Day 48 (17.6 miles)

Jedburgh to Melrose
– A path between the Abbeys

Thanks to everyone for making my rest day weekend so stress-free and relaxing. Thanks to Adele & Jane for meeting me on my rest day. And thanks to Jim, Elaine & the Walker family (Chris, Nicola, Jake & Ollie) for joining me for Sunday lunch… especially to Jim & Elaine as the walk may have stalled had I not been reunited with my laptop briefly, Thanks.

Today’s walk started in very fine misty rain. The kind where you don’t feel the need for a waterproof, but it gets you very wet, very quickly. For the morning I’d be rejoining ‘Dere Street’ which had joined forces with the ‘St Cuthbert’s Way’ and I’d travel pretty much in a straight line all the way to St Boswells (and my lunch rendezvous), briefly meandering to cross Jed Water & the River Teviot. The path was mostly on a track between fields but there was a very pleasant section through beech woodland.

After completing 10.2 miles I reached the Buccleuch Arms, I was aiming to arrive at 12, but it was probably ‘five past’ when I eventually got there. Everyone was there, after consulting my laptop I ordered their beef offering, it was close to a Sunday roast dinner, but not quiet. Washed down with a couple of pints of Foxy Blonde.

I said my farewells to everyone. Leaving was quite tough knowing the next time I’d see anyone I knew would be at the end in John O’Groats…

Using St Cuthbert’s Way I was heading for the Eildon range of hills – not quite the Himalayas – but looking quite commanding on the horizon. First I wandered down to the banks of the River Tweed, very impressive, you could feel the force of the river from the bank.

In Scotland I’d be using 1:50,000 maps, instead of 1:25,000 I’d used virtually the whole time so far. It feels like you’re walking at half the speed, and you have to concentrate much harder to stay on course.

Once I’d climbed between the hills Melrose came into view along with Galashiels further down the valley. All the showers had blown over and all I had to do was descend into the valley and find the campsite.

Some stats:
Mileage count: 826.5
Pint count: 185
economy: 35.7mpg
Malt Whisky count: 9