TRIP 7 - A BORDER FORAY

Day 1 Monday 19th August 2019

Highland Gourmet Trips is a a small, family run, non-profit making concern offering tailored journeys round the Highlands. The small family were needing another bit of break. So, Sharon and Bob went away to the Borders with Sharon's parents and her sister and husband for a few days. Nonetheless, we were keen to make sure that our foray to the Borders would let us enjoy not only the company but also some culture and food, much as we like to do on any good trip.

We all set off from Sandra and Chris's house at Forgandenny after a simple, but tasty lunch of soup and sandwiches. After two hours of reasonably good driving, we got to our home for the next few days - Kersmains Farm, just outside Kelso. We were staying in a three bedroomed cottage on the farm.

The farm has been in the Hogg family for over 80 years. One of the present owner's forebears was Colonel Donald Hogg, who won an immediate Military Cross in the Second World War for leading a bold and successful attack over open ground after he discovered that he was the only officer in his company who had not been killed or wounded.

It is remarkable to think that he probably enjoyed the same views that we did.

Obviously, we were not the first people to stay here and enjoy these views. The farm itself is famous for the discovery of two twelfth century church bells, one of which is in the National Museum of Scotland. The bells were discovered during ploughing, perhaps in this field. So people have been coming here for at least 900 years!

However, Colonel Hogg would not have enjoyed the comfort of the conservatory, which was a much later addition to the cottage. Doubtless he would also have been amazed at the size of some of the machinery moving around the farm.

We were soon in the door, unpacked and ready for a little drink before our very tasty dinner prepared by Sandra. Shepherd's Pie seemed quite apt for dinner in a farm cottage. The lemon pudding and the fresh fruit and meringues were very refreshing.

After games and drinks in the conservatory, it was time for bed in preparation for a busy next  day.

Day 2 Tuesday 20th August 2019

It wouldn't be a farm without hens and where there are hens, there are eggs. Simon, the farmer gave us some which we enjoyed for breakfast.

After we were suitably fed and watered, we set of through Roxburgh, which is a good deal smaller than than you would expect, especially as it has given its name to Roxburghshire! From there we crossed the River Teviot and arrived at The Teviot Smokery and Water Garden. We spent a lot longer there than we had expected. There were lots of nice gifts for people to buy, which they did. There was also a nice view of the river from a balcony.

The water garden was down a steep slope to the river, so it wasn't suitable for Bunty, but the rest of the youngsters had a look.

There were some beauties to be found.

You could almost swear you were in Monet's Garden at Giverny.

There were some very nice flowers and grasses.

A Red Admiral. Strangely, there is no nautical reference in the name. It has been shortened over the years from the Red Admirable! These butterflies are migratory, coming north in the summer and flying south again in Autumn and Winter, feeding on flowering plants like Buddleia. Eggs are laid in Stinging Nettles.

There is little point in visiting a garden centre, without checking out the tearoom, so we did. We had very nice tea/coffee and cakes. This included an unusual slice of Eckford Tart. This was like a cross between a Cherry Bakewell and a Fruit Slice. It was delicious. I cannot trace a recipe or a history for this tart, but the tiny village of Eckford is just a mile up the road! The smokery had a fine array of food and drink to buy. We didn't do that today, but we did come back the next day to pick up some goodies.

We left the smokery behind and went on in search of Stobs Military Camp. This was a bit of a journey and did involve a bit of unintentional parting of the ways! Once we had found each other again, we drove into the middle of nowhere and, at first, found very little of interest.

Bob and Sharon were keen to explore more, but Peter, Bunty, Sandra and Chris were less enamoured and decided to go back to Kelso. I should say that it was a bit grey and damp at this time as well.

The intrepid Highland Gourmet Trippers stayed on through thick and thin and were amply rewarded in time.

Our first reward was sighting this possible eagle flying over the camp. Such a sighting is pretty rare as there are only a few eagles in the Borders and they are carefully monitored. They have also been bolstered by young eagles introduced from the Highlands.

Once we had overcome our surprise at seeing the bird,we drove up the hill and stopped where we had a view all around. There are some buildings still standing in what was once one of the biggest military camps in Britain.

Construction of the camp began in 1903 and a new railway siding was built from the Waverley Line to service this. A narrow gauge rail was laid into the camp, but it was only ever used by horse drawn carriages.

The camp was to have been used as a summer training ground and so all the soldiers were housed in tents. 20,000 men used the site in the first few months of 1903.

This is a drying hut, used to dry out clothing and equipment. It was heated by coal fires.

