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There was light rain overnight and
later it cleared and the temperature dropped considerably. By
morning it was -3degC and I was very concerned about the state of
the road and possibility of ice. I took my time packing up hoping
that the 07:45 sunrise might warm things up a bit. Clouds rolled in
and the veiled sun made little difference. I reached the road and
things seemed OK. I saw a gritter lorry earlier but there was no
evidence of any salt or grit on the road. |
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Climbing
Devil's Beef Tub |
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The climb of just over a mile was
steady to the summit at Devil’s Beef Tub. I stopped briefly at the
lay bye car park and its information board before continuing.
Further on was the stone memorial to to men who died in 1831 while
carrying the mail. The two postmen (James McGeorge and John
Goodfellow) lost in a snow storm near Annanhead at the top of the
Devil's Beef Tub on 1st February 1831. Thankfully the traffic was
light and the road surface good. From the memorial I continued down
the long descent by the River Tweed on the A701. I stopped to
photograph my bike by a sign welcoming me to the Scottish Borders. I
was surprised to get a signal on my phone and was able to upload a
photo to Facebook. |
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Welcome
to Scottish Borders |
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It was overcast and still cold but I
was glad to be losing altitude and hopefully avoid any ice patches.
The only problem was the occasional large forestry Lorries passing
at high speed. At the right turn off for the minor road over the
climb to St Mary’s Loch I noticed the line of a disused railway
along the valley bottom. It would be with me while I cycled by the
Tweed. Up on the hillside to the left I could see a chimney which I
assumed was for a mill in the valley bottom. As I approached I kept
an eye out for a flume up the hillside and a building or ruin at the
bottom. I saw neither but in the distance I saw the Crook Inn
building. |
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The Crook Inn in better times |
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A sign said Save the Crook Inn but
when I got there it was in a dilapidated state with boarded up
windows. I stopped to have a look and a sign in the window had some
historical information about it. In 1604 it was one of 4 of the
first licensed inns in Scotland by James IV of Scotland. Since then
it had had a variable history until being closed and the owners
trying to convert it into flats. It looks a bit far gone for
refurbishing back into a viable inn but I hope I’m proved wrong. In
the car park was a vehicle and trailer. I asked the driver if he
knew anything about the chimney high on the hillside. He said he
knew nothing and probably didn’t even know it existed. I continued
along the Tweed and saw a 3miles to shop in Broughton. I had to make
a right turn ahead and didn’t know if the shop or turn of would come
first. |
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I fancied a pie and a shop would have
been very welcome. The turn came first so no pie for me. I turned in
to the B712 to Peebles but soon left it to turn left on to a minor
road that runs parallel. I knew it would re-join the B712 but it
gave some relief from the traffic. It was a delightful narrow and
quiet road that crossed the route of another abandoned railway. I
stopped by a farm with an enclosure of black faced sheep that stood
out in the landscape due to their clean white fleeces. |
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By the farm entrance the map
showed a feature called Alter Stone. All I could see was a large
unmarked stone with a flat top. To call it an alter can only be due
to a vivid imagination. |
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I soon re-joined the B712 and the rain
began to return. I was on this same stretch of road a couple of
years ago when I was also riding in rain. I even stopped at the same
bus shelter, this time to take a photo. The last visit was to have a
bite to eat. I continued to the A72 which I only had to endure for a
short time before heading north on an idyllic and quiet road to the
Meldon valley. The weather was turning wet but I didn’t have far to
go. It was a historic valley with evidence of ancient settlements on
the hillsides. One hill even had a hill fort. I reached my planned
camp but noticed a better pitch on the far side of the river. |
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I cycled round and came to a building
that was a former public conveniences. It was now closed due to
vandalism. I found this very sad. By the adjacent parking space and
into the road was a discarded beer bottle. Another sign of the
mindless morons who frequent these locations. I picked up the bottle
and put it in the waste bin. I struggle to understand the mentality
of a person who would drink a bottle of beer then throw the empty
into the road. I wheeled my bike to the grassy area I’d seen from
the far side of the river and pitched my tent. I was lucky with my
timing as soon after getting the tent up the heavy rain started.
There was no signal for my phone but I had good FM radio reception.
I needed headphones because of the rain hammering on the tent. |
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Whittle Wanderer
