by jembo1963 » Sun Dec 05, 2021 10:42 am
Date walked: 04/12/2021
Time taken: 4.5 hours
Distance: 21 km
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I wanted to see what damage Arwen had caused and whether the walk was currently viable. The short answer is yes, but not without a considerable amount of scrambling and crawling. The fallen tree before the railway viaduct was the main obstacle, though several others towards the end force you to duck under them. The route is clear until Dere Street where a large tree collapsed at the bottom which you can walk around fortunately. I found my trusty old Lidl poles essential for negotiating the river where you first come down from the railway embankment when heading to Roxburgh. I was very much in two minds about following the Borders Abbeys Way at this point and the churned up bank made walking treacherous: it looked as though a team of cart horses had been through. On reflection I’d say keep to the railway line. The mud paths along the river were fairly tricky: with the poles it felt like a slalom. I reckon I could have done this route normally in under four hours. Nonetheless a great day: the route engages more with the river than the way from Melrose to Kelso whose last third along country lanes is wearisome. The constant sound of running water is soothing. You got three seasons in a day with the bright winter sun until you left Jedburgh, then cloud and finally a steady rain and occasional biting wind, and snow on the outskirts of Kelso.
- Attachments
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- What starts in sunshine…
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- …. ends in snow
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- At the bottom of the hill along Dere Street
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- One of half a dozen collapsed trees across the route
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- The uprooted tree before the viaduct