News and Related Issues

Dryburgh Footbridge Reopened

After a period of just over 6 weeks the footbridge across the River Tweed at Dryburgh has been reopened and Borders Abbeys Way walkers will again get access to Dryburgh Abbey without a length diversion.

This has resulted in a completely new decking on the bridge with and anti-slip surface and new signage has been provided.

Alternative route into Abbotsford

As part of the footpath improvements being carried out within the Abbotsford Estate there has been a new optional route for the Borders Abbeys Way as it descends towards Abbotsford when walking from Cauldshiels loch towards Melrose.
This is a very short route option but it takes the route off the roadway and opens up slightly more of the beautiful and interesting abbotsford house and estate. The downloadable route directions for the Borders Abbeys Way as detailed below now shows this recently introduced route option.
The pictures below show the markers at either side of the Way as it crosses the B6360.

Access to the Way has just improved - 2016

On the 6th September 15 the access to the Borders Abbeys Way and indeed also the St Cuthbert's Way was improved for those who want to arrive without using the car. The Borders Railway opened and this provides a link from Edinburgh directly to Tweedbank on what is a twice hourly service. The Borders Abbeys Way is no more than 500 yards/metre away from the Tweedbank station where the line ends and is close to nearby Melrose, one of the popular start and end points for this circular walk.
Walking Support who offer the only complete walking route baggage transfer service are now able to offer a first collection and end drop off service at the station, thereby allowing walkers the opportunity to travel directly in the morning and start the first days walk from the Way adjacent to the station.
Walking Support are also able to provide a complete package for walkers that includes accommodation and luggage transfer, this station starting point offering a new variety of package options which may help to balance out the walking distances.
For details on Walking Support's Border Abbeys Way packages click on this link.
For information on the train timetable click on this link.

New Look Website

July 2015 sees this popular walking route website revised for a third time. We have revised the navigation so that the button titles are clearer and updated some of the content to bring more knowledge and information to the prospective walker. This website is the only complete route website that provides detail on all of the way and offers the walker information and interest when planning and booking a walking trip on this route.

The revised website still has all the content of its predecessors and has also hopefully updated links and information that has changed over the years. As webmasters for this portal website we are always happy to receive your comments, corrections and views on the website and you can do this by acccessing our on-line Website Quetionnaire.

Marie Curie 10K Daffodil Walk - 7th April 2013

For the second year running there is going to be a 10K charity walk added to the annual Melrose "Field of Hope" event. This 10k event starts form the Borders General Hospital and quickly picks up a section of the Borders Abbeys Way. It then continues on the Way until it reaches Melrose and then concludes by coming along the Daffodil "Field of Hope" path back to the Borders General Hospital.

Registration to take part in this event can be done by following this link.

Route Directions

This complete route has been waymarked and should be easy to follow. We do however recommend that those walking do so with the correct set of Ordnance Survey maps. To assist the walker Walking Support / I-Net Support (webmasters) have prepared a comprehensive directional document detailing all the junctions where decisions have to be made on how to proceed. This directional instruction has a nominal charge of �3.99. It can be sent to you by e-mail attachment and is in the form of a Word Document in table format. All the key junction points are identified by grid reference number and instuctions of what to do at all points given.

Simply click on the Buy Now button and once on line payment has been confirmed Walking Support will send you an e-mail with the Grid Reference Table attached.

If you are using Walking Support to book your accommodation or for baggage transfer there is no need for the dates or accommodation details, simply your name and address.

Once we have this information we will post out the certificate/s to your home address. During the height of the season this may take several weeks to arrive.

Dunion Hill Wind Farm

The refusal of the planning application for this windfarm has been upheld by the Public Enquiry held before the Reporter in Jedburgh Town Hall in early 2009. This means that the images shown below will never happen, the Dunion hill will remain free of wind turbines.

The proximity of the Borders Abbey Way to the proposed turbines did have a part to play in the Reporters overall conclusions and decision and the use of data from this websites questionnaire to walkers was very useful.

Although this wind farm has been stopped, walkers on other routes in the Scottish Borders and across Scotland are likely to encounter many more locations where windfarms may be directly built on the line of the walking route or very close by. If such proposals are to be fairly assessed by the planning procedures we would still encourage outdoor enthusiasts to spend some time in responding to our still open wind farm survey. The more data we have, be it for or against these renewable sources, the better we can respond to the applications with quantitative data. To respond use the link on the Walking Support website where we have a questionnaire on this subject.

Finally you may want to link to the Dunion Hill Conservation website that has much more information on the outcome of the Dunion Hill Wind farm application and recent Public Enquiry.

Dunion Hill from Bedrule as it might have been		Dunion Hill from Rubers Law as it might have been

Competitions

Watch this space for information on forthcoming photographic competitions etc.

Walkers' News Items

The following comments were received and we have concluded that they are worth repeating as they are the views of a totally independent person who has had no prior connection with the walk of the area.

To whom it may concern,
I have recently completed the Borders Abbey Way walk, over five days, and would like to pass on some comments.
I have completed both of your on-line surveys, but feel that some more needs to be said.
I usually have a walking holiday once a year and have walked in all sorts of regions of the British isles, but this was the first in the Scottish Borders country. This walk is one of the better ones, for ease of route, scenery and people.
Thoroughly enjoyable. The waymarking is excellent. Better than a walk I did a couple of years ago in Cumbria and Yorkshire, which was only signposted if you were walking north. When walking south, as we did, there were very few direction markers on stiles etc. Not so on the BAW. Well done.
The scenery is top notch, wonderful. The actual route is first class in terms of variety. I would say that no two days are the same.
Once again, an excellent walk, and one that I will be recommending to every one.

Rob Jones

This section is under constant development and should additionally be seen as an area where the website visitor can input. If you have any relevant news about the route, walking plans and experiences etc. use the link and send us your copy. The editor reserves the right to either publish (in full or edited) or to withhold posting of submitted material on the web.