The camp really came into its own before the outbreak of the First World War, when thousands of men were trained there, prior to posting to the front. The camp was enormous and was one of the largest in the country.

It was also remote and, probably for that reason, it was chosen to be a Prisoner of War camp. Over 6000 German prisoners were accommodated in huts, like this one  on the hillside below the farm at Winnington Rig. This is the only remaining First World War prisoner's hut. It would have held up to fifty prisoners. 

This building is a First World War storage hut, which housed all manner of equipment for the camp.

At one time this hillside was a sea of tents for soldiers undergoing training and then 200 huts were erected to house German prisoners.

In the Second World War the site was again heavily used for military activities. Tanks exercised here and some were rumoured to have sunk in the soft ground! Units of the Royal Marines were stationed here in 1941. Only a small number of German prisoners were held at the camp during the Second World War. After the War, it was used for the Territorial Army and for National Service training. It also became one of the main resettlement camps in Britain and over 2000 Polish soldiers were placed under canvas here until they were demobilised. The military abandoned the camp in the 1950's and most of the buildings were dismantled and sold off thereafter.

We left the camp to head further south and went via the old station and the Stobs Viaduct.

On the way south we stopped briefly at the Whitrope Heritage Centre. This is all about the Waverley Line, which has long ceased operation. The centre is based in the static carriages which also house a small cafe in the buffet car. We did not go in as we were running behind schedule.

This is one of the diesel units which the centre runs on an occasional basis. It is RB4 A prototype BRE-Leyland Railbus, built in 1984. To the right is Brake Van ZTO built in 1958 and undergoing restoration.

More rolling stock.

Our destination this afternoon was Hermitage Castle, an imposing and massive castle with links to Mary, Queen of Scots. The first views do not really prepare you for the sheer scale of the buidling.

It is only when you get closer can you really appreciate the size of the building. The arch is particularly impressive.

Your natural assumption is that the arch is the doorway, but it isn't. However, it did shelter an entrance at one point, but that was not why it was built.

There is another, similar arch on the other side and this is it. They were built to support wooden platforms where fighting men could be stationed and where they could rain arrows and other missiles down on attackers. It was too difficult to accommodate these platforms around the three sides of the walls, so the arches were built to carry the platform instead.

This is the tower built by the Douglas family in the 1400's.

The little door set back in the wall is actually the entrance and it is in the part of the building that dates from the 1300's. It was started by Sir Hugh de Dacre in 1360 and the whole thing was radically changed by William, the First Earl of Douglas in 1371.

What look like blank windows in the tower to the left are actually blocked up doorways that once allowed access from inside the castle on to the fighting platform.

The entrance into Lord Dacre's castle. He, in fact, was a Cumbrian lord in a fairly circuitous manner from the original owners of the site. He was connected to the Douglas family who were infamous and fairly murderous, So much so, that Lord Dacre married William Douglas's godfather's widow, also called William Douglas. Bizarrely, William had killed William in 1353. Lord Dacre married the widow and built the first stone house here.

The stonework is particularly fine for the period and it is thought that it was done by a Durham master mason who also worked for Edward III.

You can see this stonework along with later, less refined work above and to the left.

Even the chimneys survive.

The room with a view.

The room with no view. This was the grimmest of prisons. It had no light or sanitation. If you were down here, you weren't getting out alive and you smelt pretty badly. This was made worse by the fact that the floor above was a prison for the better classes and they had some daylight and a latrine.

There was a bit of graffiti on the walls dating from 1907. At least I think it is graffiti and not a message from some long forgotten prisoner.

Sharon wasn't the first beautiful woman to visit here. In 1491, the castle was given to Patrick Hepburn, the first Earl of Bothwell, after the Douglases were found to have been making deals with the English.

The 4th Earl of Bothwell, James was a staunch supported of Mary, Queen of Scots. He was wounded in 1566 while arresting notorious reivers. Mary was so concerned that she rode the 50 miles to Hermitage Castle, where Bothwell was. While some say this was a Lover's tryst, the boring historians say she needed some legal advice. Aye! Right! says I.

She apparently didn't stay long and unfortunately fell from her horse on the return journey. She was ill for some time after the fall. Things just got worse. Bothwell was implicated in the murder of Mary's second husband Darnley. Bothwell abducted her and took her to his castle in Dynbar in 1567. They were married soon after. A month later the forces of Mary were defeated at the battle of Carberry Hill and Bothwell was exiled, never to return. Mary lost her head after that.

