2 to 10 May 2026
It’s a month since I returned from making a pilgrimage with my friend Lynn and a group of women from St Paul’s church in Northfields, walking St Cuthbert’s Way (SCW) from the Scottish Borders to Holy Island in Northumberland. In May last year I walked the last three stages of the West Highland Way. I recorded my impressions of that walk in a blog post which amounted to a transcript of my log of the trip. And what follows is an edited version of the notes I made each evening of this year’s long distance walk. The spiritual aspect of the pilgrimage and prayerful approach of my companions were deeply meaningful to me. But in this account of the week I’m concentrating on the physical landscape we traversed and the plants encountered en route.
2 May 2026. London to Melrose. The Town House Hotel.
King’s Cross St Pancras to Edinburgh and local train to Tweedbank. Rail replacement between York and Doncaster. All connections worked perfectly. Group very welcoming and inclusive. Tantalising glimpse of Holy Island from the train after passing through Alnmouth north of Newcastle. We were met at Tweedbank by Peter, husband of Ann, one of the walkers. Peter has kindly agreed to act as luggage transfer for the week. Peter drove us the couple of miles to Melrose in his red Citroen Berlingo, with some of the party hopping onto a local bus. A few days ago I dropped off my case with Lynn in Ealing for Peter to collect and drive up to Scotland. It was very freeing to travel without the encumbrance of a (relatively) heavy piece of luggage. Saying that, I did bring a yoga bag containing my walking poles and boots!
Before supper we walked through the town to Melrose Abbey for our first glimpse of the Eildon Hills which we shall cross tomorrow. Swallows and house martins in abundance around the C12 Cistercian *abbey. It was about 6pm and the abbey, maintained by Historic Scotland, was closed. But we wandered back through part of the Harmony Garden, a National Trust for Scotland property, with pristine beds prepared for planting and a range of glasshouses (one containing a selection of tender succulents). Four heritage apples in half barrels stood outside the glasshouses, the stamped metal label on one reading ‘Tam Montgomery’, which according to Scottish Heritage Fruit Trees fruits in early July ‘with pale skin and characteristic lemon taste’. There were good views across the garden to the abbey and the Eildon Hills beyond. The blossom was still on a cherry tree in the garden, falling in pastel drifts around the foot of the tree. Clearly the season is several weeks behind the south east. I spotted primroses on the railway embankment on the northernmost leg of our journey this afternoon.
3 May. Melrose to Harestanes. The Royal Hotel, Jedburgh. 15 miles.
Day 1 of the pilgrimage. Drizzle. Prayers outside the hotel. This is the pattern we’ll follow all week: morning prayers before setting off, prayers after lunch and evening prayers after supper. It has been agreed that we walk in silence for the first two hours each day. For private prayer, reflection and contemplation of the peaceful surroundings. Drizzle and mist. A steep walk onto the Eildon (pronounced Iledon) Hills. Acidic yellow gorse at head height and higher on each side of the track. Birdsong at close range. The soil on the path was a deep red, presumably reflecting the sandstone of the local geology: several buildings in Melrose were clearly built of sandstone. ‘Blaeberries’ growing path side. Descent into Eildon Woods: dense temperate rainforest. Beech predominant. Ferns and mosses. Emerged onto pasture land grazed by brown sheep. Down to the village of Bowden where we read about the octagonal ‘pant well’, a public water fountain built in 1861 which brought clean water to the community.
We followed tributary of River Tweed (Bowden Burn) to St Boswells, where Peter met us loaded with hot coffee and snacks! Through the village and down to the clubhouse of St Boswells Golf Course, and along the path beside the course which is located on the banks of the Tweed. Beyond the golf course stands the Mertoun Bridge, and once past it there was a steep scramble down to the water’s edge with a view back to the bridge. We stopped for lunch a little further along, on a rocky beach near a weir, and spotted several fly fishermen waist deep in the river. And martins and swallows skimming close to the water. The Tweed is a salmon river, though it’s in the autumn when salmon make their way upriver to spawn. The river meanders into an almost S shape here, with woods to one side of the path and rocky ‘coves’ along the water’s edge. I saw a dipper on the rocks of one such inlet below me. It had nest material in its beak. Striking to see mature elm trees in the woods: the flowers having developed into clusters of very light green winged fruits containing seeds, which will be dispersed by the wind when they dry into papery ‘samaras’ later in the season. We so rarely see elms in the south east.
