Galashiels Walking Tour and July reflections…
These are my reflections from July, shared recently with my email subscribers. Remember to get first access to all news and content, sign up for the Tweed Valley Blogger mailing list today…
Turning disappointment into opportunity
I had some sad news today when guests who were due to arrive at the end of next week had to cancel because of aircraft strikes. It’s another reminder, if needed, of the uncertainty facing global travel this year. I’m gutted to miss the chance to guide them, though nothing like as gutted as they must be to cancel a long planned trip so close to departure. I hope they can reschedule in the future, and I’ll be delighted to guide them in The Borders when they do.
Their cancellation leaves a gap in what was already a fairly quiet August touring schedule (yet another reminder of the challenges facing many in tourism this year…) Rather than simply feel deflated by this, it’s given me a nudge to make something happen, which brings me to Galashiels.
I’ve been mulling over a Galashiels walking tour for a while now, trying to find the right way to combine two walks I delivered earlier in the year, one in winter on architecture for Heriot‑Watt students, and one on business and regeneration for the town’s BID back in the spring. How best to marry these together and tell Gala’s story in my usual engaging and hopefully enlightening way? The good news is I have a plan for a trail but but it’s not fully formed yet, which fine because waiting for perfection just stops you from starting!
So I’ve decided to run a ‘pay what you like’ preview of this new trail (which I am calling Old Town, Mill Town, Your Town) on Saturday 15 August at 10am. This way I’m not asking anyone to commit to full price tickets for a route still being finessed, but I am offering the chance to enjoy a very good value walking tour. Galashiels has a brilliant story, one which I think almost hides in plain sight, and I’m excited to share it.
As my mailing list you’re hearing about it first, so if you fancy joining me, head over to Eventbrite and grab a ticket for, well, as much as you like…
East Lothian on my mind…
School holidays this week saw me getting the kids out of the house, and we headed to Vogrie Park in Midlothian which is an excellent council run facility. After they had exhausted themselves on the swings and slides and all the pieces, crisps and grapes had been munched, it was inevitably “Where now, Dad?”
Never one to miss an opportunity, we headed into East Lothian, visiting Athelstaneford, East Linton and Haddington.
Now, I have a confession to make. You all know I love the Borders. That’s undeniable and surely hundreds of blogs, podcasts, newsletters and posts can back that up. It’s a deep and enduring love. But I think I’m in love with East Lothian.
Is it the quaint wee villages with that uncanny Scottish/Anglo vibe? Perhaps the pantile roofs, bringing to mind coastal ports and trade with the Dutch? The glimpses of intriguing looking towns such as Dunbar or East Linton from high speed trains heading south? Or is it the fertile plain flowing gently from the moorland, dotted with hidden great houses made wealthy from the sort of quality soil we can only dream of in Tweeddale? Mysterious Traprain Law, capital of a lost, Old Welsh speaking Kingdom? Childhood visits to North Berwick and its below freezing, tidal pool (do you remember that??)? Or trips to elderly relatives in places like Gifford and Fala Dam, surrounded by deer filled woodlands and obscure country crossroads with 1940’s signposts? Maybe it’s the architecture with paler, lighter stone than our Borders grey, and coastal light flooding old burghs, fancy doocots and village greens.
Have I over romanticised my love for this neighbouring county? Almost certainly, but what is the point of life without a bit of romance. I adore this couthy, singular corner of Scotland and after every trip I cant wait to return. Talk to me about a tour here and you’ll find one very enthused guide indeed, get in touch ;)
North Berwick Beach - Visit Scotland/Grant Paterson, with thanks
Edinburgh in August
It’s the start of the Edinburgh Festivals soon, and Edinburgh will explode with even more life - if that is even possible. From 23+ years of working in the capital I know full well the buzz, excitement, chaos and joy of the festival. Shows in phone boxes, bars open until 5am, Gyles Brandreth prancing around The Pleasance, the ubiquitous jugglers on the High Street. I was in town on Friday and it was great to see all the posters up for Fringe shows, as well as the Festival itself with the LA Philharmonic and star Conductor Gustavo Dudamel topping the bill. They won’t have much of an issue shifting tickets, but every year I hear more and more about the spiralling cost of putting a Fringe show on and you hope that this doesn’t prove a barrier to new talent. Our cultural scene needs this month long proving ground, across so many disciplines. Support it if you can and help keep Edinburgh the cultural capital of the world every August :)
Cairngorms Wildfires
As a family we have holidayed in the Cairngorms for all of my life and work has taken me to our largest national park several times over the past few years. It’s a truly special place both in terms of its upland habitat but also with great emotional ties for us and millions of others. Like everyone I was shocked by the images of huge wildfires sweeping across the pine forests, peat and moorland of Glenmore and Abernethy recently. With help, the forests will heal and life will adapt there but the damage is done and will impact more than just the economy. The takeaway for me is that our damp, dreich, misty and temperate island is now a country that has wildfires. That just feels wrong and frightening to me, like something we shouldn’t be seeing in Scotland.
There’s a helplessness that comes with watching images like these on the news, and I suppose one response if to detach yourself from it, after all what can one person do as year after year of record temperatures continues and the world demands, more, faster, bigger? But then I think, well if forests of the Cairngorms and the memories they hold for me are part of my emotion, my soul if you like then you have a duty to do something, even if it feels insignificant. So I will drive less and cycle more, try to tread more lightly on the planet, continue to teach guests about the fragility of Scotland which is so much more than just nice scenery and I will use my modest platform to keep reminding people that the beauty of our island is not guaranteed and needs protecting. We can’t undo what’s happened in the cairngorms or elsewhere wild fires are burning, but we can chose to change the wee bit of the world around us, in line with our values.