Outside the castle you get a fine view of the hole leading from the latrine closet, which is happily no longer in use.

A short walk from the castle is the ruin of a small chapel which is thought to date from the late 1200's. There are signs of an earlier building nearby, which was probably the forerunner of the castle.

These lancet windows were fond during excavations in the early 1900's and were placed here against the churchyard wall.

Presumably that was done so that tourists 100 years later could take a wee photo of the castle through the window.

Certainly it does not seem to have been an accidental placing of the windows.

There is not a lot left of the chapel, but it was in a very peaceful and pleasant setting.

We left that peaceful setting behind and started the drive back to Kersmains for our dinner.

Whilst we were absorbing all that history and culture, Sandra, Chris, Peter and Bunty had returned to the cottage to let Blue the family pet out for a walk and have a wee doss.

Dinner was a chicken satay curry prepared by Bob followed by more puddings.

After more games and more drinks we retired for the night.

Day 3 Wednesday 21st August 2019

Today we woke to a fine, dry, sunny and windy day. We had a nice breakfast and then Bob and Sharon set off for Jedburgh with Peter and Bunty. Sandra and Chris went to look at the country clothing and fishing shops in Kelso.

Our objective in Jedburgh was to visit the remains of the Abbey which 

you really cannot miss as you drive into the town.

There were a lot of steps, so Bunty and Sharon stayed in the visitor centre, while Peter and Bob got some exercise and visited the abbey ruins after a quick look round the exhibition.

The Abbey only got bigger, the closer you got to it. It really is massive. There is a reason for that. The Abbey was founded in 1138 by King David I of Scotland and he did it specifically to point out to the English that he was in control and could afford to build such an enormous edifice so close to the border. He was also a pious man - his mother was a saint - and he had lofty ambitions for the church. Of course, being so close to the border gave rise to a few issues and that is partly why we are looking at a ruin today and not a complete and elegant church.

The original Abbey took over 100 years to build and subsequent additions and alterations have been made in the centuries since then.

The earlier parts of the building were constructed in the Romanesque style, with curved arches. The later Gothic pointed arches were built above, or in some cases, the Romanesque was destroyed to make way for the Gothic.

A fine tomb cover from the 12th Century.

A Romanesque arch.

The initials of Abbot Thomas Cranston who had the main tower reconstructed in 1480.

Rebuilding of parts of the original were commonplace due to war damage resulting from the location near to the border.

Looking down to the west end of the nave.

The nave was started in the 1180's but was not complete until early the next century.

The west gable was rebuilt in the 1400's and that is when the fine rose window was inserted.

The nave is three storeys high. The upper, most elegant level is called a clearstorey and it provided huge amounts of natural light for the nave. Despite its size, the building looks light and airy.

Looking down to the east end of the church, which is where the altar would have been.

The west end Processional doorway.

Shadows.

The impressive west end facade.

There was an exhibition explaining the building techniques used. Peter started at page one of the manual with the building blocks.

There was a very tight spiral staircase up to a small viewing gallery at the west end. It was very tight and only those of a sleek build would have managed to get there!

At the bottom of the stair leading down from the platform was an inscribed Roman altar. This is thought to have come from the Roman fort at Cappuck, 4 miles away. Those of us who did Latin at school instantly recognised it as praising Jupiter.

Back outside, we went through this restored doorway leading from the nave to the cloister.  It was restored round about 1875.

Time was marching on, so we left the Abbey behind, picked up Sharon and Bunty from the exhibition centre and got back to the car, passing by the lovely war memorial gardens.

Next stop was the house where Mary, Queen of Scots stayed that time that she visited Bothwell at Hermitage Castle in 1566.

Bunty is a big fan of Mary.

Entry is remarkably free and upstairs there are tapestries that were actually in the house when Mary visited.

Lots of pictures of Mary hang around the walls. This one actually dates from the 19th Century, so may not be an accurate likeness.

This replica cabinet really was very nice and might not look out of place in the right kind of contemporary house.

The house also had some nice, secluded gardens.

This is a replica of the Cross and Sacred Heart that Mary is supposed to have take to her execution. However, most paintings of the time show a different cross - one with the body of Christ, which would be more likely.

A Communion Set inscribed as having been given to Mary. These may well be original.

The toilet in the house. Known as a garderobe, it was a bit of a luxury in the 16th Century. Indeed, servants were not allowed to use it. Garderobes were the forerunners of wardrobes. Clothes were hung up here as the pungent odours would keep moths away from the fabric. Presumably you couldn't get too close to other family members either.