Emerging from the wood we reached Maxton Church, dedicated to St Cuthbert. The way led away from the river and looking back we could see the church with the distinctive pair of rounded hills of the Eildons beyond. The way finding is really clear on the route. There are regular wooden way marks with the square St Cuthbert’s Cross symbol reassuring us that we are on track. A little further along the path we joined ‘Dere Street’, a Roman road where the waymark becomes a Roman helmet. Dere Street originally ran from York to near Edinburgh. We passed the site of the 1545 Battle of Ancrum between the Scots and the English. And in the distance spotted a monument on a hilltop commemorating the battle of Waterloo. About a mile from our destination we entered woods again, part of the Monteviot estate. And here we were met by Peter and a local taxi for the couple of miles drive into Jedburgh. Sprawling small town with low-lying commercial estate on the road into centre with a Scottish Woollen Mills.
Plants seen today:
- Wych elm. Ulmus glabra
- Few-flowered garlic. Allium paradoxum
- Cuckoo flower. Cardamine pratensis
- Crosswort. Cruciata laevipes
- Vetch. Vicia sativa
- Bluebells (or harebells as we’re in Scotland!) Hyacinthoides non-scripta
- Blaeberry Vaccinium myrtillus
4 May. Harestanes to Morebattle. Templehall Inn. 11 miles.
Day 2 of the pilgrimage. Sunny most of the day, just a bit cloudy in the morning. Taxi back to Harestanes and way continued through Monteviot estate, crossing the drive. View of the turreted house built in 1840. It resembles a Loire chateau. I read that the architect Edward Blore also worked on Buckingham Palace. Walked through woodland in silence. Bliss. Birdsong, boots crunching, walking poles tapping, plashing water. The woodland led to water’s edge and a spectacular suspension footbridge. Built in 1999 when its predecessor was swept away in severe floods. Jarring sounds of gunshot in near distance: gamekeepers on the estate? On opposite bank of the River Teviot the landscape opened out to fields, SCW continuing along a riverside path until it joins Jed Water. Another belt of broadleaf woodland, with views at the woods’ edge back to the Eildon Hills and the Waterloo Monument: a pillar topped by a flame. Rested my hands against trunks of some massive lime trees: leaves still moist looking and vibrantly green. Beatrix Potter characters painted onto the trunks of some trees, including the fox, Mr Tod. Across more open land, back on Dere Street I believe. At path side saw banks of greater stitchwort (Stellaria holostea) and crosswort (Cruciata laevipes). In the latter the leaves are arranged in a cross-like formation.
We ate lunch in a clearing in the woods sitting on felled logs. Ferns at our feet. Afterwards we could see the foothills of the Cheviots which we’ll reach tomorrow. The way led on to Cessford Castle, ruined seat of the Kers, a prominent family involved in raiding parties across the border into England in the C16 and early C17, the time of the ‘reivers’.
We walked in the sunshine downhill into Morebattle, to the Templehall Inn.
5 May. Morebattle to Kirk Yetholm. The Border Hotel. 7 miles.
Day 3 of the pilgrimage. Drizzle, about 7-9°. This was the big one. The day we tackled Wideopen Hill. For about a mile after leaving Morebattle we walked along the road, past a small enclosure with two wild goats. Extraordinary curled horns. The road followed a river, Kale Water, for a stretch. We reached a ford where two brave members of the party paddled! Shortly afterwards we crossed the river on a footbridge and almost immediately afterwards began to climb towards the summit of Wideopen Hill. Deceptively steep. Walking on sheep grazed short grass with a dry stone wall on our left hand side. Glancing back: the Waterloo Monument again and the Eildons. The summit of Wideopen Hill is 368m above sea level and the highest point on St Cuthbert’s Way. We ate lunch in the shelter of a dry stone wall watching a pair of ponies, one roan the other white, on a distant hillside. Tuned in to the almost constant song of skylarks. 360° view of a rolling landscape of overlapping hillsides, a shining and meandering river to the east, Bowmont Water. Crossing the wall via a ladder stile we were met by the full force of the wind and very cold rain which had started to fall. Donned raincape. My hands immediately felt frozen and painful. With help I extracted the half mitts from my rucksack to wear under my gloves, and one of the party gave me a hand warmer which gradually brought my hands back to life. Walked downhill into the wind. Bizarre sight at foot of the hill of a big stony field of brassica stalks being grazed by a flock of sheep.
