Peebles, Scotland
Friday 21 September - Our check out time from Budle Bay was 10 am and check in at our next accommodation, Peebles in Scottish Borders, was from 3pm. The journey time to Peebles is two hours, so the dilemma for us is how to fill in three hours. The answer my friend was blowin' in the wind high above the village of Bamburgh in the form of Bamburgh Castle.
Having only just walked past this enormous, elegant castle on earlier walks we decided to have a look inside so we loaded up all our goods and chattels, drove the 15 minutes south and parked our car in the near empty main street of Bamburgh.
The day was very cool and the wind was blowing a gale. Arriving as the castle gates opened we gave the mandatory donation and in we went.
Bamburgh Castle is set high on a volcanic outcrop on a site occupied since at least 420AD. It was destroyed by Vikings in 993AD after many years of ownership swapping between the Anglo-Saxons and the Britons. Today it has been well restored thanks to Lord Armstrong et al and is now well visited. With the usual keep and dungeons, plus State Rooms and a couple of museums, the Castle kept us amused and mostly out of the wind for a good two hours. Lunch was held a a nice seafood restaurant on the outskirts of Bamburgh.
So three hours were easy to fill in and, having done so, we headed west into Scotland and our village for the next four nights, Peebles.
Our apartment is located on The High Street in the centre of this small town. After following some vague instructions on where to get the key from a cafe on The High Street we were given even less information from the lady behind the bar who didn't know where the entrance was, didn't know where we should park and in fact hadn't even seen the place. On top of all this it was a busy Friday afternoon with everyone leaving work. A heavy downpour brought the streets to a standstill, I had to illegally park in the Bank of Scotland Manager's carpark and I was not a happy chappy. Julie led the charge with keys in hand to eventually find the door to our upstairs "penthouse". Looking for a lift in the foyer was a waste of time as the foyer was liftless so up the stairs we climbed. We eventually ran into a lady who confirmed which door was ours on the top floor, the key didn't initially work but good old Julie sorted that out. My contribution was to stand with arms folded and contribute nothing positive and busy myself remaining an unhappy chappy.
Having unlocked the mysteries of how to find our apartment we now could make several trips from our illegally parked car three stories down, down a laneway and down steep steps to the stream with our luggage, backpacks and groceries all on the tail end of the heavy rain shower. It didn't matter how nice our place was I wanted to remain an unhappy chappy for as long as I could. Ours is the only apartment in the Chambers building as it's a commercial property with the Bank on the ground floor and a couple of other small business on the 1st floor. After hours we have the place to ourselves. So it's very quiet except for the town clock which strikes every quarter of an hour until about 10.00 pm.
Saturday 22 September - the weather was due to fine up so we chose a clifftop walk on the coast starting from the picturesque village of St Abbs. We knew nothing about St Abbs or the area and took along information about a spare walk if the place didn't look any good. The 1.5 hour drive took us just south of Edinburgh and east to the southern coast of Scotland. Parking high up in St Abbs we looked down on the pretty little harbour and to the ruggedly beautiful coast north and south of it. Our spare walk wouldn't be needed.
Not realising, but soon discovering, we were not at the same starting carpark described by our walk it did take us a little while to become unlost.
However, once everyone was on the same page the walk was both spectacular and beautiful. Multi-coloured steep sheep dotted headlands took us north to a lighthouse built in 1862. This was also where the first ever fog horn was used in Scotland in 1876. The fog horn remains on the headland although is no longer in use.
The weather was cold with a biting breeze, but when the sun decided to come out it warmed our backs and lit up the landscape.
A walk past a Loch and through some paddocks took us past the carpark we should have parked at and eventually back to St Abbs.
Julie had spied a local cafe down in the harbour so there we headed with lunch on our minds. I grabbed the last little table in the sun and Julie ordered. A hearty meal of two local delicacies was shared between us. One was Cullen Skink (smoked haddock in a soup with a seaweed type green stuff and potatoes in it - not local lizard which I had originally envisaged). The other was locally smoked mackerel made into a pattie with capers and some more green seaweed like stuff to be had on toast with tossed salad. The wind was still strong so the salad half blew away, the menus blew across the road but we both loved the meal and the harbourside cafe.
