The Scottish Borders Holiday Trip - Report by Michael Yeo
Mike Wakefield asked me to pen a few words about the holiday, and the precise and economically worded reply could easily be summed up by saying something like " EVERYTHING WAS ABSOLUTLEY WONDERFULL" and leaving it at that, but I suspect he would have expect more, and the amount of work put in by himself and Rosemary certainly deserves as much.
The planning for the trip started with a invite from Rosemary and Mike sometime late last year, supported by them over the following months with trip information, hotel booking advice, map requirements and other useful stuff.
By the evening of Monday 8th June 19 of us met in the bar of the Auld Cross Keys in Denholm (pronounced by the locals as Denam) this was to be our accommodation, restaurant and evening watering hole for the next week. We had our first evening briefing at 7 o'clock , staring with an overview of the week, then a more detailed description of the next day's ride, supported by good documentation on both topics.
The rides were to start at 09:15 hrs, NOT 9: 16 (Says Mr Wakefield!!) we set off as a group the first morning , but half way up the first hill it was obvious there needed to be two groups, and the multi talented Peter Scott lead those seeking a more relaxed pace, and Mike W the rest, with whom I rode.
This more or less, set the groups for the rest of the week. The format for the Mike's group was, about 40 - 45 miles each day, 3 stops, coffee, lunch, and afternoon tea, the lunch stop sometime incorporating a visit to a museum or place of interest**. I'll not go into a day to day account of each ride, as each was as nice as all the others, you may recall that the weather UK wide was hot and sunny, possibly a bit too hot at times, the roads were generally in good order, and the traffic very light. Being Scotland there were hills of course, similar to those we find on our Wednesday runs, the difference being that there were a lot more of them, separated by flat sections some as long as 12 or 13 feet. We generally got back about 4-5ish, time for a quick drink at the bar, off for a shower then met again in the bar for our 7 o'clock briefing by Mike for the following day's ride before dinner.
The "funnies" of the week were:-
I was following Tim Mc Cafrey up one of the climbs out of Jedburgh, when he came to a wobbly sort of stop, as I passed he was looking at his left foot, the pedal and crank arm attached, (to him not the bike) fortunately it was just a couple of bolts that had come loose, soon fixed by Paul (spanners) Dean .
AND-------- There was this fly, happily buzzing along in the Scottish boarders its immediate destiny was to arrive at the same place in time and space as the inside of Derek Hunters mouth, who, equally as happy (up to then) was speeding down a hill, with mouth slightly more open that would be advised, in his hurried and energetic attempt to eject the fly from his mouth, his denture's took flight which sadly didn't survive the impact with the tarmac. Peter Scott and Cliff Ashford had gone back to help, forming a search party for the puzzle that was once Derek's teeth, parts recovered Derek soon found a local dental practice who affected a repair the same day, He was back at the hotel that evening with the boyish smile we have all grown to admire.
The Auld Cross Keys Inn was just great, Rosemary had worked out a "full board package" with them , not sure if I speak for everyone but I found the menu for the evening meal (3 course) was full and varied, we ate as a group each night, the staff were attentive and service very good considering we all arrived in one big group. Breakfast was also plentiful and varied, taken about 7:30-to- 8:30 , no one tried the "full Scottish" on a daily basis.
After dinner one night there was a folk group type evening in the bar, with local singers and instrumentalists, which I thought was of very high quality, Peter Scott doing a turn for the Meridian.
We had a free day, which by good luck, or more probably good Wakfield. coincide with the Jedheart* Callant's festival (old name for Jedburgh* ) this entails about 250+ horses and riders forming a cavalcade, who rode the bounds on Jedburgh performing all sorts of ritual celebrations, marking various points in the town's history. Upon return to the town they were greeted by local dignitaries and 3 bands, two of which were pipe bands. Cliff Ashford, Derek Hunter and I visited the cannon pub, which was the venue for one of the horse riders group, there was throbbing music in the crowded upstairs room, and much quaffing of ale , quaffing is like drinking, only you spill more.
** PLACES OF INTEREST (probably a load missing)
Bonchester Bridge , An old penny farthing (ladies variety), built by a local blacksmith in about 1860 , ridden on a regular basis his grandson , who still runs the shop that was once the smithy.
Howick Howick Museum, one of the rooms full of motorbikes, both Jimmy Cuthrie and Steve Hislop were famous motorcycle races and Howick men. And the museum of borders textiles, in a building with a long and interesting past, going back into the town's history
Roxburgh The magnificent floors castle, san be see many miles before we arrived in town, our tour of the house was very interesting, a huge collection of artefacts to see, made all the better by the engaging and informative guides. I didn't do the gardens, the shade of a tree after a light lunch seemed a better option in the heat of the day..
