen realising how high up I had got quickly. The path was wide, level and more importantly it was dry, no wet shoes today. I then passed the ‘Point of Resolution ‘ sculpture which was basically circles cut in the heather, not really sure why but it gave me a good excuse for a couple minutes rest. Pressing onwards and upwards, I crossed a forest track and the SUW got even wider, I guess this section could be popular with mountain bikers, I would see a few later. The path started to level off, much to my relief and I started to descend to the end of the woods where the views around me were fantastic, I could see for miles.
Once out of the woods, a lovely ridge walk followed all the way to the Three Brethren and beyond. There were gentle climbs up and down on very nice paths which allowed you to take in the views all around without tripping over loose rocks. Three Brethren was up on a hill in the distance and I was soon there and admiring the three large cairns. After a short break I headed downhill and heard voices, to the right of me on another path was a group of walkers, I was surprised to see other people as the SUW is very quiet but then I remembered it was the weekend. In the next ten minutes I saw more walkers, cyclists, fell runners and dog walkers, it was a very popular place today.
I soon was descending down through woodland and approaching the bridge over the River Tweed at Yair. By now I was hungry and could do with a rest and much to my surprise, a picnic bench was just after a farm after crossing the bridge and heading up a rough stony trail. I had my lunch, took my shoes off and gave my feet a rest for a while in the shade.
I still had a long way to go but the next few miles were very nice after I got off the rough track. What followed was a walk over grassy fields and not too strenuous although the sun was hot. I approached a cairn and Galashiels was now in view and more importantly, was downhill. More good walking through fields followed until I reached some woods near the town and a woodland walk followed until I emerged near Galashiels Academy and walked through a park, saw benches and rested.
I’m glad I did as the next five miles or so seemed much longer. Initially a road then track took me above the town and into fields before dropping down to a busy road. This was fine but after this, the rest of the day was very much a case of numerous little paths and I didn’t feel like I was getting anywhere. A walk mainly beside the river but not much view of it took me under a road bridge and then away from the river to a little grassy area then to a road.
I then crossed the river by a bridge and crossed over the road. The guide book told me I’d be walking along a disused railway line but since the book was written, it is no longer disused and now has trains on it. So, you’re walking on a pavement beside a fence and the railway line which I followed until Tweedbank Railway Station.
The signs kept telling me I was getting gradually closer to Melrose but it didn’t feel like it. More cycle path followed until the path headed down beside the river for the third time today, I was getting fed up seeing the River Tweed. The path gained height and I soon saw the Chain Bridge which will be at the start of tomorrow’s walk to Lauder. All I had to do now was leave the riverside path and head into town, after visiting the shop, getting some goodies and onto my Hotel.
It had been a long but rewarding day with the views that I got. The paths were very nice and I enjoyed it apart from the last section near Melrose but I guess it had to be done. A nice gentle short day tomorrow to Lauder will hopefully be in the dry and I can take my time, knowing that when I finish it I will only have two more days left.
