I stuck to the Plough Hotel around the corner, Alistair. More on that shortly ...
An Eastern Borders (mini) Birl
- Thread starter Posh Pete
- Start date
So, after setting up I headed east towards Wooller. A quick photo stop at the border ...
The sign warned of a lack of road markings as it had been re-surfaced. I do mean that too. None of your "surface dressing" that's the curse of riding in Scotland! About 3 miles of B road had been properly re-surfaced with a mat of asphalt! Well done Northumberland Council.
The sign warned of a lack of road markings as it had been re-surfaced. I do mean that too. None of your "surface dressing" that's the curse of riding in Scotland! About 3 miles of B road had been properly re-surfaced with a mat of asphalt! Well done Northumberland Council.
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These roads are just perfect for the Himalayan. Narrow, hedge lined and lots of bends limit speeds anyway and you've time to take in the views and stop when something interesting comes along. A wee bit further down the valley, I stopped to look at this ...
A couple on a 1290 KTM had stopped too and I told them about the Himmie keeping up with one of them ... On the road to Ardnamurchan point!
They took it in good part when I told them that, like Paulinus, I too was on missionary work to civilise the English. And they responded by telling me about a whisky distillery near Wooller! That resulted in more laughs of course!
It's always the folk you meet that make a trip. Even a very brief one!
A couple on a 1290 KTM had stopped too and I told them about the Himmie keeping up with one of them ... On the road to Ardnamurchan point!
They took it in good part when I told them that, like Paulinus, I too was on missionary work to civilise the English. And they responded by telling me about a whisky distillery near Wooller! That resulted in more laughs of course!
It's always the folk you meet that make a trip. Even a very brief one!
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At the eastern end of the valley the B road joins with the A697 so I took a left and headed for the Maelmin cafe, a regular stop en route to the Newcastle ferry. After a coffee and a sticky bun, I followed a route to Flodden field, site of one of the bloodiest confrontations on a very bloody border.
There's a battlefield walk around the site of the battle and it's very good, each stopping point having a clearly explained board describing the action in its various phases...
In a nutshell, the Scots under James IV allowed themselves to be outflanked by Surrey and had to hurriedly move from nearby Flodden edge to Branxton hill. Then, having hammered Surrey's right flank, the Scottish left walked away from the action.
James then took the centre down the hill into the boggy ground where he and they were slaughtered.
It's July 1 today, anniversary of the first day of the Somme but the killing field at Flodden was probably more costly in lives by the minute.
I was never a fan of her with Brucie but Isla St Clair did a fine version of the Flowers of the forest, written as a lament for the Scots killed at Flodden, so here it is ...
(Quite why it's age restricted is beyond me but you can watch it on Youtube!)
There's a battlefield walk around the site of the battle and it's very good, each stopping point having a clearly explained board describing the action in its various phases...
In a nutshell, the Scots under James IV allowed themselves to be outflanked by Surrey and had to hurriedly move from nearby Flodden edge to Branxton hill. Then, having hammered Surrey's right flank, the Scottish left walked away from the action.
James then took the centre down the hill into the boggy ground where he and they were slaughtered.It's July 1 today, anniversary of the first day of the Somme but the killing field at Flodden was probably more costly in lives by the minute.
I was never a fan of her with Brucie but Isla St Clair did a fine version of the Flowers of the forest, written as a lament for the Scots killed at Flodden, so here it is ...
(Quite why it's age restricted is beyond me but you can watch it on Youtube!)
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Further down the hill is the village of Branxton where you'll find the world's smallest visitor centre in the shape of a phone box dedicated to explaining the battle. It's also very good and never a single whiff of pish! 
And, in another link to the Somme and WW1 generally, the locals have also erected a memorial to the men of the village killed in the war to end all wars. (Fat chance!)
I did a quick search on the CWGC site and two James Gallons were killed in WW1. Both Northumberland Fusiliers. One was killed on 3rd July 1916 and he's commemorated on the Thiepval Memorial on the Somme. The other served in the Tyneside Irish, killed on 28 April 1917 and is commemorated on the Arras Memorial. No individual graves so their bodies were never recovered.
