Selkirk
I’ve been part of junior rangers. I remember putting up bat boxes and cameras to record the badgers.
Wark
There is a track down to the river on the edge of Wark village, a quiet place to watch the swans and, if you are lucky, spot herons, otters and kingfishers. A regular favourite place to sit until the seat washed away on day, during flooding. A place my aged husky loved.
Spittal to Berwick
I have swum from Spittal to Berwick across the wide mouth of the Tweed several times with a friend. Before the first swim I checked with an experienced member of the coastguard, asking if we needed to worry about seals. I was told, ‘Only if you get near a pup.’ Guess what popped up alongside us right in the centre of the river? A curious baby seal. We swam the second leg of the journey much faster than the first!
Berwick
Naimh told us: According to ‘The Dippers’, a swimming group up near Haven Beach, someone was swimming up the River Tweed and got their foot bitten by a seal! They were presumably wearing a flipper that looked fish-like…
These stories were collected at a Tweed Stories event held as part of Berwick Heritage Open Days in September 2026. With thanks to the HODs team and everyone who attended. Find out more about Berwick’s history at www.berwickfriends.org.uk and northumberlandarchives.com/berwick/.
Images: Kingfisher by Siegried Poepperl on Unsplash; a Tweedmouth seal having salmon for lunch © Walter Baxter (cc-by-sa/2.0) geograph.org.uk/p/7367819.