Travelling home a different way we drove through the beautiful lush countryside of the Scottish Borders. The ever 'on the lookout for a a good place to eat' Julie spied a restaurant that was our target for dinner - our first dining out dinner experience this trip as every other time we've self-catered for dinner. Osso Restaurant in Peebles was just outstanding.
Sunday 23 September - Our second day here and the weather was clear, cold and crisp. With frost still on the ground at 9am we set off from our apartment to walk along the River Tweed and around Peebles. Where in Australia can you walk for 7klm along a pristine salmon filled river (Tweed), past a 13th century castle (Neidpath Castle), under an Industrial Revolution built bridge, over a stone bridge built in 1702, through a forest once filled with deer, across sheep filled paddocks and back down to the river with kayakers blethering as they paddle past and then to be greeted by runners, swimmers and pushbike riders competing in some sort of race? Well here you can and that's what we did. By the way, blethering is Scottish for chatting or talking.
This afternoon we start to get things ready for our early morning flight from Edinburgh to Munich on Tuesday. However we do have things planned for tomorrow.
... and who said "Tomorrow never comes"? Another lovely sunny day starting with a very crisp 3 degrees. The town of Jedburgh is our target for today, just over an hour away upstream along the River Tweed. Our walk started in the very rare No-Pay, No-Display carpark beside the modest Jedburgh Abbey. A walk along the town's picturesque river, Jed Water, started our stroll before heading up into the hills behind Jedburgh along the Border Abbeys Way.
Not being, but positive we were on the wrong track, I kept looking for a path leading away from us further uphill. I must be so used to being lost on our walks that when we aren't I feel lost.
Anyway, where the track turned left downhill along St Cuthbert's Way, we stopped on a well placed seat with views over the valley below and while chopping on some lovely local fudge I continued to look at the little map and its vague instructions trying to work out a way to get us lost.
Our path took us along the River Tevoit where swans watched fly fishermen flying for salmon.
Our walk ended over a swing bridge whereupon we retraced our steps. It was at this point I realised we were never lost and that it was I who didn't know where we were.
Back to our car in Jedburgh and off to its centre in search of lunch. Julie chose a vegetarian haggis sandwich made from a vegetarian sheep pluck. After lunch a quick stroll to visit Jedburgh Abbey and then we were on our way back home.
So ends our 4.5 weeks in England and Scotland. Overall we were fortunate with the weather with only two days of aborted walks. Tomorrow we are off to Munich, Germany where we meet up with our friends Ray and Gael then to be picked up the next day to join a 12 night Gourmet Walking Tour of Poland, the Czech Republic and Slovakia. Looking forward to it.
Bye for now
JeffnJulie
Having only just walked past this enormous, elegant castle on earlier walks we decided to have a look inside so we loaded up all our goods and chattels, drove the 15 minutes south and parked our car in the near empty main street of Bamburgh.
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| Bamburgh Castle |
Bamburgh Castle is set high on a volcanic outcrop on a site occupied since at least 420AD. It was destroyed by Vikings in 993AD after many years of ownership swapping between the Anglo-Saxons and the Britons. Today it has been well restored thanks to Lord Armstrong et al and is now well visited. With the usual keep and dungeons, plus State Rooms and a couple of museums, the Castle kept us amused and mostly out of the wind for a good two hours. Lunch was held a a nice seafood restaurant on the outskirts of Bamburgh.
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| I can feel it starting to rein |
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| The State Rooms and the Keep |
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| Nice room |
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| Armoury all of which has been used in battle |
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| "Where's the Thermomix?" |
So three hours were easy to fill in and, having done so, we headed west into Scotland and our village for the next four nights, Peebles.