Jedburgh apart from the festival, there was the castle and jail museum and Mary Queen of Scots house.
Under the heading" Delightful" in a small village of Lilliesleaf, the was one of our afternoon coffee stops, the nicest tea rooms of the week, a small building serving all sorts of scrumptious homemade cakes and nibbles, the tables there had a written description of the different types of wood each table was made of.
Mike Wakefield asked me to pen a few words about the holiday, and the precise and economically worded reply could easily be summed up by saying something like " EVERYTHING WAS ABSOLUTLEY WONDERFULL" and leaving it at that, but I suspect he would have expect more, and the amount of work put in by himself and Rosemary certainly deserves as much.
The planning for the trip started with a invite from Rosemary and Mike sometime late last year, supported by them over the following months with trip information, hotel booking advice, map requirements and other useful stuff.
By the evening of Monday 8th June 19 of us met in the bar of the Auld Cross Keys in Denholm (pronounced by the locals as Denam) this was to be our accommodation, restaurant and evening watering hole for the next week. We had our first evening briefing at 7 o'clock , staring with an overview of the week, then a more detailed description of the next day's ride, supported by good documentation on both topics.
The rides were to start at 09:15 hrs, NOT 9: 16 (Says Mr Wakefield!!) we set off as a group the first morning , but half way up the first hill it was obvious there needed to be two groups, and the multi talented Peter Scott lead those seeking a more relaxed pace, and Mike W the rest, with whom I rode.
This more or less, set the groups for the rest of the week. The format for the Mike's group was, about 40 - 45 miles each day, 3 stops, coffee, lunch, and afternoon tea, the lunch stop sometime incorporating a visit to a museum or place of interest**. I'll not go into a day to day account of each ride, as each was as nice as all the others, you may recall that the weather UK wide was hot and sunny, possibly a bit too hot at times, the roads were generally in good order, and the traffic very light. Being Scotland there were hills of course, similar to those we find on our Wednesday runs, the difference being that there were a lot more of them, separated by flat sections some as long as 12 or 13 feet. We generally got back about 4-5ish, time for a quick drink at the bar, off for a shower then met again in the bar for our 7 o'clock briefing by Mike for the following day's ride before dinner.
The "funnies" of the week were:-
I was following Tim Mc Cafrey up one of the climbs out of Jedburgh, when he came to a wobbly sort of stop, as I passed he was looking at his left foot, the pedal and crank arm attached, (to him not the bike) fortunately it was just a couple of bolts that had come loose, soon fixed by Paul (spanners) Dean .
AND-------- There was this fly, happily buzzing along in the Scottish boarders its immediate destiny was to arrive at the same place in time and space as the inside of Derek Hunters mouth, who, equally as happy (up to then) was speeding down a hill, with mouth slightly more open that would be advised, in his hurried and energetic attempt to eject the fly from his mouth, his denture's took flight which sadly didn't survive the impact with the tarmac. Peter Scott and Cliff Ashford had gone back to help, forming a search party for the puzzle that was once Derek's teeth, parts recovered Derek soon found a local dental practice who affected a repair the same day, He was back at the hotel that evening with the boyish smile we have all grown to admire.
The Auld Cross Keys Inn was just great, Rosemary had worked out a "full board package" with them , not sure if I speak for everyone but I found the menu for the evening meal (3 course) was full and varied, we ate as a group each night, the staff were attentive and service very good considering we all arrived in one big group. Breakfast was also plentiful and varied, taken about 7:30-to- 8:30 , no one tried the "full Scottish" on a daily basis.
After dinner one night there was a folk group type evening in the bar, with local singers and instrumentalists, which I thought was of very high quality, Peter Scott doing a turn for the Meridian.
We had a free day, which by good luck, or more probably good Wakfield. coincide with the Jedheart* Callant's festival (old name for Jedburgh* ) this entails about 250+ horses and riders forming a cavalcade, who rode the bounds on Jedburgh performing all sorts of ritual celebrations, marking various points in the town's history. Upon return to the town they were greeted by local dignitaries and 3 bands, two of which were pipe bands. Cliff Ashford, Derek Hunter and I visited the cannon pub, which was the venue for one of the horse riders group, there was throbbing music in the crowded upstairs room, and much quaffing of ale , quaffing is like drinking, only you spill more.
** PLACES OF INTEREST (probably a load missing)
Bonchester Bridge , An old penny farthing (ladies variety), built by a local blacksmith in about 1860 , ridden on a regular basis his grandson , who still runs the shop that was once the smithy.