I did a quick search on the CWGC site and two James Gallons were killed in WW1. Both Northumberland Fusiliers. One was killed on 3rd July 1916 and he's commemorated on the Thiepval Memorial on the Somme. The other served in the Tyneside Irish, killed on 28 April 1917 and is commemorated on the Arras Memorial. No individual graves so their bodies were never recovered.
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Posh, please could you tell me the make and model of your tent? It looks like exactly what I’m looking forOops! The tent section of the site was booked up by a walking group! No worries, the warden ( based at the petrol station 100 yards away) fixed me up with pitch#1, right next to the bothy and with a fine view of Cheviot.
PM sent.Posh, please could you tell me the make and model of your tent? It looks like exactly what I’m looking for
Enjoyed that Pete thanks. 
Excellent write up. Very interesting.
Flodden inspected, it was back to Yetholm by different back roads. Then off to The Plough for a couple of pints and a meal. The pub itself is a proper local - a wee bit rough around the edges but a place where comment and banter is the norm from the locals and tolerated from visitors too. Decent beer also- Ruddles on tap, a long way from home and very quaffable. The grub was first class also. I had a wild mushroom Stroganoff which was very tasty indeed. I ate and drank outside, taking advantage of the early evening sun.
Yetholm would be an excellent location for a mini Dent but for the size of the campsite which is a wee bit small.
Yetholm would be an excellent location for a mini Dent but for the size of the campsite which is a wee bit small.
The plan was to stay at Yetholm for two nights and to visit Craster, Lindisfarne etc on day two. However a check of the forecast showed rain coming in and I hate packing up in the wet. So plans were changed and I cut and ran. Not before I had a chat with the owner of this mini camper. She had converted it herself using proprietary and easily available stuff and it looked very useable. NB the lecky connection.
However, before heading for home, I nipped over to Tweed to admire this bit of early 19thC engineering: the Union suspension bridge
Recently refurbished via lots of work and Dosh.
It's an impressive bit of engineering and world leading at the time it was built in 1820. Also built at a fraction of the cost of a masonry arch bridge of the same span.
Recently refurbished via lots of work and Dosh.
It's an impressive bit of engineering and world leading at the time it was built in 1820. Also built at a fraction of the cost of a masonry arch bridge of the same span.
Well explained info boards as at Flodden
And a fair amount of cash spent on tributes to the original engineer and the 21stC equivalent responsible for the refurb. I should have checked to see if they were bronzes or some other material. If the former, I do hope they're well secured given the amount of metal theft these days!
You do have to wonder why notices like this are needed!
Credit for this one though.
Credit for this one though.
Very good.
I like the simple explanation boards one finds at sites and sights. I quite often then Google up any names on them and find out a bit more.
I like the simple explanation boards one finds at sites and sights. I quite often then Google up any names on them and find out a bit more.
And so for home via Duns for brunch at Pearson's garden centre. 
(Excellent grub and coffee.) I considered stopping off at the Jim Clark museum but by now was racing the rain so decided against it.
On the way to Duns though, I came across this and paused to take a pic for a bridges theme ...
Then I noticed this a few yards away...
Good grief. 19 and 23 years old. I'll do a bit of digging and post anything I find out.
Home over the Lammermuirs with rain sweeping in and me wearing my porous lightweight summer jacket!
The joys of biking!
(Excellent grub and coffee.) I considered stopping off at the Jim Clark museum but by now was racing the rain so decided against it. On the way to Duns though, I came across this and paused to take a pic for a bridges theme ...
Then I noticed this a few yards away...
Good grief. 19 and 23 years old. I'll do a bit of digging and post anything I find out.
Home over the Lammermuirs with rain sweeping in and me wearing my porous lightweight summer jacket!
The joys of biking!
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It would be great if you could create your route in BaseCamp or MyRoute and share it here.
Maybe a map of the area with the places mentioned as waypoints so that folk can link them up with their own routes? I'll have a go at that.
