Borders Walk
11 November 2005
By David Brown
(Ninety eight members miss a perfect autumn day in the Borders)
The drive out took us past the still smoking ruins of the Leadmill Inn , before the glories of the hills, white with hoar frost, unfurled on either side the road and led to a leisurely 10 o’ clock rendez vous in Broughton. Despite our collective best efforts, we left the carpark on time to climb Pykestone Hill. Having parked the car s at Drumelzier, we crossed the firmly frozen muddy farmyard and gained the open hill side. A broad track led smoothly past a sheep shank and a stand of trees catching the morning sun. We were now out on the hillside and soon the path petered out as we walked up through frost dusted heather
After several false summit brows, we finally arrived on the gently slopes of the broad summit and, ducking down on the east side to avoid the sharp breeze, we enjoyed an early lunch identifying the hills, Dollar Law to the east, the Pentlands away to the north, and there just visible in the mists Salisbury Crags and Arthur’s Seat.
After lunch we strolled along the Thieves Road before taking the ridge to Drumelzier Law, the main path fell away to the west, so we followed a set of beautiful of stone shooting butts back down the hillside to our start.
Waving Lynne goodbye as she
departed for her digs in Galashiels Ross and I stopped for coffee and
cake at the newly re opened café in Broughton (7 days per
week 10-5.30ish). Regaining Edinburgh via Straiton,
Sainsbury’s shelves still contained the wine bargain of the
week, so club supplies were topped up for future evenings of merriment.
David Brown