Day 12 Melrose to Lauder

Had a later breakfast as today’s walk to Lauder is only about 10 miles – the ‘pre-penultimate’ walking day!  I couldn’t believe that it had gone so quickly.

I set off from Burt’s Hotel (very nice, but very expensive – £170/night!) just after 10 and Noelene walked with me to the park leading down to the beautiful River Tweed and the amazing Chain Bridge across it.

I crossed the bridge in wonderment and followed the SUW along the Tweed’s north bank for a bit, seeing a few walkers and joggers/runners, then briefly onto a road and headed north – today’s walk was all ‘headed north’ thereafter. The track was good and the weather warm and dry and not far from a farm called Easter Housebyres I came across another of the ULTREIA plaques on a marker post indicating a ‘hoard or kist’ nearby.

I’d seen several of these (there are apparently 13 of them on the SUW) and hadn’t yet managed to find the treasure that they indicate, which was beginning to suggest either poor eyesight or a career-ending lack of pirate instinct. I looked around for a while, found nothing, shrugged my shoulders and carried on. Then, about a dozen or so metres further along the trail, I came to what looked like a pair of trolls’ or elves’ feet beside the path and, on lifting the two lids, saw the horde of discs – one metal, the other plastic. Both were engraved ‘Southern Upland Way Hoard King Duncan 1’. As permitted, I took one of each – wonderful souvenirs of the walk.

I carried on along good, but rocky paths and felt the stones through the less sturdy soles of the lightweight boots I was wearing.  The Morton’s Neuroma in my right foot which hadn’t been bothering me much whilst wearing my heavyweight leather Altberg boots started to cause me some pain and a couple of times I had to take the boot off and massage my toes.

But I plodded on as the temperature rose to the mid-20s and I was very glad of my McGilligan’s Creek sunhat and the factor 50 suntan cream.

A little after finding the hoard I climbed a small hill, atop which was an impressive cairn, and there below, though distant, was Lauder – today’s destination. I stopped on a bench on the outskirts of the small town, ate a banana and a packet of crisps (saving the butty for tomorrow), drank some coffee and headed into town and to the Black Bull, our accommodation for the night. We had a lovely, though rather warm, room in the separate annexe.

It was only half past two so I showered, changed, wrote my diary and relaxed as Noelene fell asleep on the bed for a couple of hours.  We had a very good meal in the restaurant and I had a couple of beers as usual but I have no memory at all about it!

Unfortunately the bed was too soft, the duvet too thick and the room too warm and I didn’t sleep too well.

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Click HERE to download the .gpx file of today’s walk

Some Photos From Day 12

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