I love an end of year countdown (admit it, you do too, I see your cool taste in music…), so here is my own list of the 10 most read blogs on tweedvalleyblogger.com this year, along with some interesting observations about why I think they resonated more than others. Enjoy, pop pickers and hang about at the end for three honourable mentions which didn’t make the top ten!

10. RAMBLINGS (9 APRIL 2024)

The behind the scenes story of my recording for BBC Radio 4’s Ramblings programme. A real highlight this year, which I shared on this blog (it also has the link to listen, if you have 24 minutes free). Ironically, I feel like I have rambled on about this day all year - but it was such an honour for me, a real life highlight!

9. TWEED VALLEY BLOGGER ON ITV ‘BORDER LIFE’ (26 JULY 2024)

I managed to appear on two episodes of Border Life this year, and this blog had a link to the first of these appearances. Sadly that episode was removed from ITV X but the second one is still there, at time of writing! It had me in Galashiels, stating the case for it as an underappreciated town for visitors.

8. A DAY OOT IN THE BORDERS - 6 THINGS TO DO IN MELROSE (1 MAY 2024)

One of a number of travel blog style posts to kick off summer I did, encouraging visitors to certain towns in the area. They all did really well, mainly due to businesses and individuals in those towns supporting them. Melrose is a particular favourite place of mine, so it was good to see so many people reading this, helping give the site a traffic boost heading into the busy summer season.

7. A DAY OOT IN THE BORDERS - 6 THINGS TO DO IN GALASHIELS (24 MAY 2024)

The final one of the ‘6 things to do’ posts, this one benefitted from strong support from Gala businesses and researching it was a good way for me to get to know more about the town. I will keep banging the drum for Gala as there is potential there and with a new Business Improvement District recently set up, I am sure the town will build on good work done for locals and visitors alike.

6. SCHOOLS OUT! 25 THINGS TO DO IN THE BORDERS THIS SUMMER HOLIDAY (24 JUNE 2024)

A blog which I wrote for myself as much as my readers - the summer holidays can be quite daunting with young kids, so this was me trying to come up with ideas for myself, while hopefully providing advice for others. It’s the sort of blog I will revisit next year as I enjoy writing them, but the feedback received was so positive. I was especially pleased that the majority of the ideas I came up with were free or very affordable, showing that you don’t need to spend a fortune to have a great time with your family.

5. THE IRRESISTIBLE ADDAMS FAMILY (26 MARCH 2024)

I used the blog to write this opening night review of Innerleithen & District Amateur Operatic Societies spring production of ‘The Addams Family’. The show was great, my wife was a star and I was delighted to provide this bit of content to both promote the show for the rest of its run, but to congratulate everyone involved - and it did really good numbers, fuelled by the cast sharing it on Social Media. The spring ‘opera’ season in The Borders is such a highlight but needs to be supported and nurtured. I attended a funeral for a lovely, elderly lady recently and in the eulogy the Minister talked about how she would buy a ticket for the opening, Monday night - then just go to every other night as well! In the 2020’s, with so many competing demands on time (and wallets) that sort of thing just doesn’t happen any more - so I am happy to do anything I can to support the Border musical societies to sell as many tickets as they can. Not just Innerleithen, if any other towns think I can help then get in touch :)

4. WOMEN’S HISTORY MONTH (17 MARCH 2023)

No, the date above isn’t a typo, this one was written in March 2023 but still managed to somehow be the fourth most read blog of 2024 (having been ninth in 2023). How so? Well, this is a bittersweet one. The blog contains short profiles of some women who have made an impact on the Tweed Valley. My motivation for doing this was fuelled by the scarcity of memorials or statues for women in the area, and was a wee attempt to redress that, for Women’s History Month 2023. The reason it is bittersweet is that one of the women I met and profiled, Lady Angela Buchan-Hepburn, died in May 2024. I had the good fortune to have tea with her in Peebles in February 2023 and be regaled with stories of her time as owner of Kailzie Estate, and her fascinating life - it was a treat. Following her death the number of reads for this blog spiked significantly, which made no sense to me - until I read the notice of her passing in The Peeblesshire News. Google has my blog post near the top of the search for Lady Buchan Hepburn, so a lot of people read my blog after her death. I was saddened to learn of her passing, but pleased that the memory I have of her kindness, generosity and sense of fun was shared with others in the days after her death.

4. Women’s History Month

RIP Lady Angela

3. A DAY OOT IN THE BORDERS - 6 THINGS TO DO IN INNERLEITHEN (1 MAY 2024)

By far the most successful of the 6 things to do series was my home town, Innerleithen. I threw everything at this one, as was ably supported by it being liked and shared by many towns people, with Innerleithen residents being my most loyal readers! I attempted to cover the full range of what the town has to offer - and tapped into a bit of local pride as townsfolk shared the post and encouraged pals to read it. Sadly it is already a wee bit of a period piece, as a couple of the businesses I championed are no longer operating - the vibrancy of our towns is fragile and we need to always be mindful of this when making choices as consumers.

2. COMMON RIDING DATES 2025 (25 JULY 2024)

Number 2 is a wee bit of a spoiler for number one, so I will give the full details of how this post became so widely read when you get to the top spot - suffice to say I would be surprised if I do this in 12 months time and this post isn’t my most read of 2025…

1. THE BORDER COMMON RIDINGS AND FESTIVALS (19 APRIL 2024)

Number one by miles - double the hits of any other blog on the site. This blog has exceeded all expectations - I had an inkling that it would do well, simply because people want to know about these Border Common Ridings - but getting information can be tricky, and getting it in one place almost impossible. So it was a supply and demand blog - written with pride and passion, as well as my own slant on these events. It has been pushed by Google, and a useful exercise for me in Search Engine Optimisation - as well as confirmation that there is a huge appetite to know more about these special occasions. It was also helped by a lot of shares on Social Media from those involved across The Borders. Sensing how popular the post had been, and again with one eye on my own needs, I decided to pull together 2025 dates - and that blog is doing very well on Google searches. So I expect that tweedvalleyblogger.com will continue to pull the dates together every year going forward, providing a useful service but also directing visitors to my own website.

HONOURABLE MENTION I: TOP 10 HIGHLIGHTS ON THE NLAND 250 (1 JANUARY 2024)

This blog about the Northumberland 250 Road Trip didn’t get a lot of readers or love which was a shame as I am passionate about the subject and had loads of fun researching it. Perhaps releasing it on New Years Day didn’t help, but despite all that I think it’s a good read and is a love letter of sorts from me to the county of Northumberland. Re-reading it now, almost a year on, makes me want to do the road trip, so if you missed it the first time then enjoy!

Honourable Mention: Top 10 Highlights on the Northumberland 250

HONOURABLE MENTION II: ERIC LIDDELL - THE BORDERS CONNECTION (16 MAY 2024)

I loved learning more about Eric Liddell, and the experience was given extra resonance as I used material from my former Head teacher, Alastair Campbell, to help with my research. Unlike the Northumberland one, this blog did really well and was close to the top ten but I am especially pleased with the story, and how it tied into the centenary of Liddell’s astonishing Olympic Gold, so am happy to include it in honourable mentions.

HONOURABLE MENTION III: HOLEY SH!T (17 MAY 2024)

Literally a blog about shitting in the woods, but an attempt by me to use this modest platform for a wee bit of outdoors education. Something different for the blog, but as someone who loves to share pictures of escapes to the hills then I thought an attempt to give something back wasn’t a bad idea.

Thanks for reading! More blogs next year…

Blog Wrapped 2024: My Top Posts of the Year