Walk of the week: St Boswells

Published on Sunday 3 January 2010 10:35

St Boswells Many a hillwalker may be called Craig or Ben, but the most appropriate name I knew until recently was that of my brother-in-law, Munro Dunn ... and yes he has completed all the Munros.

However, I have now met Hugh Munro – not he of the eponymous list, of course, but a resident of Penicuik.

Hugh had sent me some of his favourite lower-level outings, suitable for winter.

One of these walks, by the banks of the Tweed, starts and finishes at St Boswells. It had been a while since my last visit to that area, a walk from Maxton towards Jedburgh, so I was delighted to meet Hugh and his Munroist friend John Darling at St Boswells for this walk.

By coincidence, John and I had briefly met a couple of years before on top of Beinn a' Bheithir, the day after a Munro Society dinner, when we were lucky enough to see a Brocken Spectre. The route

Start from St Boswells bus station – our point of departure on what was a blustery and threatening November day. Head northward, then turn left down The Wynd, past the white Air Training Corps HQ, and right at a T-junction onto a path.

Some 200 yards later, take the right fork, and go up some steps to a road. Continue to a track that leads down- hill to the riverside golf course.

The path stays by a boundary fence, clear of the golf course, then alongside more ponds than bunkers, the driftwood tidemark showing the extent of recent floods. The first two miles, to Maxton Church, follow St Cuthbert's Way. After recent heavy rain, the path was distinctly glutinous.

Pass the salmon ladder at Mertoun Mill, with obligatory heron, to reach Mertoun Bridge, which carries the B6404 over the Tweed. The path under the bridge was flooded so we opted for the stepped path that leads to the road. Cross with some care, then another stepped path leads back to the riverside to continue on the south bank.

Less than a mile later, look out for a wall on the steep bank below Benrig House; it's the site of the Crystal Well, a romantic name for a spring. In the mid-1800s, to bring the water to the house, a pump was built, powered by mules or donkeys obliged to trudge round the larger of two vaulted cellars.

Continue past Maxton Church. One mile further downstream, a footbridge leads to the beautiful grounds of Mertoun House. Cross the footbridge and turn right (east) for the charming stroll by the southern end of the grounds. Continue to a small bridge that spans a burn. Follow the burn, heading north-west to reach the B6404. Continue south-west to Mertoun Bridge ... and yes, the heron was still there.

Head west on the north bank of the Tweed, passing Mertoun Mill and cottages that had sandbags at the front doors (the Tweed had risen some 15ft just a few days before). Continue past the entrance to the 12th-century Dryburgh Abbey, now in ruins, the burial place of Sir Walter Scott.

For a pleasing diversion and the only short climb of the day, go north on the road to a signpost on the left hand side – Wallace's Statue this way. It is less than 100m to climb and on a gentle gradient and the commanding stern statue, no silly Braveheart this, is an excellent viewpoint over to the Eildons.

Return to the road and head west through the hamlet of Dryburgh to a footbridge to return to the south bank and the St Cuthbert's Way path that quickly leads back to St Boswells.

A good New Year to one and all, and happy hillwalking.

MAPs

Ordnance Survey map 74, Kelso & Coldstream

Distance

9 miles

Height

200m

Terrain

A mixture of path, track and road

Start point

St Boswells bus station

Time

4 hours

Nearest town

St Boswells

Nearest refreshment spot

Buccleuch Arms, St Boswells

&#149 This article first appeared in the Scotsman on Saturday 2 January, 2010