Lots of wind and rain overnight but by 7am the rain stopped and the
tent began to dry out. It was still very windy and the good thing
was it was in my favour. I was packed up and away by 8am continuing
towards Abington. The road was mostly descending and the riding was
ridiculously easy. There were traffic lights after a few miles which
were for forestry operations. I stopped to photograph an amazing
machine that was cutting the trees down and loading them onto the
same machine for stacking elsewhere.
Logging
The sky was still overcast as I continued to Abington and the bridge
over the M74. Through Abington I reached the A702 and stopped
in the first layby to put my rubbish in the bin and check my phone
as I now had a full 4G signal. My riding along a quiet road was now
at an end for a while as I continued along the busy main road to the
roundabout were I took the second exit to continue on the A702.
The A702 is a very busy road and uncomfortable to ride on because of
passing traffic. I had to endure it for 12km until I reached Coulter
where I turned off to the right on to the minor road towards
Broughton. After the boundary wall for Culter Allers House I came to
a right hand bend and the Parish Church.
Coulter Parish Church
I stopped for a look round
but couldn’t get inside as it was locked. I continued along the road
which was very picturesque and I was still lucky with the weather. I
reached the A701 at Broughton where I turned left and though the
village then right to follow the minor road by Dreva Hill where
there where were very nice views back along the Tweed Valley.
Rainbow over the Borders
I
descended to the main B712 where I was back on a busy road and
looking forward to turning off onto the minor road where there are a
couple of small standing stones in the field to the left. I was soon
back on the main road, this time the A72 into Peebles.
Into the Borders
The
Tweed Valley
Near Peebles
I was being watched
As I
approached Neidpath Castle there are traffic lights to reduce the
road to a single lane. It seems like there are subsidence problems
on the steep slope above the river. I cycled down the private access
road towards the castle to take a couple of photos then cycled into
Peebles.
Neidpath Castle
Neidpath Castle access drive
I rode to the front gate to the ruins of Peebles Cross
Kirk and wandered through the grounds. The information board isn't
very clear about dates and the chronology. After the 1560
reformation the friary became a parish church and in the 1780s the
roof was removed and the ruin used for burials.
Peebles
Cross Kirk
Kevin Paxton sculpture
As I was leaving the
town I stopped to look at a new statue of a jumping racehorse. The
sculpture was erected in 2016 and created by blacksmith Kevin Paxton
and funded by public subscription. I was looking forward to the next
part of my ride as I joined the cycle track that runs along to old
railway route by the River Tweed to Innerleithen.
Kevin Paxton
At Cardrona there is a café inside the old station building but no
photos of the building as it used to be. Through the housing estate
I re-joined the track which goes through the golf course. One of my
previous camps near the bridge wasn’t now available as there were
many golfers around. Over the bridge I continued to Innerleithen and
the site of the old railway station and a group of food store
buildings originally built during WW2 and still in use today by
Cooperative foods.
Innerleithen Station
I cycled into the town and called at the Co-op foodstore
to buy water, 2no 2lt at 49p each. I crossed Leithen Water by a
footbridge and along Montgomery Street to re-join the cycle route
over the Tweed by the old rail bridge. The path joins the minor road
along the south side of the Tweed and I followed it east for 6km to
my camping spot a short distance away from the road. It’s not ideal
as I can still be seen but had shelter from the wind because of the
trees. I’ve camped here twice before, the last time earlier this
year when it was snowing. As I approached a came across a tent peg
that I must have lost the last time under the snow.
Return to
Whittle Wanderer
