My dad died in October 2010 and after the funeral, my sister and her two children (4½ and 2½ months) were able to stay with me and my mum for some much needed family time. We took some day trips out to places we had been to with my dad, taking a picnic and creating […]

Wandering through the scenic landscape of the Borderlands, you might stumble upon curious stones and markers that whisper tales of the past. One such haunting relic is the Meuchel Stone, near Horndean in Berwickshire. This weathered grave marker commemorates a packman—a term used to describe an itinerant trader in the 19th century who roamed rural […]

The River Tweed flows out to the North Sea at Berwick-upon-Tweed where this spectacular view is waiting for you. The pier extends for about half a mile from the north side of the River Tweed into the harbour mouth. The pier was constructed 1819-1825 by John Rennie with the lighthouse, designed by Joseph Nelson, added […]

The Tweed ‘kettle’ was a custom whereby gentry living near the River Tweed would invite guests to a bankside picnic with salmon boiled in a metal fish kettle. The Guild of Freemen is known to have held a kettle in 1675 and during the 19th century, the Sheriff of Berwick used to hold an annual […]

It was a chilly but gloriously sunny day in January 2022 when I first visited Paxton House, beside the River Tweed near Berwick. Storm Arwen had roared through the region in November, flattening swathes of woodland and damaging properties, including taking a bite out of our roof in North Northumberland. Paxton’s beautiful gardens and grounds […]

My favourite memories of the Tweed, and Berwick in particular, are all tied up with the love of our dearly departed dog, Otter. A nice family from the borders surrendered her to the Berwick animal shelter after a change in circumstances and luckily we were the people chosen to take her home. Already an older […]