Photograph Gallery Stage 30 Biggar to Drumelzier
Photograph Gallery Stage 30 Biggar to Drumelzier, Wednesday 22nd June 2011
The Story:
This short walk took me on the final stretch of the lowland belt which separates Edinburgh and Glasgow from the hills of the Scottish southern uplands. I was expecting the walk to be dour but as with every walk, if you look and listen, imagine and surmise, then even the most benign of walks can surprise. This one did.
I started off from my B&B in Biggar in high spirits for I had secured a second night there and as a bonus I also had been kindly offered car support from a fellow guest who would pick me up from Drumelzier this lunchtime and also run me back there tomorrow. How gracious of Andy, the gentleman in question to do that. Knowing I was being well looked after I marched out of town and astonishingly without much pain; a little acute niggle in my right knee which was probably brought on by the cold yesterday. Once walking it eased and after a while I didn’t notice it as I made my way past the town buildings, past the town golf course and onto a disused rail track which I would follow for the next four miles to the village of Broughton. It could have been a boring journey on the old train line but interventions from several species of birds including low flying swallows, small mammals including a black shrew scuttling across the track and just avoiding my feet, sheep on the line scampering to stay ahead of me then ducking to the old trackside to hide in deep grass and most worrying a huge bull in an adjacent field who kept his eye on me for the whole passing of the field. Between us there was a flimsy wire fence. Had he wanted me then he had me, there was no trees near, no bushes, only a ditch stream which had I crossed he would have too. To my great relief he turned away when I had passed the field. Not taking anything for granted, I kept looking back for about another quarter mile. Then I relaxed.
As I approached the end of this particular line and neared Broughton the dull overcast but dry day showed signs of brightening up. In the village the sun actually showed, only briefly but enough to hearten me for the high level expedition tomorrow. For now I had just under three miles to go along paths and roads to Drumelzier. As I did the sun showed me more attention and like the land I was warmed by it. My attention switched from the sunshine to a looming huge black mass ahead of me on the final mile. Not a cloud though, the black mass of Drumelzier Law, the first big hill I make company with tomorrow. After todays lovely approach journey I am straight up into the big hills tomorrow. Despite the trials and tribulations of the last two weeks I can’t wait.
The Photographs:
The way out of Biggar was green and pleasant
The long and unwinding dismantled railway track
Round Knowe beside the dismantled railway track
A big lad, not one to argue with
Burnetland Hill between Biggar and Corstane
These sheep walked ahead of me for a few hundred metres before diving into the long grass
Sign for the John Buchan Way at Broughton
Drumelzier Law in the distance, my access to the Southern Uplands tomorrow
River Tweed at Merlindale Bridge