Legs and Borders

Today I felt like I was on a hamster wheel with the exact same landscape rolling around me. It started really well, I've hiked remaining miles to Balerno where I had a coffee and a coronation chicken baguette at a Scottish version of Coop called "Scotmid Coop" which has been running in this country since 1859! The views up to that point were really nice,I even had a chat with a local farmer who was checking on his cows in the morning, his daughter was hiking now as well and he was not looking forward to the next midges invasion in August. The path from Balerno to Edinburgh wasn't too bad either, a rubbery Ann's soft cycling track sheltered by the trees. Things changed on my way out of Edinburgh at which I only stayed enough time to resupply and have a toilet (I'm sorry I'll be back, when I've got more time!). Trail from here on was running along the Union Canal, without a doubt the most boring section of the trail so far. It was a narrow path populated...

After following St Cuthbert's Way and Southern Upland Way, I've spend majority of the afternoon following the nameless trail alongside river Tweed, I didn't meet a single hiker only few loggers who completely ignored me as I was trespassing on their logging site but since there wasn't an alternative route I just went for it and it was all fine. I've seen some of my favourite sites so far today, especially in the afternoon, beautiful, gently rolling hills with grazing sheep and cattle, a row of old oak trees running alongside the trail some kind soul must have planted here over 100 years ago, I kind of wish they could be here to see what a cool place they have created. I've passed through a town called Peebles which might have been my favourite so far as well, I've ate here a "lasagna pie" and it tasted really nice! I've also had several coffees and sausage rolls at Gregg's and hiked out well nourished and in good spirits. I've seen few ...

Second day of my Scottish National Trail adventure, I've caught up on my daily miles and I'm running on schedule as of now which is an amazing news. Terrain was definitely a helpful asset, trail was mostly flat and straightforward, I was passing (and snacking) though many little villages also weather was perfect, I'm crossing my fingers it will remain so for a long time. Halfway through the day I've meet a group of Americans from Vermont who didn't know how to call a taxi (typing in 0044 before the number was too much for them), eventually I've done it for them and 5 minutes later three small taxis arrived to transport them to their hotel. To be fair after they helped me so much during my American hikes I got all the time for Americans now and will try to help them when I can. I've also met first person who is hiking Scottish National Trail as well, his name was Toby but he was a man of few words so we didn't chat much, hopefully I'll see him later o...

25th May 2026 It's always encouraging when the local bus driver has no idea where your final destination is even though it's 15 minutes away from his usual route. It's been a long day sitting on trains and replacement busses trying to reach my starting point Kirk Yetholm, a twin village located on the English/Scottish border (Town Yetholm being it's twin on the Scottish side). It also happens to be a starting point of another well know trail Pennine Way, but I'm here to try and tackle the Scottish National Trail instead. I've arrived at Berwick upon Tweed at midday spend here an hour walking along the river and eating Gregg's sausage rolls before boarding a local bus 67 to Kelso where I would change to the bus 81 going to the trailhead. Immediately after leaving Berwick the landscape opened up and became very rural, bus was happily hopping along an uneven narrow country road passing tiny villages and ruins of various more or less historical buildings. Halfwa...