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Berwick Lighthouse

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 Salmon Kettles

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 […]

In the wake of Arwen

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 […]

An Otter from the Tweed

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 […]

Tales From the River Bank

BURNFOOT, LOWER DRYBURGH, RIVER TWEED. It was a sad but glorious morning at Burnfoot on the Lower Dryburgh beat when we tipped his ashes from the urn into the river – the magnificent beech and oak trees were starting to colour with autumn hues and bowed gently with respect in the very slight breeze. It […]

Photographer James Valentine

James Valentine, working for his family company, took some of the earliest photographs of the Tweed in the 1860’s.