I just wanted to share some of my childhood memories of swimming and jumping into the Tweed at the Dookits near Neidpath Castle, as well as at various other spots along the river.
So many hours were spent during the summer holidays with gangs of friends, floating down the river on inner tubes, jumping off the rocks (definitely not for the faint-hearted!), sunbathing, or deciding on the spur of the moment to jump in fully dressed because we hadn’t planned to go swimming, but the temptation of cooling off in the river was just too much. That always meant the long, uncomfortable walk home in soaking wet clothes!
It felt like a real full-circle moment when my own kids started spending their summer holidays with their friends at the Dookits and other favourite spots along the river. Each year group seemed to have its own unofficially designated area, progressing to the next “spot” as they got older.
I also loved seeing the exhibition at the Chambers Institute Museum & Gallery, with its collection of old black-and-white photographs dating back to the early 1900s. It really made me appreciate that we are following in the footsteps of generations of people who have enjoyed the Dookits before us. Despite everything that has changed over the years, it’s wonderful that we’re still able to enjoy the same simple pleasure.