Walked along the road to the outskirts of Yetholm and then the way branched to the right along a muddy track towards Kirk Yetholm and the Border Hotel. Signs marking End of the Pennine Way and Gateway to the Cheviots. At this point we are not far from the border with England. Arrived about 3.30pm. Big bathroom with a bath! Walked to Town Yetholm, to a ‘deli’ for provisions for tomorrow’s picnic, and from Yetholm Bridge saw a white egret on Bowmont Water which divides Kirk Yetholm from Town Yetholm. Fish and chips for supper. We gathered to watch episode 3 of the recent BBC Pilgrimage series which followed a group walking the paths of the Northern saints (St Oswald and St Aidan) and St Cuthbert. In that episode the pilgrims climb Wideopen Hill!
6 May. Kirk Yetholm to Wooler. No.1 Hotel. 15 miles.
Day 4 of the pilgrimage. Crossing the Cheviots. A fine dry day. Two long climbs. Gorse in profusion on lower slopes. Sheep pasture gave way to moorland covered in heather. Saw few other walkers. Then heard a voice way across on other side of the valley. A shepherd and his dog were rounding up a flock of sheep. The sound had carried as if he were in the next field. Reached the Border fence where there are signs: ‘Welcome to England’ and ‘Welcome to Scotland’. Song of skylarks all day. Then saw a skylark on a gate on the moor. Smaller than blackbird. Pale plumage. We disturbed a grouse as we walked along the narrow track through the heather. Stretches of boggy ground between hills. Stopped briefly near picturesque mansion with Arts & Crafts style estate cottages nearby: Hethpool House. Progressed east with several summits visible right and left including distinctive low conical outline of Yeavering Bell, site of Iron Age hill fort. Descended through woods onto a lane with an overgrown garden to the right: large white and purple lilacs overhanging the lane. This opened out into a quiet housing estate, the most inhabited area we’ve seen since Jedburgh. Soon reached Wooler town centre and the hotel. Tiny bedroom. A warm evening. Ate at Italian restaurant. Delicious pea risotto.
7 May. Wooler to Fenwick. The White Swan Inn at Lowick. 12 miles.
Day 5 of the pilgrimage. Sunny and fresh. Pretty walk through town and out over the bridge, past a pristine bowling green. Gentle climb on road until turned onto Weetwood Bank. Good view back to Wooler and the Cheviots beyond. Pheasant’s eye Narcissus. Onto Westwood Moor and for the first time on the trip heard a cuckoo! And again saw a skylark singing on a fence post. It didn’t move even as we walked past and around the corner of the field. To a cairn topped with large rock with hollowed out St Cuthbert’s Cross painted white. Narrow path through a wood with view of Weetwood Bridge over River Till on opposite side of a rather busy road. Crossed to the bridge. Cone topped brick turrets at far side. Interpretation board explained this was the route taken by the English Army on way to Battle of Flodden in 1513. Peter met us here with coffee.
Way continued on minor roads, open country on either side. Passed Doddington Quarry: a working quarry for pink sandstone. We paused for lunch at a crossroads next to former schoolhouse: Hazelrigg, beside a wooden monument to St Cuthbert. Depicts scenes from his life. A dense crowd of swallows and sand martins swooped around us. We walked towards trees on the skyline, St Cuthbert’s Cave Wood. National Trust. The cave is a sandstone overhang. It is said that after Viking raids on the island in 875 AD monks from Lindisfarne fled bearing the body of the saint and sheltered in the cave. The cave is much larger than I expected, and shallower. Surrounded by trees, it is a quiet and peaceful place. The route though the woods to the cave reminded me of the Dark Hedges in County Antrim, huge trees hanging over the path to create a tall and very shaded avenue.
The countryside beyond the cave is flat and open and from a crag next to the wood we saw Holy Island. We walked through a sheep pasture and into Shiellow Wood where red squirrels can be found. Saw a dedicated nesting box but no sign of a squirrel. Chatting, Lynn and I fell behind the group and for about ten minutes thought we were lost, but with some map reading and a couple of the group coming back for us we re-joined the route!
We followed ancient ‘green road’ along the edge of Kyloe Old Wood** and into Fenwick. Saw a pied wagtail on a lawn in Fenwick. Here the community minibus brought us up the road to Lowick about three miles north. We ate at the hotel: fish and chips again! Much discussion of the route tomorrow to Holy Island. We all want to walk across the sands and weather permitting shall do so barefoot!
Plants seen today:
- Climbing corydalis. Ceratocapnus claviculata. Growing at side of path in area of felled trees.
- Common stork’s bill. Erodium cicutarium. On top of a dry stone wall.
8 May. Fenwick to Holy Island. Marygate Retreat House. 6 miles
Day 6 of the pilgrimage. Dry and quite bright. Rain forecast early afternoon.
