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NY 1375 8174
Yesterday I cycled to Chorley Railway Station to buy a ticket to
Lockerbie so that today I can travel there with my bike to head off
into the Scottish Borders. I was surprised to be issued with a
ticket for my bike and told that my planned return from Edinburgh on
Monday would need a ticket in advance to take my bike on the train.
The different train companies have different policies on the amount
of advanced time. With my bike and panniers I cycled back to the
Railway Station to catch the 09:44am Trans Pennine train to Glasgow
but only as far as Lockerbie. While there I needed to buy an
Edinburgh to Chorley ticket. The train turned up on time and after
getting by bike on board without any problems only to find the cycle
area piled high with luggage. A man was sat on one of the pull down
chairs but he moved when I pointed to the bike picture behind him. |
My bike on the train |
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I reached Lockerbie just before
11:30am and by the time I’d got my bike sorted the platform was
deserted. It was overcast grey skies but quite warm as I set off
east along the B7068 towards Langholm. It took a while to get
settled in to the ride and the weight on the bike. The first few
miles were quite undulating. I had 18miles to the town and once
settled in to the ride enjoyed the mostly smooth tarmac and
incredibly deserted road. From deserted road I was immediately in to
the town. |
Lockerbie Railway Station |
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At a road junction
I turned left and rode along the street which had lots of bunting
hanging across. Over the bridge I turned left and stopped by the
closed information centre. An information board was on the building
with details of many notable people associated with Langholm or
‘Notable Locals’ as the board calls them. I continued north along
the main A7 for a short way before turning right up a narrow road
signposted to Newcastleton. The sign warned of a weak road ahead but
on a bike that wasn’t a problem. It was a steep climb at first but a
steady gradient. Before the summit there was a lay-bye and an
interesting metal structure which was a display of various scenes.
The only thing to identify it was a description welded on the bottom
saying Jake Harvey 1982 - 84. A sign also pointer to a tall spire on
the hill called Malcolm Memorial but no other information. |
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MacDiarmid Memorial |
More research when I got home revealed
the following information:
A short path from a parking place leads to the striking memorial to
Hugh MacDiarmid. The memorial is the work of Jake Harvey and was
unveiled on 11 August 1985. Made of steel and bronze, it is in the
form of an open book, highly decorated with images from MacDiarmid's
poetry. Nearby is a cairn carrying a verse by MacDiarmid and noting
that "Christopher Murray Grieve (Hugh MacDiarmid) was a man of
Langholm, a champion of Scotland, a fervent internationalist and one
of the great poets of the world."
More information on the obelisk revealed: |
Jake Harvey 1982 - 84 |
The obelisk of the Malcolm Monument, a memorial to Sir John Malcolm
who died in 1833. Sir John Malcolm lived from 2 May 1769 to 30 May
1833. He was a soldier and diplomat during the expansion of the
British Empire.
I noticed a tidy stone cairn nearby and wondered if it had anything
to do with the tower in the distance. A closer look revealed a metal
plaque with a lot of text on it. The top being the name Hugh
MacDiarmid but the rest wasn’t very readable. |
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I continued cycling up the short
remainder of the hill and enjoyed a flat section for a while then a
descent to a bridge and a short climb to a boundary sign saying
‘Welcome to Scottish Borders’ which I was puzzled by as I thought I
was already in Scotland. I had a good mobile signal and decided not
to descend any further as I may lose it. At a stone bridge crossing
Black Syke on the side of Tinnis Hill. I left the road and found a
reasonable pitch through a gate. It continued overcast but at least
I didn’t get rained on. |
Into the Scottish Borders |
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Whittle Wanderer