Day 50- Galashiels to Peebles 19.7 Miles

River Tweed

 I woke to the same sound as I'd gone to sleep to, lots and lots of sheep. Next wild camp will not be in a field anywhere near the plastered creatures. My sleeping mat had once more deflated and I accepted it had got a puncture, hopefully Peeble would have an outdoor shop. Even less appealing where the patches of the tent where I'd not cleared the grass quite carefully enough. There were advantages to my camp, I'd climbed a hundred or so meters out from Galashiels yesterday which meant the first hour of today was down hill. The path goes through penned in farm land full of life stock of various shapes and sizes. I spotted a sheep which looked as if it had been badly injured on its rear but for all I knew it might have simply given birth. I decided to keep my eye out for a farmer.

View Near Brown Knowe looking back towards Galashiels and where I camped

  The land descends quickly till you pass Fairnilee Farm and over the River Tweed. There were a few tents camped before the bridge, too big for hikers or wild campers. The lane follows the river back west for a few hundred meters before heading up into the hills. Steep and stoney the path is far from fun and I quickly found myself out of breath and hot. The woods here are, once again, forestry plots and you pass several areas where active felling is taking place, including a sign which advice me to wait till someone waived me through. As there was no one in sight I ignored it and carried on.

  Without having realized it I'd joined the Southern Upland Way, a 212 mile track stretching from Portpatrick on the south-west coast of Scotland to Cockburnspath on the eastern seaboard. I'd only received a day taster as from Peeble I'd be joining the Cross Boarder's Drove Road.  However short a taster it was enough for me to appreciate why 'upland' was in the title. Once the climb is over you get a real sense of isolation. Felling was obvious but with no houses in view or family strolling along I felt myself revive slightly. It helped, if I was been honest, that the path leveled out a little.

Southern Head Upland Way near Lucken

  I did pass two other hikers, with smaller sacks, doing the Upland Way in stages and had fun talking to them a while, and later an elderly couple with the look of people who'd walked the hills all their lives. I also came across the bothy Janet had told me about, extremely picturesque and tempting but it was too early in the day, after barely 10 miles I couldn't stop however tempting it was. I'd carry on to Peeble and no matter how ridiculous the campsite's price would pay it and have a day off.
  Innerleithen came into view but on the other side of the River Tweed, and instead I carried on along the B7062 around the base of Wallace's Hill. This section is horribly dull 6/7 miles but apart from the group of cyclists which past there was little traffic and I entered silly fantasy stories in my mind while listening to Lorde, who I unexpectedly rather liked.  

View from the B7062

  When Peebles came into view I couldn't have asked for a more picturesque looking town, the large church standing elegantly behind the gently curving river. I crossed an ornate looking bridge and headed towards the nearest campsite. A camping shop dutifully appeared in my path and dropping in I resupplied myself with another mat, foam this time, some new cutlery and a new piece of kit I'd been assured I would come to need imminently- a head net for the midges.

Peebles over the River Tweed

Rosetta House, center of Rosetta campsite

  Rosetta Holiday Park's office had shut at five and unsure of what to do sat for a moment to rest my feet.  A lady was kind enough to tell me to walk further up and that the campsite keepers were on the bowls lawn in front of the big house. £10 was still a bit pricy compared to the £6 and £7s I'd been paying further south but I didn't care. They had laundry and plug sockets but it was a money making campsite with season workers and so personality even with the wonderful buildings. There was a cafe but it was shut except for weekends, a bar but shut because it was too quiet. In fact all the features which would have warranted the inflated cost were unavailable yet the price had remained the same. Take all this with a pinch of salt, by the time I finally allow myself a day off I'm at the end of my tether and I tend to feel like everything is horribly unfair and set against me when it really isn't.