LIFETIME of WALKS by DEREK HARWOOD

I parked in the lane just north-east of the A68 road at Hiltonshill Old Tollhouse. Well, I thought I was until a loud bang made me stop very quickly. I jumped out of the car to discover my front near side wheel trim was hanging off. I inspected the tyre but couldn't see a fault. I was itching to know more of the problem but the bus to take me to the start of the walk was due, and the next wasn't for two hours. I glanced at the entrance to the muddy patch just off the lane but couldn't see a reason, nothing that would cause a loud noise in the car. I had attempted to park on a muddy patch between the hedge and the road. I was trying to park close to the hedge so that the car wasn't hanging out into the lane. I spotted the possible parking place when I passed the lane on the A68 in the car the day before. In fact there were two similar possibilities on either side of the road, two muddy patches obviously used by walkers for parking places but I chose the wrong one! I hurried to the near bus stop, just round the corner to the right on the A68, with the problem of the car trim and tyre on my mind. The bus duly arrived, the compulsory ten minutes late, but couldn't be relied on. The bus travelled south-east on the A68 toward Jedburgh, calling at Ancrum. I got off the bus at Bonjedward, the junction of the A698and A68, by an old petrol station which was now a car valet business, I walked carefully along the A68, facing the on-coming traffic as there were no footpaths. At Jedfoot bridge I waved to the communication workmen (see the previous day's walk) then descended the well constructed steps on the west side of the bridge down to the path near the 'Jed Water' river. I followed the Jed Water on a muddy path  in the 'Jerdonfield Park' wood for a few hundred metres to the meeting of the Jed Water with the river Teviot. The muddy path hugged the river bank for a kilometre to a long suspension bridge, passing an attractive well-constructed  weir. As I crossed the bridge I took a minute of movie to show the swaying off the bridge as I walked across. At the northern end of the bridge I met a couple who were walking to Morebattle. I didn't envy them in the heavy drizzle and the slippery, muddy paths. I continued through more woody areas to a path between Theo huge fields full of potatoes. I thought it was late for harvesting potatoes but then I thought they might be Scottish seed potatoes, for sale next spring. I went back into the woods, passing a large display of fungi around the base of a tree, the private road to Monteviot House and the B6400 road to Ancrum. I continued into more woods but this time followed the Marble Burn which was very muddy in places. At one point I walked on duck boards across a particularly boggy section. I soon reached Dive Ha' Wood where the Dere Street Roman Road is as straight as a die. Unfortunately I couldn't walk straight, forever walking around muddy patches. At the end of the Divet Ha' Wood I reached a minor road which lead to Muirhouselaw House. In the field opposite were bullocks straddling the path so I decided to walk into the adjacent field with a wall between me and the livestock. At the next field opposite a standing stone, a strip of land defined Dere Street and luckily the stone wall was in need of repair at one place, allowing me to get back on the track along the old Roman road. I soon noticed on one variety of prickly bush, thousands of prominent cobwebs, made visible in the heavy misty drizzly weather. I couldn't bring myself to destroy one of the cobwebs, they were so beautiful I continued onwards over the undulating countryside to Lilliard's Stone. There was a legend about the heroics of a woman at one of the many Border battles. The stones looked more like a grave, but never mind, centuries have passed since. I walked further, passing the saw mill and a forest lodge where the path had been diverted away from the Roman road. I didn't mind protecting someone's privacy but I did object to the state of the path on the diversion. It was a narrow, barbed wire path with stinging nettles brushing my  legs and a very muddy sloping path. It was very dangerous, I continued back to Dere Street and a straight short section to the lane at Hiltonshill Old Tollhouse and my parked car. I soon inspected the damage and cause of the damage in great detail. I had to tie the wheel trim to the car using my boot laces. The tyre looked good and got me home, 200 miles. The cause was an inspection chamber hidden in the mud that was approximately six inches higher than the road level. I just clipped it, causing the damage, £160 worth. I looked on Google Street and it looked flat and so innocuous. We live and learn!

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