Menootering; Border Trawl

When I left Aitch's place, I headed west, first up through Kielder. I had intended, originally, to spend at least one, if not two, nights there... however, Aitch had warned me to check bookings for the various sites given school holidays and summer and all that. Free parking is available in one or two parts, but mostly it is best to book onto the several paid overnight spots and, it turned out, things were indeed booked out! That's okay, another time. I did stop at the village from which the area got its name, at the north end of the water, where there is an EV charging station in the school carpark. A fab wee stop that gave me time for my lunch, and I had thoroughly enjoyed the scenic drive... There was a marked difference in the quality of the roads on the west side of the A68... I have to say the roads till then were very rough, but suddenly we were gliding, even on the smallest side roads. That lasted all the way to Newcastleton, over the Scottish border. Here's an interactive map for you to play with!

Hope that worked, but you can click through to maps anyway, if that's your interest. I started a little east of Rothbury and meandered via Otterburn on small roads north of Bellingham, up the side of the Kielder water to Kielder village, stopping for lunch and a power top-up. Then on to Newcastleton, where I had an hour doing a grocery shop and visiting the wee "antique" (bric-a-brac) shop.

A mile out of there, I drove up a tiny track to the local cemetery, where there is a large parking plot which welcomes the occasional van parking. I spent three nights there!

I'm keeping the idyllic scenery shots for upcoming Me-Now-Views (yes, it's returning!), but I thought you might like this little insight into local history...

Can you see the wall steps? On both sides of the dyke were these protruding, ascending stones and a gap in the capping stones for a step-through. Given the presence of the gate, I am not sure why it was felt necessary to put these in as well, but they certainly add interest.

Having had a complete reset in this bucolic setting, it was time to hit the road again, and this time continuing along the border roads across, first, to Annan - Tesco supermarket where I could hook up The Grey for another juicing, and get a proper shop done. (The wee Coop in N'ton had limited options beyond the basics.) From there, we headed to New Abbey and parked up beside Sweetheart Abbey. Arriving on a Friday, we discovered that the monument was closed not just for Friday and Saturday, but also on Sunday that weekend. When I visited on Monday, the very talkative attendant let it be known that the jousting fair at Caerlaverock Castle had taken precedence over his attendance here.

You can also read about the Abbey history and related things at this link.

This kist is a 19th-century reconstruction and may or may not include all the original bits from the Queen's tomb... but it's impressive nonetheless. I have held back some other pics of the structure for MNV posts later - though it is fair to say that the scaffolding rather detracted from the enjoyment of the place. Chatty Chap at the kiosk was a bit of 'moany minny' about it. Apparently it's been there for several years already and could be another four or five before HS can get around to completing the repair works. 

Directly across the lane is the Abbey Cottage Tearoom. It's a fabulous wee place with all home-prepared items and a great list of teas to choose from. 

There are public toilets in the carpark, which is adjacent to the bowls club, also. I got to meet the vice-president (and groundsman) of the club and had a good natter with him. I asked him about making a donation, as I ended up staying six nights. There is a local community fund into which I happily deposited a fair sum, for this was another idyllic stay. We were parked right at the end of the tarmac, by the ancient wall and facing into the field where the farmer just managed to get his hay in before the weather turned on us. 

Yes, the summer dropped away, and the rain came. For three days, there wasn't much else to do but catch up with the Commonwealth Games. Hardship, eh?

To be honest, though, it was a bit of a washout as far as viewing was concerned, because the BBC cut back and the distribution rights went to the big-money broadcasters. Here in the host nation, we were able to see most stuff via BBC Alba - so all the commentary in Gaelic. I missed more than I watched, truth be told. Oh well. It may not have been the televised extravaganza we usually get, but word is that Glasgow did us proud again, and it has been considered a success.

It was time to move on again, but due to the downturn in weather, the two garden visits I had planned had to be postponed, and it was time to turn north a bit... I leave you with a look down the main street of New Abbey.