My partner is involved in the Borders Forest Trust, so we decided to go for a walk at Carrifran near Moffat. They said there was a chance we might see golden eagles. At that moment, I looked up and there were TWO golden eagles circling overhead!
Carrifran Woodland. [I love] Walking and skinny dipping in the beautiful, reclaimed landscape.
We are tree-planting at Longhill [south of Stobo], a meadow that has been untouched for 40 years. It’s where the settlement tanks are from the old Peebles water supply. It’s close to where I live.
Neale Holmes-Smith, environmentalist, voluntary wood warden and retired horticulture teacher told us: I was here last Sunday preparing for the Merlindale Nature Festival. There were four people scything the wildflower meadow, ready for the stalls to set up. I ended up raking up all the ‘arisings’ [the cuttings] for the festival!
Find out more about Merlindale Nature Festival and the Borders Meadows Trust and Carrifran Wildwood.
These stories were shared with us during the 2026 Merlindale Nature Festival, held near Drumelzier on Saturday 1 August 2026. With thanks to everyone who added their stories to our giant River Tweed map.
Images: Tweed Stories at Merlindale Nature Festival
The Tweed from Merlindale Bridge © Mary and Angus Hogg (cc-by-sa/2.0) geograph.org.uk/p/4715085
Firth Hope from Carrifran Burn © Jim Barton (cc-by-sa/2.0) geograph.org.uk/p/7443402
