Borders Abbeys Way 2
- hiking scotland
I meet Joe at the bus station in Edinburgh. I’m there first so I get the coffee. On the bus, we have a lot to catch up on, which sufficiently distracts me from getting car sick. Joe gets chatting with Joan, who is sitting in front of us and on her way to Kelso herself. She is on her own because her friend broke her arm. In Kelso, Joan takes us to Caroline’s Cafe where we have our first break even before we’ve started the walk.
Chatting to random people is always a given with Joe - I remember a coffee break on our first walk together when I wanted to grab the coffee and sit outside in the sun, but looking at his face, I realised that he really wanted to chat with the proprietor, who wasn’t even particularly chatty. So I mumbled something about having been outside all day and let’s just sit inside, and we sat inside and Joe worked his magic and got the cafe owner’s quite interesting life story out of him.
Chatting to random people is always a given with Joe - I remember a coffee break on our first walk together when I wanted to grab the coffee and sit outside in the sun, but looking at his face, I realised that he really wanted to chat with the proprietor, who wasn’t even particularly chatty. So I mumbled something about having been outside all day and let’s just sit inside, and we sat inside and Joe worked his magic and got the cafe owner’s quite interesting life story out of him.
On walking out of Kelso we see our first abbey, Kelso Abbey. We follow the river Teviot and meet some anglers, one of which shows us the 4 pound trout he’s caught. We have a long lunch break at a pebbly beach, throw pebbles and watch a heron. Back on the trail we get lost a bit, but realise that quickly - the waymarking is excellent.
When we arrive in Jedburgh after some leisurely 13 miles / 21 km, I wonder if my B&B booking has all worked out, and if we’ll get a twin room as booked, and not a double. We haven’t been friends for that long, so sharing a bed might be awkward! In any case, I’ve brought pyjama bottoms, and so has Joe.
Our host Amanda welcomes with “you’re not vegetarians are you - you can tell vegetarians a mile away, they are always so pale” and shows us our tiny twin room. The two single beds are a hand-width apart - we look at each other and laugh nervously.
Amanda explains our dining options. Jedburgh pubs only serve food in the restaurant area, not in bar area. This means that it is difficult to get a table at all. We settle for the Indian restaurant which seems to be run by children. The service is erratic. The place is full, but no one seems to have food in front of them. They run out of pickle trays and we have to wait for our poppadoms until another table has finished theirs. When the food finally arrives it is nice, cheap and plentiful. After this, it’s a walk back to the B&B, and sleep comes easily.