The Southern Upland Way: Scotland's Coast to Coast

By the River Tweed and Roman Road from Galashields to Melrose and on to Lauder.

Saturday 14th April
Galashiels to Lauder


An author used to observe the Eildon Hills here.	The SUW follows part of the National Cycle Netwok.

On leaving the campsite, the owner offers to call a taxi to take us back into town. To Jo's dismay, Alan point blank refuses and procedes to ask for the complex directions that will take us a mile and a half through to the town centre. Alan doesn't seem to realise that he's just added to an already longer day than usual. We find our way back to the Town centre, managing only after a couple of arguments over what the directions were. In the town centre the various political parties are canvassing, and Alan wastes further time with a trip into the local bakor for a bacon and bree roll, and numerous questions regarding the various parties policies, even though none of these candidates will get in at Edinburgh. One of the campaigners comments that Alan really doesn't like to walk as he is trying to waste as much of the day as possible by talking instead. We manage to pick up some meths and water purification, both of which we are running out off. We learn that Gala has a population of 11,000, and that there are 160 taxis.

We return to where we left the SUW, where a sweet old lady tells us that she would love to come with us, but that her hiking days are over. Its a walk up through some sheep grazing land around Gala Hill, with really good views of the town. Past a spot where some author used to observe the Eildon Hills, of which there is also a fine view, though somewhat limited at the moment because of the haze. Accustomed as we are to walking on paths, when it comes to quiet roads, we automatically just walk in the middle of them. We need to relearn to be a bit more road aware.

We rejoin the River Tweed and walk along the banks under some massive arched bridges. The River Tweed here seems to separate Galashiels from Melrose. The riverside walk just outside Gala, has the faint waft of dog dirt in the air, but is coming out in Spring colours, with snowdrops coming up, blossom and leaves coming out on the trees. Some Black Ravens fly around. Unfortunately, beside the river is quite rundown, similar to Sanquhar, with littered banks. Alan labels it the towns dogs latrine. We take a pew on a bench by the river to slap on some suncream two weeks too late.

We cross the Tweed by joining the National Cycle Network, which continues on off -road tarmac. Great for cycling, but not so good for walking. A fancy multicoloured signpost tells us its still 2.5 miles to Melrose. A couple of signs warn that it is not safe to dig because there are underground electric power cables of 132,000 volts. We are amused at the specifity of this number. We decide that for sections like this we really ought to get or design some rollerskate attatchments for our boots. Alan comments that a cycling holiday would be nice.This section of SUW is a strong contender for worst part, though the roads around Stranraer may be worse. The Way here loops around a suspension bridge, and we can see it coming back on the other bank of the Tweed. Near the suspension bridge you can turn off into Melrose, which we do in search of ice-cream.


The River Tweed.	Riverside path leading into Melrose


We can see the suspension bridge over the River Tweed where we will cross and double back on the oppostie bank.	The Suspension bridge out of Melrose

Melrose is absolutely heaving, and we have to que in a spar for 20 minutes (the light was broken making it dark) just to get some ice-creams. There is some competition going on in Melrose - rugby 7's? We give Lauder campsite a call and they tell us non-commitally that they close at tea-time. We push on towards Lauder. We cross over the suspension bridge, which has its own set of by-laws to stop people swinging on it, overloading it or taking horses over it. While double-backing on the opposite bank, we spot anglers in the middle of the stream. One of them asks us the time. We turn 90degrees up from the trees, with a lovely developing view of the Eildon Hills on our right and Galashiels visible once again on our left. It's straight up the hillside on a completely straight Roman Road.


Fishermen in the River Tweed.	A track leads away from the river onto the course of a roman road.


The roman road heads straight over the hills into the distance.	Still going in the same straight line, the terrain changes into a gravel track.

Out of Melrose we climb, and there's great views back to the Eildon Hills and Gala, but its drill marching along Roman Road through sheep fields and by the ugliest powerlines in the world. The Roman road continues in a straight line, with the odd change in direction on road, track, wide gravel track and path though sheep fields. The going is very fast due to the easy walking surface, but the many hard surfaces take their tole on Jo's feet which get uncomfortably sore.

On passing through a field the way takes us under a powerline which is crackling like crazy. Jo is nervous about walking under it, but as we do, we feel a difinite unusual powerful surge in our bodies. Alan describes it as having the bones in his body being grabbed. We eventually muster the courage to pass under the powerlines, but keep distance from each other in case residing electricity would cause us to shock each other. Glad to leave the powerlines behind we continue on with no adverse side-effects. Alan takes a lovely photo of a field in mist with some powerlines in front. We notice that at some point the SUW markers have changed to a nice new wood from the old garter variety.

We get lost again at Woodheads Hill as the path seems to take us through the bowels of some kind of farming land. We know we should be going straight on as its still Roman Road, but we appear to have moved off course at some point. Trudging through ankle-deep mud, we head in the direction we think we should be going in, eventually locate a path and just follow it. Alan laments not being on track as they are the highways of the walking world, and make the walking faster and the direction more obvious. We refind our route with the tallest waymarker encountered on all 4 Scottish National Trails!


A field covered in mist with some powerlines in front.	A giant waymarker directs our route straight over a hill.


Leaving the roman road we follow a path round the side of a hill and into Lauder.	A waymarker tells us that we are on a path.

We have joined the LPN which we think stands for Lothian Path Network, which takes us round the side of a hill, in beside a golf course, before we get our first view of Lauder. Jo at this point describes her feet as throbbing, aching and excruciatingly painful. Alan describes his foot as the mass of flesh between the tip of his toe and his knee, which is also throbbing and very painful. Jo wonders if it is possible to pitch the tent while on our knees, it feels like every bone in her feet is broken, or that she has cramp in her foot but hasn't stretched the foot out.


The high street of Lauder.	The campsite.

We hobble into Lauder, and onto Thirlstane castle caravan and campsite. The facilities here are excellent with top quality showers, a utility room which even has books in it for you to read and power points. It's peaceful and quiet on the outskirts of a wee town. Lauder is a pleasent place. We return to the highstreet after pitching the tent and allowing our feet some recovery time in order to look for some food. Unfortunately we are too late for a pub meal at the Black Bull or the Eagle, so we opt for the carryout and order a 16inch veg pizza. Alan is regrettably recognisded by one of the pizza workers, proving that he spends too much time out at takeaways. The campsite has its own shortcut route into the town centre. Its been a very long trying day, we've walked over 17 miles, and done a lot of track walking so we fall into a deep sleep to recooperate.

The Kist

This kist has its photograph on the official website so is instantly recognisable. Its also very easily spotted which, combined, is probably why the kist is also empty! It takes the shape of a rather large pair of Roman walking shoes, though I'm not telling you its exact location!

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The Southern Upland Way: Scotland's Coast to Coast

By the River Tweed and Roman Road from Galashields to Melrose and on to Lauder.

Saturday 14th April Galashiels to Lauder

Saturday 14th April
Galashiels to Lauder