Departing
Cardrona
Looking out for the
golfers
Cardrona house
Lookout for cyclists
Crossing the Tweed
at Woodend Bridge
Climb up to Velvet Hall
Alpaca's at Velvet Hall
Getting steeper Breathe
in at top of Caerleebank fishing in the Tweed
Rough
track after lunch
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| | | Sponsored
Walk - Saturday 20th June 2015 |
Story and Photos - Jim
Paterson
Walkers gather in front of St. Mungo's
The
group of St. Mungo's members gathered in front of the church under a
cloudy sky which we hoped would lift before we started the walk. This
year the start was at Cardrona village, where we met some friends from
Roslin that had joined us last year.
Ian and Moira
Dickson had
put together a new walk over countryside we had not ventured into
before. Our route would take us down the Tweed valley to Innerleithen
and back, a distance of some 7 miles. Ian had produced two routes, the
longer hill climb route and one keeping to the river level for those
not wishing to test their climbing skills.
 Having
met the
'friends' at the Cardrona Village Store, once the station ticket and
waiting room, our party of fifteen checked back packs and headed east down the
valley, with Cardrona Forest to our right. You had to be sharp eyed to
see Cardrona House, a manor in the Scottish Jacobean
style, built
in 1841 by William Burn, replacing an older house from 1685, and the
earlier tower behind, built in the 1500's, now a ruin.
The
clouds were beginning to break and the damp ground underneath our feet
began to dry. Being near the golf course we kept a lookout for misfired
golf balls heading over our heads. Fortunately the first part of our
route kept to the old railway line that once linked Peebles with
Innerleithen and beyond. The old railtrack was on an embankment which
now separates the golfers from the walkers, so helping to stop those
misfires from striking any of us.
 We
crossed to the north side
of the Tweed over the Woodend Bridge, built in 2013 as a crossing for
walkers, horse riders and cyclists. The path clung to the side of the
Tweed and being recently made into a walk was tarmac and smooth making
for an easy step.
At the path to Velvet Hall our
party split, with
those wanting the easy route continuing along the old railway path to
Innerleithen, whilst the 'hardy' walkers headed up the hill,
crossing the main Peebles to Innerleithen road at Velvet cottage.
A
look up the
path brought some concern as Lee Pen Hill in front of us rises
to
over 500 metres, and the sun was breaking through lifting the
temperature. Ian put our minds at rest as he had chosen to cut off
around the 300 metre mark, so no sweat there then, or would there be?
 We
stopped briefly at Velvet Hall Alpaca farm to see the freshly shorn
alpaca's and to ask the farmers if they could run off a jumper or two
while we
waited.
Form there it was a steep climb up into
the forest, heading for
the High Wood. Thankfully one of our 'friends' stopped Ian trekking
straight on, pointing out the right turn we should take towards
Caerleebank Wood. This brought us along to a hill overlooking
Innerleithen, with a great view down the Tweed valley toward
Walkerburn. Now the site of a communications radio mast, it once was an
ancient settlement, possibly bronze or iron age, from where
it
would have commanded a good defensive position to spot unfriendly
intruders.
 After a short rest
to recover from our climb we
headed downhill toward Innerleithen. Bob Jarmson, a enthusiastic walker
really enjoyed this section, proclaiming it 'too easy', a favourite
Australian saying. Well downhill
usually is!
Arriving at Innerleithen we found the
other
members of our party, who having taken the flat land route, had arrived
before us and parked themselves outside Caldwell's
homemade ice
cream shop. They have the biggest  selection
of flavours in the borders. What a good idea, so we
joined them. My choice was a passion fruit and mango cone. Delicious.
Time
to head down past the Traquair Arms Hotel, a great place for a lunch,
back to the River Tweed. We stopped to eat our packed lunches by the
riverside, with Traquair House on the opposite bank., This site goes
back to the 12th
century, when it was a hunting estate, but probably best known
for the
famous Bear Gates at the top of the main drive which were built in 1739
only to be closed in 1745 following the visit of Bonnie Prince Charlie
when the 5th Earl promised they would never be
opened again until the Stuarts returned to the throne.
 We
watched the fishermen casting for trout, in the vain hope we could have
some for lunch. Carole Lough as a good First Aider, brought a Survival
Bag, normally for putting injured patients in to keep them warm, but
works well as a mat to keep our bottoms off the damp grass
too.
Thanks Carole.
Heading on west back toward Cardrona the path was rough and uneven, before we
reached the tarmac path again. Pressing on we passed an
orchard and a field with a 'family' of horses, which seemed pleased to
see us. No feeding the animals though. Soon we  reached the the
point where we split to head for Velvet Hall on the way east.
A short rest on the bench before pushing on to the final leg, back over
the Woodend Bridge to Cardrona, completing our 7 mile walk.
We
agreed to meet at the
Leadburn Inn on the road home where cool drinks refreshed our
weary bodies.
A great walk with one or two
challenges for the more
adventurous, while helping to raise funds for the maintenance and
upkeep of St. Mungo's ageing church. Takes a lot to keep the 1771
building in a good state.
 Margaret and Beryl enjoying their ice creams at
Innerleithen | |
A
total of £900 was raised through sponsorship, the second highest amount
ever for this event. A big thank you to walkers and sponsors.
Published 22 June 2015
Updated 27 July 2015
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