EK NEWS ARTICLE: ERIC KENT      This week's Duncanrig Ramblers walks were both in the borders. The high walk was 9.5miles long was following part of the Southern Upland Way from Lauder to Melrose and the low walk was around 8miles long and generally followed the line of the River Tweed from the edge of Galashiels to Dryburgh Abbey. The club bus was once again full as the Borders are a popular walking destination for the club members. The weather for both walks was kind and they enjoyed a warm sultry day for the walks. The high walk of commenced at the town of Lauder where the street bunting and the shop windows were decorated for the Lauder Common Riding week with various events and he Common Riding Day taking place in the first Saturday of August. The common riding dates back to the time when the burgesses of the town rode out annually to ensure that the town markers accurately delineated the ground which belonged to the burgh. This practice fell into decline over the years and was revived again in the early 1900's. Lauder was founded as a medieval burgh founded in the 12th century when King David I granted the town and lands to the Norman, Hugh de Morville. Lauder is unique in the Scottish Borders in that it still retains its medieval shape of a wide main street with two "back lanes". The main walk followed the up over Chester hill to Fordswell. On the way to Fordswell the group came upon one of thirteen Kist's that are to be found along the 212mile long Southern Upland way. These Kist's are hidden close to the way paths and if you are fortunate and find one it will generally contain a minted coin or token which show beautifully drawn images generated by young artists- on subjects of architecture, history, nature and technology. The group was lucky and all received their treasure from this wayside Kist. The route followed on past Bluecairn close to the old well frequently used by the Covenanters in past times and on past Easterhouse Byres Farm and then the group had an unexpected charge of adrenalin as they had to detour round a field where a large bull was holding court with his bovine ladies. After this the group headed down to and past the village of Gattonside and over the River Tweed via the chain bridge to Melrose. The bridge was opened in1826 with a toll payment for crossing. There was also a ford river crossing just downstream for horse drawn vehicles. Since payment had to be made to cross the bridge, the ford continued to be used for many years and there was a box of stilts at each end of the ford for people to use when crossing the river and even as late as 1929 the local refuse cart made frequent ford crossings to and from Gattonside. The low walk group started at Tweedbank and got to the river Tweed at Lowood. The river views on the way down to Melrose were excellent and everyone appreciated the beautiful and sometimes romantic river setting views. Passing by Melrose at the river we could see the remains of the once magnificent Melrose Abbey which was founded 1136 by Cistercian monks on the request of King David I of Scotland. The abbey has a number of Scottish kings buried there and recently, a lead vessel, thought to contain Bruce's heart, was excavated and examined by archaeologists at Melrose, before it was reinterred. A marker in the Abbey shows where it was re-interred. Its inscription comes from John Barbour's epic poem 'The Bruce' - 'A noble hart may have nane ease gif freedom failye.' After Melrose we moved away from the river for a time up past the sleepy village of Newstead and just after the outskirts we stopped for lunch at the site of Trimontium which is the site of the biggest Roman fort in Scotland. The Latin "Trimontium" was the name of the Three Hills Place - in the lee of the Eildon Hills. This military camp  covering the 370-acre complex of a huge fort with four settlements ('annexes') around it, a military amphitheatre, a field system and a bridge carrying the Roman road, later called Dere Street, from York northwards and  where in the 1st and 2^nd centuries AD there grew up an enormous Romano-native complex which only lasted  about 100 years. After lunch we moved forward on an old roman road which passed close to the famous Leaderfoot railway Viaduct. We then passed on through the lovely grounds of Ravenswood and on back to the river Tweed. We then followed the river all the way from there having some very tough walking on the way over difficult ground until we were close to Newton St Boswells here we left the river to follow the Bowden Burn for a short way and then climbed up on to high ground where we were able to marvel at the magnificent views along the Tweed. From there we walked down to, and over the Tweed on the Dryburgh suspension bridge looking directly at the temple of the Muses sited on bass hill into the village of Dryburgh This temple is dedicated to the poet James Thomson, the Ednam poet and author of "The Four Seasons" and the lyrics of Rule Britannia, and his bust can be seen on the top of the structure. The temple originally contained a stone statue of the Apollo Belvedere on a circular pedestal showing nine Muses with laurel wreaths. Bronze figures of the Four Seasons by Siobhan O'Hehir were installed as a replacement in 2002. We then passed through the village of Dryburgh and on to the hotel next to the Dryburgh Abbey where the walk finished. During the walks the walkers observed eight herons and countless mallard ducks on the river, frogs and little white butterflies. Also spotted were wild raspberries and cherries, Birdsfoot trefoil, speedwell, wild geranium, red campion, meadow sweet, sticky willows and Japanese knotweed. The social hour was enjoyed by at Melrose.