Walk completed August 28, 2011

Friday, July 29, 2011

Day 59 – Friday, July 29, 2011; Jedburgh to Melrose, 18 miles

Jedburgh is a large town, so I had a choice of eateries. I’ve eaten in enough pubs lately, so yesterday I decided on an upscale restaurant with a varied menu. The special of the day was wild deer. Just as I was ready to order, it was scratched from the specials board. I instead had a steak and ale pie – a standard pub food. Go figure.



Jedwater
Today was a beautiful walk, mostly following three rivers: Jedwater, Teviot and Tweed, along Dere Street and the St. Cuthbert’s Way. The flowers were in full bloom – perhaps due to the recent rains, or perhaps because spring arrives later in Scotland.





Dere Street/St. Cuthbert's Way
trail maker
Despite the distance, it was mostly a pleasant stroll, with only slight ascents and descents. The entire route was well-signed, so I rarely needed to check my maps. I arrived at St. Boswell shortly after 1:00, found a grocery store and bought a pasta salad and a pint of milk for lunch, which I ate at a picnic table in the city park. After the rigors of the Pennine Way, today seemed like a walk in the park.





Piper, Muriel, Joan and Cody
Out on the trail, the only people I met were two ladies walking their dogs.



With few people to talk to, good footing, and a well-signed trail, I covered the entire distance in just over 8 hours, and have no stories to tell.



Andy and John --
transplanted Geordies
There’s a beer festival tonight at the hotel I’m staying in. Twenty-five different beers, £1 for a half pint. That was too good a deal, so I’m letting the pictures do the talking. They don’t slur their words.











Footbridge over River Teviot


Jedburgh Abbey


River Tweed


© 2011 Ken Klug

1 comment:

  1. Great reading your blog Ken, reliving this great part of the journey.
    Maybe the roman who recorded the name Dere street was dyslexic.
    Cheers J.P.

    ReplyDelete