I swim in the River Tweed all year round, she has become a playful companion in my life and I often have wildlife encounters particularly when I’m alone in the water. When you are just a bobbing head you no longer present such a threat to the wildlife, particularly birds. I have crept up to […]

After the Second World War, an unusual figure became part of life in the Scottish Borders: Wojtek, the Polish soldier bear. Adopted as a cub by Polish troops in the Middle East, he travelled with them across the Mediterranean and through wartime Italy, where he became famous for helping carry ammunition during the Battle of […]

Raised in Kelso the river Tweed was always close, whether swimming in the Cobbie Pool, dismissive of stories of danger and drowning or trout fishing, usually unsuccessfully on the Teviot. Work took me away from the Tweed for most of my working life, only to return to Birgham on retirement. By this time I had […]

Golden Eagles have always been a proud element in Scottish wildlife. People will tell you that a glimpse of an eagle soaring high over mountains and lochs is a memory to be treasured for a lifetime. However, despite the overall increase in eagle numbers throughout much of Scotland, this growth has not been seen in […]

My Mum, sister, and I moved to Cornhill-on-Tweed in the 1970s, where my Mum taught at Cornhill First School for many years. My sister and I spent hours playing in the stream at the bottom of the field behind our house, which ran through the old mill and into the Tweed. We stayed away from […]

I walk the Tweed regularly with my border collies between the Tweed Bridge at Manor and the Barns estate. Have done so for the last 30+ years. So many happy times spent there walking in all seasons watching the spring birds arrive, seeing kingfishers and otters and other wildlife. I especially love the arrival of […]