Day 6: Branxholm Castle, Scottish Borders to Thankerton, South Lanarkshire

Virtual Walk: Scotland 2021

10th January 2021: 106km walked today taking the total to 593.98km. 4.5% of 318 people's totals submitting 2355.62km.

Route 1A: Edinburgh to Traquair

Route1B: Traquair to Stranraer

Soon after leaving Teviothead we pass Branxholm Castle which is on land owned by the Scotts of Branxholme (or Buccleuch) since 1420. The first castle was burned by the Earl of Northumberland in 1542 and then rebuilt extensively in the 1570s by Sir Walter Scott of Buccleuch featuring 4 towers that stood at the corners of an enclosed courtyard. Only one of these 16th century towers still exists, altered and incorporated into the castle which exists today. The base of one of the other towers, called Tentyfoot Tower, can still be seen to the north of the existing buildings. The Scott family became Lords in 1606, Earls in 1612 and finally Dukes of Buccleuch in 1663. The castle was remodelled by William Burn in 1837 for the 5th Duke of Buccleuch. Branxholm Castle is still inhabited and still belongs to the Buccleuch family.

After a further 5km on the A7 we reach Hawick again and we turn left when we reach the Langlands footbridge over the River Teviot signed to the Public Park. This takes us into Wilton Lodge Park where we go straight ahead to visit the Elliot bandstand, opened in 2015, which is named after Zandra Elliot who was a former provost of Hawick and who was heavily involved in the regeneration of Wilton Lodge Park. From here we return to the River Teviot and follow it upstream and then turn right to follow the north edge of the park.

In the park there are two statues to famous but tragic motorcyclists, Jimmie Guthrie and Steve ‘Hizzy’ Hislop who were both born in Hawick. Jimmie Guthrie who was born in 1897, and was known as the Flying Scotsman, won 6 events at the Isle of Man TT, broke several world speed records and recorded twenty motorcycle Grand Prix victories before he died after a crash when leading the field in the German Grand Prix in 1937. Steve Hislop was born in Chesters near Hawick in 1962 and he went on to win 11 events at the Isle of Man TT and won the British Superbike championship twice. He was killed in 2003 in a helicopter crash near Hawick. The Hawick Museum is located in the 18th century Lodge House and has been home to the museum since 1910. It has exhibitions showcasing the lives and achievements of Jimmie Guthrie and Steve Hislop as well as a War Memorial Room and an Old Schoolroom.

After leaving the park we divert onto the Cross Borders Drove Road to head towards Selkirk. This route was, for hundreds of years, the main way that drovers herded their cattle from Falkirk and Crieff to markets south of the border. The route follows the river before joining a country road and then reaching open hillside and climbing Drinkhouse Hill. After we descend from the hill the route joins the Borders Abbey Way which takes us through Buccleuch Estate woodlands before we head into Selkirk.

Selkirk has an ancient history as the Romans built a fort a few miles away to the south west, but it is thought that the town itself probably started as the site of the church of the Selgovae tribe after they converted to Christianity in the 500s. In 1113 the future King David I used the church as the basis of a Tironesian Abbey he started in Selkirk but this moved in 1128 to Kelso where they set up Kelso Abbey. It was in Selkirk that William Wallace was proclaimed Overlord of Scotland in the Forest Kirk (Selkirk Auld Kirk) after he won the Battle of Stirling Bridge against the English in 1297. Over the years Selkirk developed a reputation for its shoemaking but this initially stopped after the Battle of Flodden in 1513 when the English sacked the town and burned the wooden bridge over the Ettrick Water. By the end of the 16th century the shoemaking industry was re-established and in 1745 received its most famous order for footwear which was to supply 2000 pairs of boots for Bonnie Prince Charlie’s army. Unfortunately the bill was never paid due to his army being defeated at the Battle of Culloden. In 1767 the first woollen mill was established, and the industry expanded rapidly during the first half of the 19th century. By 1869 there were seven mills along the valley of the Ettrick Water employing over 1000 people producing fine tweeds.

