LIFETIME of WALKS by DEREK HARWOOD

I parked on spare ground by Ledfoot Bridge, assembled my bike and started cycling along the A698 towards Eckford Village. I continued through the village to B6401, then turned right again onto this road towards Morebattle. Although I had to push the bicycle a couple of times up the gradients, the ride was generally enjoyable. I locked the bike to a railing in the centre of the village on the road to Morebattle Mains. I started walking west on the B6401, to the edge of the village, passing Teapot Street leading to Teapot Bank and Thimble Row, obviously named by a woman. I continued on B6401 to Cowbog Junction, where I turned left up the lane by a spinney towards Cessford ruined castle. It was a steady walk with good progress on tarmac to the castle, with good views back to yesterday's hills, where I stopped to take photographs and have lunch. There were many rams lazing around the castle, so I was very surprised when a group of youngsters vacated the grounds with the gate left wide open. I closed the gate and continued towards Cessford settlement buildings. I turned right over a burn to a stoney lane between houses, with a steady incline up the lane towards Cessford Moor. Turning right at Long Plantation alongside a field, I followed the wood to its north-west end where the Way continued to a wall stile. I crossed over the wall to a ploughed field, avoiding the cows in the field by the next wood. As I progressed westward towards Brownrigg through the wood, I took a photo of the varied terrain of the walk. Then, to my surprise, a man stood at the far end of the wooded path. We walked towards each other and said hello by a finger post with a path at right angles to St Cuthbert's Way leading to Eckford via Wooden Hill. The man was American from California, who was enjoying the British walks with varied scenery. He was considering Hadrian's Wall next. We continued in opposite directions, me towards Brownrigg. After a short distance in the open it was back into the wood. I crossed Wooden Burn, then walked around a ploughed field to Brownrigg where workmen were constructing an extension to the property. I turned left at the lane for a few (yards) metres, then right as per the finger post to a lane. It was a short distance to a long string of wood, Blindwells Plantation, where the Way turned left up the hill through the wood to Littledeanlees. I stopped at a bench on the edge of the wood to enjoy the magic views to the west of Penial Hough. At the farm road I turned left to a very steep descent to a paddock before a further descent to the river 'Oxnam Water', passing a gate with a fence on one side only. I obviously walked on the side of the gate without the fence. I crossed over the river at a good wooden footbridge to a steep ascending track which turned into a lane. At the junction of another lane which descended towards Crailing, I turned right. The Way turned left at a good path through the trees, where the lane turned right. There was another steady climb up through the trees, this time along Chestercleugh Plantation to Stubcross Plantation, where the Way meets Dere Street Roman road. At this point I turned right to follow Dere Street and after about 100 metres, also from the left, Borders Abbeys Way, all following the steep descent of the rough track to a lane from Walkersknowe.  I turned right at this lane, for a few metres to the main B698 road and Jedfoot Bridge just to the left. On the right was the rough ground where the car was parked. As I walked to the car I met some men who were laying a fibre optic communications cable to upgrade the internet signal for the surrounding villages. As I had worked in communications we were able to have a good natter about their work and how the procedures had changed since I had worked on fibre optic cables. Eventually I drove off to recover my bicycle from the fence in Morebattle Village, then back to the bed & breakfast to prepare for the next day's walking. Although it had been a hard day's walking over the rolling hills, it had been most enjoyable.

Location Map: - www.streetmap.co.uk, - Start: at Morebattle. Finish: at Jerdonfield Parks