One of Mary's shoes - pretty fashionable, I would say.

Hairy Mary.

A scrap off the dress Mary wore to her execution.

One room has paintings of all the main characters in Mary's story. Over the fireplace is a painting of Hermitage Castle.

The door to Mary's bedroom.

No bed, just a strange man looking a bit furtive.

The watch Mary purportedly lost when she fell from her horse on the way back from Hermitage Castle to Jedburgh.

Two old dears on a bench.

Oh no! It is Bunty and Sharon.

Mary's death mask.

Of course, Mary's death was the start of a legend and also the start of the United Kingdom, when her son eventually became King James the 1st of England while he was already King James the 6th of Scotland. Of course, the modern royals decided to avoid such tradition by naming the current queen Elizabeth the Second, when she is in fact the second of England and the first of Scotland. The earlier Elizabeth being the one who signed Mary's death warrant.

Here is that death warrant.

Out in the garden is a fascinating stone. It is an 8th or 9th Century Christian carved stone. These stones are very rare and formed the base for early Christian stone crosses. This one has been carved on all sides and is considered to be unparalleled in Anglo-Saxon carved stones. It was originally sited within the original Jedburgh Monastery, nothing of which remains today. The Monastery was part of the Anglo-Saxon kingdom of Gedwearthe.

From the stone you can look back at the house, which is quite pretty.

Lunch was next, but turned out to be a bit of a movable feast. We had arranged to meet Sandra and Chris at Floors Castle Terrace cafe. We got there only to find it was packed and without a reservation we had no chance of a seat. Starvation was setting in, so Sharon booked our second choice over the phone and we set off for Born in the Borders. When I say set off, we did, but in different directions due to two sat navs providing two routes. As the Fat Controller would say, "This has caused some confusion and delay".

Suffice to say, we got there in the end and sat down to a pretty good lunch, except for the crumb on Peter's fish, which was tougher than the table.

Born in the Borders is the strange name for a brewery/gin distillery/visitor centre/restaurant and deli on a Borders farm. All the stuff is as local as possible - hence Born in the Borders.

The beer, in particular is marketed as from plough to bottle. Here they are harvesting barley for just these very bottles.

Bob was very taken with his confit duck leg on roasted sweet potato with French toast and a sticky maple glaze, The pint of Foxy Lady beer was very nice too.

After a browse round the deli and wee taste of beer and gin, it was back on the road. Sandra and Chris went to relieve Blue the Blind Dog and Sharon and Bob took Bunty and Peter to Kelso for a look about.

Clearly the excitement was too much.

By the time we got to Kelso, only Bob and Sharon were up for a walkabout, so off we went.

Kelso has some nice little independent shops, a bit different from the average High Street. Many of the original features of these shops still exist, such as this tiled entrance way.

Kelso also has an Abbey - not on the same scale as Jedburgh, but well worth a visit - and it is free and open to all.

However, it wasn't always like this. Kelso was actually the biggest Abbey in David I's Kingdom and one of the richest. As with Jedburgh, being so close to the border with England made it a target for invading armies. It was systematically destroyed in 1545.

At its height, Kelso was a built to a twin towered, double cross plan, unmatched anywhere else in the country. All that is left is the ruin of the west tower.

Sharon was impressed as well.

As with Jedburgh, you can still see the earlier 12th Century Romanesque architecture.

Back out of the Abbey grounds it was noticeable that Kelso had a number of little closes or vennels running between streets.

One of them had Jock the Box carved on the pavement at the entrance. I am struggling to find out anything about Jock the Box, but I assume he was an accordion player.

Once back at the car and it was back to the farm.

Later in the evening we had a light evening meal using produce that we had picked up in the afternoon at the Smokery and in the deli in Kelso.

There was smoked trout, an array of cheeses, Scotch Eggs and Black Pudding Scotch Eggs, Pork pies, pulled pork, chutneys Quince jelly and really nice biscuits and oatcakes.

It was all very good and a nice last supper at the farm with lots of local food. We played some more games in the evening, which, of course, the gentlemen won - again.

Then it was time for bed as we were all going home the next morning.

Day 4 Thursday 22nd August 2019

We were up fairly sharp and, after a fine breakfast using up all our food, we gathered in front of the house for group photos before we all set of back to Forgandenny and thence to Monifieth or Inverness.

We really had a great time, the weather was pretty kind, the food was all good and the company jolly. Bob and Sharon will definitely be back again to explore some more.

Perhaps we need to change our name from Highland Gourmet Trips to Scottours for the Curious and Hungry!