As we head into Selkirk we pass Haining House. This house is a Palladian Mansion originally built in 1794 for the Pringle family and was remodelled in 1819 with its terrace overlooking Haining Loch. In 2009 the house and estate were bequeathed to the people of Selkirk and as a result the Haining Charitable Trust was set up.

Just past Haining House we will see a mound to our right which was where a royal castle once stood, Selkirk Castle, or Peel, which was originally built in 1119. This castle was substantially rebuilt by Edward I of England in 1301 during the Wars of Independence before being taken by the Scots the following year. It was recaptured by the English in 1311 before being demolished in 1334 and so little of it remains.

Continuing into Selkirk we reach Halliwell’s House Museum. This is on a narrow street called Halliwell’s Close and is part of the oldest surviving row of houses in Selkirk dating from the 18th century. The museum tells the story of the town, its long history and on the ground floor there is a reconstruction of an ironmonger’s shop. It also has displays on the annual Selkirk Common Riding Festival in which the ‘Casting of the Colours’ ceremony takes place commemorating the Battle of Flodden. During the Selkirk Common Riding the people of Selkirk ride out to check the boundaries to make sure they are secure and positioned correctly. It takes place every year on the second Friday after the first Monday in June.

From the museum we walk up the hill to the Auld Kirk, also called the Forest Kirk. There has been a church here since 1152 but the present ruin is of the church built in 1747 which was used as the parish church until 1861. This is also the site where William Wallace was proclaimed as the ‘Guardian and Protector of Scotland’ in 1298 and is where the maternal ancestors of the U.S. president Franklin D. Roosevelt are buried.

Retracing our steps back down the hill we enter Selkirk’s Market Place. This is part of a medieval street plan which survived the English attack in 1513 even though most of the buildings were destroyed. Overlooking it from the south east is the courtroom in which Sir Walter Scott acted as Sheriff of Selkirk from 1799 for 33 years until his death. In front of this building is a large statue of Sir Walter Scott which was erected in 1832 and the courtroom is now a museum celebrating his life.

Walking further along the High Street we reach the Mungo Park Monument. Mungo Park was born in 1771 not far from Selkirk and was a Scottish explorer who explored the River Niger in West Africa. From here we walk to the Victoria Halls where we find the Fletcher Memorial which is dedicated to the Selkirk men who fell in the Battle of Flodden. It is said that Fletcher was the only man out of eighty who returned to Selkirk after the battle. He arrived carrying a captured English flag and not being able to speak, raised the flag high above his head before sweeping it low, like a scythe, to show that all were slain. This act is remembered every year at the Selkirk Common Riding in the final ceremony of the Casting of the Colours.

From the Victoria Halls we wind our way down to cross the bridge over the Ettrick Water before following the river upstream until it reaches the A708 which we cross and turn right before turning left at a sign to Philiphaugh Gardens. We follow this minor road before it crosses back over the A708 and the Yarrow Water before we arrive at Bowhill House which is the home of the Duke and Duchess of Buccleuch.

This area used to be covered in a vast woodland called the Ettrick Forest which was a favourite hunting ground of the Kings of Scotland. In 1550 the estate was distributed to members of the Scott family who were later known as Buccleuch. The name Buccleuch originates from the 10th century where legend has it that King Kenneth III was hunting in a deep ravine or ‘cleuch’ in the middle of the forest when a young buck became cornered and charged towards the King. John Scott seized the buck by the antlers and wrestled it to the ground thus saving the King’s life. From that day the Scotts were referred to as Buccleuch, ‘the buck from the ravine’.

The house at Bowhill dates from 1812 but was expanded in the 19th century by some famous architects which included William Atkinson, William Burn and David Bryce. Sir Walter Scott was a frequent visitor and referred to it as ‘Sweet Bowhill’ in his poem ‘ The Lay of the Last Minstrel’.