It’s a couple of miles walk through farmland to the coast. We had to cross the East Coast Main Line en route. Our leader Jacqui used the telephone beside the line to call the signalman for permission to cross when it was safe. She had to call again to confirm we had all crossed safely. When we reached Beal Sands where the walk to the island begins we exchanged boots for beach shoes for the walk to the edge of the sands. Peter took our boots in the car which he drove across the Causeway. We walked a short stretch of road to where the sands began and took off the beach shoes. Jacqui had timed it so that we were crossing during the optimum period at low tide.
The Pilgrim’s Route is marked by a line of poles stretching for 2.3 miles towards dry land with a refuge box in the middle. The ‘seabed’ consists of rippled and compacted sand with pools of seawater remaining in deeper sections. The water was pleasantly warm. About halfway across is a patch of coarse grass and rutted and blackened muddy sand. Hard to walk on. After several minutes of walking, all in silence, I noticed an eerie sound, a melancholy wailing, and realised it was seals on a sandy spit between Lindisfarne and the mainland. That sound accompanied the remainder of the walk. It was easy to imagine the origin of the stories of sailors being lured to treacherous rocks after mistaking the sound for the cries of mermaids. Beyond the seals I could see the outline of Bamburgh Castle further south along the coast. And behind us the hulk of the Cheviots on the horizon. It took about 1 hour 20 minutes to cross. A walking meditation, concentrating on walking from pole to pole, taking care to avoid any sharp edged shells sticking out of the sand or deeper pools of seawater.
We ate our lunch sitting around the bench beside the shore, then walked into town. The rain had started and it set in for the afternoon. Because the accommodation wouldn’t be available before 4pm we explored the parish church of St Mary the Virgin. A modern stained glass window with local images, including seals, an eider duck, the poles, Lindisfarne Castle. At the rear of the church, an extraordinary wooden sculpture of the monks bearing the body of St Cuthbert.
Staying at Marygate House, a retreat house run by the Community of St Aidan and St Hilda. Quite a large room and shared bathrooms. Jolly supper downstairs at 6pm. The rain had stopped and walked down to see the sun setting over the upturned boat sheds.
9 May. On Holy Island.
Very wet morning. 9° feeling like 1° because of windchill. Walked along the curving path to the castle which crowns a craggy promontory. Sea thrift growing along edge of cliffs. Castle ‘modernised’ for Edward Hudson, the publisher of Country Life, by Edwin Lutyens between 1901-1906. Reworked the C16 interior. Brick herringbone floor on the long gallery on first floor. Views north to the walled garden and south to the Farne Islands. Castle is run by the National Trust. Edward Hudson commissioned Gertrude Jekyll to advise upon the planting in the walled garden, the layout of which was designed by Lutyens. The story is that she travelled north by train and was brought by horse and trap as far as was possible before having to be carried to the castle on the back of the housekeeper’s husband. According to the room guide Miss Jekyll disliked the place. Fascinating to see a reproduction of her planting scheme: drawn in her distinctive style of interlinking labelled blobs.
After lunch we explored the garden. About 1 acre and surprisingly sheltered given the windy and rainy conditions. Cordoned apple trees and a central bed prepared with wooden obelisks ready for beans or sweet peas. Plant labels painted onto stones. So simple. Metal silhouette on the wall of Miss Jekyll, based on a sketch by Edwin Lutyens.
The rain had stopped but it was still very windy when we walked across the rocky shore that separates the main island from St Cuthbert’s Island at low tide. A simple wooden cross stands at one end of the ruins of what appears to be a tiny chapel.
The weather cleared by suppertime so afterwards we walked along the path leading to the spot where we ‘landed’ yesterday after the walk over the sands. It was the ‘golden hour’, the tide had come in and the poles were almost submerged. Hard to imagine that 36 hours earlier we’d walked here barefoot from the mainland, to this ‘thin place’. Watched the sun setting over the distant hills of Northumberland, and over the whole of St Cuthbert’s Way, all the way to Melrose.
Kew Gardens, 16 June 2026
*The monastery where St Cuthbert began his monastic life is believed to have been sited 4km to the east of Melrose on a bend of the River Tweed.
**Kyloe Old Wood: formerly owned by the Leyland family of Haggerston Castle. I’ve since read that some of the original Leylandii cypress stock was raised here in the C19. Hybrid of two North American conifers: Nootka cypress and Monterey cypress. Very sad to think that a cultivar raised in such a peaceful spot should have become the cause of so much cross-boundary aggravation between neighbours.