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| Our apartment on the top floor above the red sign |
Having unlocked the mysteries of how to find our apartment we now could make several trips from our illegally parked car three stories down, down a laneway and down steep steps to the stream with our luggage, backpacks and groceries all on the tail end of the heavy rain shower. It didn't matter how nice our place was I wanted to remain an unhappy chappy for as long as I could. Ours is the only apartment in the Chambers building as it's a commercial property with the Bank on the ground floor and a couple of other small business on the 1st floor. After hours we have the place to ourselves. So it's very quiet except for the town clock which strikes every quarter of an hour until about 10.00 pm.
Saturday 22 September - the weather was due to fine up so we chose a clifftop walk on the coast starting from the picturesque village of St Abbs. We knew nothing about St Abbs or the area and took along information about a spare walk if the place didn't look any good. The 1.5 hour drive took us just south of Edinburgh and east to the southern coast of Scotland. Parking high up in St Abbs we looked down on the pretty little harbour and to the ruggedly beautiful coast north and south of it. Our spare walk wouldn't be needed.
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| St Abbs Harbour - memorial to 189 East Coast fishermen who lost their lives on 14 Oct 1881 - UK's worst fishing disaster |
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| Freshly unlost |
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| We are here and our walk is on the map. A cold windy morning |
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| The colourful headlands |
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| Looking back to St Abbs |
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| Archaeological dig |
Julie had spied a local cafe down in the harbour so there we headed with lunch on our minds. I grabbed the last little table in the sun and Julie ordered. A hearty meal of two local delicacies was shared between us. One was Cullen Skink (smoked haddock in a soup with a seaweed type green stuff and potatoes in it - not local lizard which I had originally envisaged). The other was locally smoked mackerel made into a pattie with capers and some more green seaweed like stuff to be had on toast with tossed salad. The wind was still strong so the salad half blew away, the menus blew across the road but we both loved the meal and the harbourside cafe.
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| St Abbs Harbour and lunch cafe on right |
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| Start of Peebles walk |
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| River Tweed |
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| That's frost on the ground |
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| Neidpath Castle |
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| Morning tea spot overlooking River Tweed |
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| Heading back down to Peebles |
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| Peebles |
This afternoon we start to get things ready for our early morning flight from Edinburgh to Munich on Tuesday. However we do have things planned for tomorrow.
... and who said "Tomorrow never comes"? Another lovely sunny day starting with a very crisp 3 degrees. The town of Jedburgh is our target for today, just over an hour away upstream along the River Tweed. Our walk started in the very rare No-Pay, No-Display carpark beside the modest Jedburgh Abbey. A walk along the town's picturesque river, Jed Water, started our stroll before heading up into the hills behind Jedburgh along the Border Abbeys Way.
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| An excited Julie at the start of our walk |
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| We are going to miss these little fellas |
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| What I look like when I think I'm lost but I'm not |
Anyway, where the track turned left downhill along St Cuthbert's Way, we stopped on a well placed seat with views over the valley below and while chopping on some lovely local fudge I continued to look at the little map and its vague instructions trying to work out a way to get us lost.
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| 'Mmmm ..If only there was a sign ....' |
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| "What's that big stick Jeff?" |
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| "I found the sign Julie!" |
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| Swans and the Fly Fisherman |
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| Tree damage from Storm Ali |
Back to our car in Jedburgh and off to its centre in search of lunch. Julie chose a vegetarian haggis sandwich made from a vegetarian sheep pluck. After lunch a quick stroll to visit Jedburgh Abbey and then we were on our way back home.
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| Back in Jedburgh |
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| Jedburgh Abbey |
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| Off to Munich |
So ends our 4.5 weeks in England and Scotland. Overall we were fortunate with the weather with only two days of aborted walks. Tomorrow we are off to Munich, Germany where we meet up with our friends Ray and Gael then to be picked up the next day to join a 12 night Gourmet Walking Tour of Poland, the Czech Republic and Slovakia. Looking forward to it.
Bye for now
JeffnJulie
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