Bowhill was used as a military hospital in World War I and was also occupied by the army from 1939 to 1945 in World War 2. This took its toll on the house which suffered from dry rot but the house has since been renovated and can be visited where we can see the wonderful art treasures including 18th century hand painted Chinese wallpaper. There are also stunning gardens to explore with wonderful views across the Ettrick Valley.

After leaving Bowhill we rejoin the Cross Borders Drove Road and head towards Traquair House. The route passes Newark Castle which was started in 1423 by Archibald Douglas, Earl of Wigtown. It was a rectangular five story tower house built on a rocky knoll overlooking the River Yarrow. Before being completed it was seized by James III following his overthrow of the Black Douglases and he then granted it to his Queen, Margaret of Denmark. After attacks by the English the castle was granted to the Scott family in 1550 who made repairs and some structural modifications. In September 1645, during the War of Three Kingdoms, Newark Castle was close to the Battle of Philiphaugh where the Royalist forces of James Graham, Marquis of Montrose were routed and about one hundred captured prisoners and camp followers were executed within the grounds of the castle by Covenanter forces. Newark Castle was attacked and badly damaged by Oliver Cromwell during his invasion of Scotland in 1650 but after the war it was repaired and modernised by Anne Scott, Duchess of Buccleuch. She was however the last person to live there and, after her death, the tower was stripped of most of its fixtures and fittings.

After passing the small village of Yarrowford we follow the trail through rolling hills and countryside before joining the Southern Upland Way. If we had the time we could walk from Yarrowford to the Three Brethren rejoining the Southern Upland Way at the top. This hill is called the Three Brethren because it is topped with three massive cairns, dating from the 16th century which demark the meeting of 3 estates, Buccleuch Estate, Yair Estate and Selkirk Burgh.

Once we reach the Southern Upland Way, we follow this, reaching a height of nearly 500 metres with fantastic views across the border hills. We then gradually descend into Traquair where we will visit Scotland’s oldest inhabited house owned by the Stewart/Stuart family since 1491 although it is known to date back to 1107.

The name Traquair comes from ‘tret’ or ‘tre’ a word of Celtic origin meaning a dwelling place or hamlet, and from ‘quair’ meaning a stream with a winding course. The Quair burn joins the River Tweed a few hundred yards from the rear of the house. The house itself is known to have existed in 1107 as this is where Alexander 1 of Scotland signed a royal charter. At this time the castle was used as a hunting lodge for royalty as it was in the middle of the vast Ettrick Forest and also as a base where they could administer justice, issue laws and hold courts. During the Wars of Independence Traquair was briefly occupied by English troops but returned to the Crown with the accession of Robert the Bruce in 1306. In 1491 the Earl of Buchan gave Traquair to his second son James Stewart who became the first Laird of Traquair in 1491 and since then the house has remained in the same family. The main building which now exists at Traquair was completed during the 16th and 17th centuries and Mary Queen of Scots visited in 1566. In the 18th century the family supported the Jacobite cause and the famous Bear Gates at the top of the main drive which were built in 1739 were closed in 1745 following a visit by Bonnie Prince Charlie. The 5th Earl promised they would never be opened again until the Stuarts returned to the throne. They have been closed ever since.

The Stuarts lived at Traquair until 1875 when Lady Louisa Stuart died unmarried. The earldom was lost and the house passed to her cousin Henry Constable Maxwell who took the name Maxwell Stuart and it is Catherine Maxwell Stuart, 21st Lady of Traquair, who lives with her family in the house today.

From Traquair we head west before reaching the B7062 where we turn right, following the minor road northwards. At Cardrona we turn right on the B7088 before taking the Tweed Valley Railway path along the north side of the River Tweed to enter the town of Peebles.