Howick Howick Museum, one of the rooms full of motorbikes, both Jimmy Cuthrie and Steve Hislop were famous motorcycle races and Howick men. And the museum of borders textiles, in a building with a long and interesting past, going back into the town's history
Roxburgh The magnificent floors castle, san be see many miles before we arrived in town, our tour of the house was very interesting, a huge collection of artefacts to see, made all the better by the engaging and informative guides. I didn't do the gardens, the shade of a tree after a light lunch seemed a better option in the heat of the day..
Jedburgh apart from the festival, there was the castle and jail museum and Mary Queen of Scots house.
Under the heading" Delightful" in a small village of Lilliesleaf, the was one of our afternoon coffee stops, the nicest tea rooms of the week, a small building serving all sorts of scrumptious homemade cakes and nibbles, the tables there had a written description of the different types of wood each table was made of.
Scottish Borders Holiday July by Mike and Rosemary Wakefield
Scottish Borders Holiday Details
Rosemary and Mike Wakefield after having had four excellent cycling holidays in the Border Country are planning another for a week commencing on Monday 8th July.
We consider the best part of the Borders to cycle is around Jedburgh, Hawick, Kelso and Melrose. It would be great to have some Meridian riders join us at Denholm www.denholmvillage.co.uk 5 miles from Jedburgh and 12 miles from the English border.
We will be staying at the excellent Auld Cross Keys Inn www.crosskeysdenholm.co.uk in the centre of Denholm facing the village green. The inn, recently refurbished, has 12 twin en suite rooms and will provide dinner (three course meal) bed and breakfast at a cost of £385 for the week. The inn has a lockable bike shed.
Rides will be 40/45 miles a day led by Mike but at Rosemary`s pace. For those who wish to do higher miles and/or a faster pace suggested routes will be available. This could include part of the first stage of the 2012 Tour of Britain route from Jedburgh to Dumfries that went past Cross Keys Inn.
Traffic free routes, many on single track roads, with fantastic panoramas are planned. Watch the buzzards on the high moorland, red squirrels in the woods and beware of the sheep that reside between the cattle grids.
Trips will include coffee lunch and afternoon stops and opportunities to visit places of interest such as Floors Castle home of the Duke of Roxburgh at Kelso. Jedburgh Abbey and Castle Jail, the Capon Tree and Ferniehurst Castle. Melrose, in the shadow on the Eildon Hills, is a very picturesque town.
In Hawick the Wilton Museum, by the art deco War Memorial, has a special section dedicated to the local racing motor cyclists Jimmy Guthrie and Steve Hislop. There is a chance that the ladies might get a ride on a 160 year old ladies bike at Bonchester Bridge.
For any non-cycling partners there are more attractions to visit, go to
www.scot-borders.co.uk.
Rosemary and Mike Wakefield after having had four excellent cycling holidays in the Border Country are planning another for a week commencing on Monday 8th July.
We consider the best part of the Borders to cycle is around Jedburgh, Hawick, Kelso and Melrose. It would be great to have some Meridian riders join us at Denholm www.denholmvillage.co.uk 5 miles from Jedburgh and 12 miles from the English border.
We will be staying at the excellent Auld Cross Keys Inn www.crosskeysdenholm.co.uk in the centre of Denholm facing the village green. The inn, recently refurbished, has 12 twin en suite rooms and will provide dinner (three course meal) bed and breakfast at a cost of £385 for the week. The inn has a lockable bike shed.
Rides will be 40/45 miles a day led by Mike but at Rosemary`s pace. For those who wish to do higher miles and/or a faster pace suggested routes will be available. This could include part of the first stage of the 2012 Tour of Britain route from Jedburgh to Dumfries that went past Cross Keys Inn.
Traffic free routes, many on single track roads, with fantastic panoramas are planned. Watch the buzzards on the high moorland, red squirrels in the woods and beware of the sheep that reside between the cattle grids.
Trips will include coffee lunch and afternoon stops and opportunities to visit places of interest such as Floors Castle home of the Duke of Roxburgh at Kelso. Jedburgh Abbey and Castle Jail, the Capon Tree and Ferniehurst Castle. Melrose, in the shadow on the Eildon Hills, is a very picturesque town.
In Hawick the Wilton Museum, by the art deco War Memorial, has a special section dedicated to the local racing motor cyclists Jimmy Guthrie and Steve Hislop. There is a chance that the ladies might get a ride on a 160 year old ladies bike at Bonchester Bridge.
For any non-cycling partners there are more attractions to visit, go to
www.scot-borders.co.uk.
