Summers day Borders Cycle

I took another drive into the Borders on Monday. I've cycled a few routes out of Duns and it was to be the base again for an afternoon jaunt. The weather was beautiful with the slightest of breezes and glorious sunshine.

In the town the heat was oppressive, reflecting off the buildings. The streets were nearly empty and the only sound was the thrum of an old rotary lawn mower. The smell of freshly cut grass is something I associate with the long summer days of childhood and it was a pleasure to lose myself in memories as I cycled up hill and out into the country.

Old mile posts overgrown in the hedgerows but this one has had a lick of paint recently.

As I carried on photos tended to be taken where there was some shade rather than any particular view. I had three bottles with me and I needed them.

 On across the field and on to little used gravel roads. The low shadows on the horizon are the Cheviot hills. Last time I was there was on my loop to Wooler last July. That was a hot day too.

For some reason there are still folk who ask how you can tell the difference between a cow and a bull. Well here are a couple of pictures. See if you can spot any differences.

These roads are fantastic. Always sweeping and turning with new views around every corner and very little traffic.

There was some blessed shade through the woods so I took the chance for a rest on a log pile and watched chaffinches arguing about something that must be important to woodland birds.

 

Back on the road and I passed this donkey that had a very poor tail. 

Perhaps it had been pecked by this noisy group who were sharing the field.

I eventually rolled back into Duns in the late afternoon. Quick stop into the shops for juice and then the drive home for a much needed shower.

A fine afternoon's cycle, nothing too strenuous, just what was needed.

Mid Week Borders Cycle - Duns and Edrom

I have meant to revisit Duns to connect up a short route into the longer run I did last November but have somehow never got around to it. The route is only 10m so I wasn't going to make a special visit just to do it on it's own but this evening there was a strong wind off the sea, so I thought I would head inland and have a look.

I'm so glad I did. There was the right mix of rolling Border's roads with old hedgerows and a plethora of wildlife. The sun was also shining although there were some ominous clouds building.

I headed east then south out of Duns to follow the Wedderburn Estate wall. The sun was on my back and I relaxed into an easy rhythm and watched the fields roll by. The lambs were bleating for their mums and the hedges were full of chaffinches and yellowhammers.

The gate in the above pic is at the rear of the estate and is resultingly low key! The road dropped down to the river Blackadder and the Mouth Bridge.

Looking down to the river I could smell the wild garlic.

 It looks like some fine trout fishing.

There was the usual short climb up from the river and the the road just rolled on, up and down, with new views opening up at every bend. I crossed the Blackadder again at Kelloe bridge where the cows came over to see what I was up to.

The next stop was a quick diversion to Edrom Church. The Church as we see it today is the result of a restoration in 1886 of an original building from 1732, but the Old Edrom Church that stood on the site was gifted by Gospatrick, Earl of Dunbar in 1130, and lasted until around 1732 when most of it was knocked down.
 

Fortunately someone had the foresight to save the arch of the original doorway and build it in to a burial vault.  A lot of the detail has been lost to weathering but it's not bad for nearly 900 years of Scottish rain. There must have been a few folks passed under it over the years on their way to Sunday services, heads bowed at funerals or full of hope at weddings.

From Edrom I started to race the oncoming clouds and didn't have much time for any pictures. It was a hard climb up the last mile or so to the main road and then a fast descent into Duns. The sky became very dark and the inevitable hail and rain crashed down. I nearly made it.

A braw wee evening cycle,... apart from getting soaked at the end.

Borders Cycle- Duns

It's my holidays and on Wednesday the rain stopped! We've been lucky in this corner of Scotland compared with the poor souls flooded out of their homes further south. The temperature was around 4 degreesC (39f), but it was dry, so I headed to the Borders town of Duns to join up a couple of local cycle routes into a micro adventure. 

The first three miles out from Duns were lovely. Smooth rolling roads that I like so much, although the cloud was building ominously and there was a noticeable drop in temperature when the sun disappeared. 

There must be at least a hundred years of different building in this wall. Why, oh why, did they use common brick for the repair? but at least its a decent job.  This bridge was pretty impressive too. They are a good guide to when you are leaving farmed areas and entering into a private estate.

These large private estates carry all sorts of connotations that tend to be fostered by the "Pride and Prejudice, Jane Eyre" style romantic dramas. The social disparity was certainly in abundance, but these estates also provided secure jobs and many owners built housing for their workers and tenant farmers. A few may have done this with genuine philanthropic intention. For many however it was to boast about their wealth and show off to the other landowners. Whatever your feelings, it has left us with some wonderful little hamlets.

Sinclairshill was my next junction with its beautiful cottages and schoolhouse. The stork seems to be a recent addition.  I headed west with the Cheviot's summit, dusted with snow, over my left shoulder.

It was cold but I just kept on pedaling and admiring the views. I probably should have paid more attention to the road signs. After a couple of miles the road began to deteriorate (see below)! A bit of backtracking proved fruitless and, lacking a decent map, I decided to keep heading west until I found a major road and then try to figure out where I was. It was great, I've not had the pleasure of being lost for a long time!

Finally I popped back onto a signed road. The little bike signs are for the Borders Loop ( a 250 mile route).

I turned off before Fogo so can't report on it but the moss growing on the sign gives a clue to the general level of excitement.

The sun came back out as I cycled into a bit of woodland. You may think, "nice trees", I was thinking "shelter" to get some coffee and food into my cold and weary bones.

The suspicious look is "has the self timer worked?"  The shelter amongst the trees was much appreciated and the coffee and scone hit the spot.

Back on the road and on my little route map I had pencilled in that there might be a few ups and downs. Oh yes! it was up and down. After Gavinton (the church in the distance) I turned back towards Duns and met this bonny cuddy. His red coat seemed to be a good fit so I can only assume he just had little legs. He was a friendly wee fellow.

Further on I came to a ford in the river. It probably wasn't too deep but those wet cobble stones and the speed of the flow made me think twice. Fortunately there was a little foot bridge a bit further down stream.

 After the climb up from the ford I had planned to head north-ish to meet the main road back into Duns. I didn't really fancy this as it's a fast, narrow road and the sun was getting low making a bike a bit vulnerable. Fortune smiled and I found a little turning onto the Duns Scotus Way. This walking/cycling trail proved ideal. It was hard blaze and the boggy bits had wooden duckboards with little reflectors along the sides. The tight corners were even covered with a grippy paint!

The trail goes from the centre of town to to the new high school and beyond. Given the number of bike tyre tracks it seems to be getting the local kids cycling.

Back in Duns and I stopped to take a pic of this monument to John Duns Scotus. My understanding of philosophy has been mostly gained from reading 'Sophie's World' by Jostein Gaarder so forgive my lack of deeper knowledge. Duns Scotus was born in 1266 in Duns. He went on to a Franciscan order and eventually became one of the most important philosophers of the high middle ages. I basically struggle to understand his philosophy and I am tempted to agree with later philosophers who accused him of sophistry. (I have a lot of experience working for sophists!) For all that, Duns was obviously a clever lad and did well for himself. The people who didn't agree with him called his followers Dunces which became a synonym for being a bit thick.

Whist I'm spouting my opinions I also want it recorded that I think this 1960's sculpture of Duns Scotus is terrible.

A fine day out, a great wee adventure, and a bit of learning thrown in.

Duns Dings A!