This part of the Tweed Valley was originally part of the Kingdom of Strathclyde before becoming part of Scotland under Malcolm II in 1016 and then King David I made it a Royal Burgh in 1152. Due to its strategic position a castle was built in Peebles in the 12th century on Castle Hill to guard the wooden bridge across the River Tweed. There are different accounts of when Peebles Castle was destroyed but it no longer exists and it is now where the Old Parish Church stands. Peebles was originally a market town but like other towns in the borders was a centre for the woollen industry in the 19th and early 20th centuries. It also became a popular tourist destination particularly in the mid to late 19th century where several hydropathic hotels were established, of which Peebles Hydro still survives.

Following the River Tweed we pass the Priorsford Footbridge, a late Victorian suspension bridge before we turn right along Tweed Green before we pass St Andrews Leckie Parish Church to arrive at the High Street. Turning left we pass the market cross, which has a shaft dating from the 15th century, a sundial dated 1699 and a weathervane dated 1699, before we reach the John Buchan story. This is a museum telling the story of John Buchan who was both a diplomat and a novelist best known for his book, ‘The Thirty Nine Steps’. He was actually born in Perth but spent many family holidays in Peebles as he had relatives who lived in the area.

Behind the John Buchan Story is the Tweeddale Museum and Gallery which is housed in a building dating back to the 16th Century. This building, the Chambers Institution, was gifted to the town in 1859 by William Chambers who with his brother Robert, founded the famous publishing house W & R Chambers Publishers, now called Chambers Harrap Publishers. The museum and gallery have objects which look at the history of Peebles and the surrounding area.

Leaving the museum to carry along the High Street we will see in front of us the Old Parish Church which was built between 1885 and 1887 on the site where Peebles Castle once stood.

From here we go towards the Tweed Bridge which was constructed in 1663 before being widened in 1834 and then again in 1897 and 1900. It is worth going on to the bridge to see the dolphin lamp standards.

From the bridge we go back onto the north bank of the River Tweed and follow the path which crosses the Eddleston Water before crossing through Hay Lodge Park. Soon we enter a wood of oak, ash and alder before we see Neidpath Castle perched high above the path. Neidpath Castle was originally built in 1190 by Sir Gilbert Fraser who was called ‘The Patriot’ after defeating the English 3 times in one day at Roslin Glen. He was executed in 1306 in London and the castle was burnt by the English leaving his daughter Mary with a ruin. The barony of Neidpath passed to the Hay family when Mary married Sir Gilbert Hay in 1312 and it is thought Sir William Hay built the present castle in the late 14th century. After Oliver Cromwell’s invasion in 1650 when the castle was damaged it was remodelled in the 1660s. It is now owned by the Earls of Wemyss and March who have taken care to protect Neidpath and it still has much of its original medieval character.

The path along the river passes under the arches of the old railway viaduct and then the path joins the old railway line itself which we walk along until we reach Lyne Station. After walking along the B712 we come to Stobo and Stobo Kirk which is one of the oldest standing churches in Scotland which unusually was not destroyed during the Reformation. Much of it is dated back to around 1120 but the history of the site goes back even further as the first church here is said to have been founded by St Mungo, possibly when he was Archbishop of Strathclyde from 585. Stobo is also associated with the story about Merlin, of Arthurian legend, who had been living in the surrounding forest since the defeat of the army of Gwenddoleu by the King of Strathclyde in 573; and that St Mungo converted him to Christianity at the Altar Stone which is nearby and which we will pass later. There is a stained-glass window in the church depicting Merlin’s baptism. In 1863 the church was extensively renovated with the work being paid for by Sir Graham Graham-Montgomery of Stobo Castle.

After leaving the church we carry on along the B712 before we turn right, opposite a bus stop, to walk towards Stobo Home Farm. At the farm we turn left and walk towards Stobo Loch, past the Japanese Gardens, before arriving at Stobo Castle which is a Health Spa and is a fantastic place to have afternoon tea. Stobo became the family seat of the Graham-Montgomery’s from 1767 and the present castle, designed by Archibald and James Elliot, was built starting in1805. In 1905 the family had to sell it and at this point it was sold to Hylton Philipson who was a cricketer but whose family once owned the land before they were exiled in 1745 after the Jacobite Rising. Philipson modernised the interior and created a small loch and a Japanese-Style water garden which still exists today. The Winyard family acquired Stobo in 1975 and spent the next few years creating the luxury health spa and hotel.

Returning to the B712 we continue walking along it towards the south west, crossing the River Tweed before turning left into Dawyck Botanic Gardens. Dawyck is one of the best arboretums you will find in the world and is a result of over 300 years of tree collecting. It was first started by the Veitch family who owned the estate from 1491 to 1691 and who planted trees as a windbreak. One of the trees they introduced was a horse chestnut native to Eastern Europe. In 1691 the Naesmyth family took over the estate and Sir James Naesmyth who trained as a botanist turned the garden into an arboretum. His grandson rebuilt Dawyck House, designed by the architect William Burn, after the previous house was destroyed by fire and he also landscaped the area above the house and planted many specimen trees sent back to the UK by plant collectors such as David Douglas, of Douglas Fir fame. In 1897 the estate was purchased by the Balfour family who continued the plant collection and also planted rhododendrons and daffodils. It was given by the Balfours to the nation in 1978 and it is now run by the Royal Botanic Garden of Edinburgh.

From Dawyck Botanic Gardens we retrace our steps back across the River Tweed and back up to B712 until we turn left at the sign to Dreva. On the right opposite the entrance to Altarstone Farm we will see a standing stone called the Altar Stone. This was mentioned earlier as being the place where Merlin is supposed to have been baptised by St Mungo. Continuing on the minor road through the rolling countryside we turn left on reaching the A701 and enter he village of Broughton. This village is where John Buchan once lived and is now famous for Broughton Ales which opened in 1979 and was Scotland’s first independent brewery.

We turn left just before we reach the Biggar Water and follow the track (a dismantled railway line) along the river, past Broughton Ales, to reach the town of Biggar. Biggar occupies a location close to 2 of Scotland’s great rivers, the Clyde which flows to the west, and the Tweed which flows to the east. The main road which goes through Biggar, the A702, follows the route of a Roman road which linked the Clyde Valley with Musselburgh.

When we reach Biggar, which became a burgh in 1451, we turn right to walk into the town centre where the market place still remains the focus of the centre of the town. At the north end of the High Street we can visit the Biggar and Upper Clydesdale Museum which opened in 2015. It has a historical gallery illustrating the history of the area from early times up to the 20th century, a street of shops recreated from the town and a special exhibition room which houses items loaned from national collections. From here we continue up the High Street before turning down Broughton Road to reach the Biggar Puppet Theatre. This is a fully working puppet theatre, home to the International Purves Puppets, which has been in Biggar for over 50 years.

Biggar is also famous as being where a farmer in the early 1900 founded Albion Motors as a small business which eventually grew into the largest truck company in the British Empire. The company still exists as part of the Leyland DAF group and the archives of Albion Motors can still be found in Biggar. As we walk along North Back Road we pass the Albion Foundation before reaching Biggar Kirk which was built in 1546. It was the last church built in Scotland prior to the Reformation. It was built by Lord Fleming, the local landowner whose family had been given land near Biggar by King Robert the Bruce in the 14th century and who lived in Boghall Castle to the south west of the town. Unfortunately, the Flemings were on the wrong side when they supported Mary Queen of Scots and so their lands were given to the Elphinstone family in the 16th century and nothing now remains of their castle at Boghall.

From Biggar we take Lindsaylands Road with great views of Tinto Hill, the highest point in the Southern Uplands which we will be climbing soon. From here we skirt round the south side of the conical shaped Quothquan Law which is topped by the remains of a hill fort before crossing the River Clyde and heading towards the village of Thankerton.