Rambling Russells

Well, we are off on our adventures again! This time the weather looks to be set fair - if not hot - for the whole weekend. Annan to Hawick, where we were to pick up our "chauffeur-driven transport," was a very pleasant ride in the morning sun. Our friends were taking us in their car on this trip so Peter was being a passenger rather than a driver after Hawick - something he isn't used to being! Day 1 - Friday We were aiming for Dawyck Gardens, near Peebles, as our first stop. Dawyck is one of the regional gardens of the Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh and is home to some of Britain's oldest and tallest trees. The garden covers 65 acres with woodland and burnside walks and seasonal displays of plants and flowers. A beautiful day to wander around the grounds following the paths and mown grass walkways.  Many of the the trees were very impressive specimens. It was also a good time of year to see their spring flowering plants ... but there was pl...

Bank Holiday Weekend and the sun was shining! Visiting somewhere we had never been before? What a good idea .... We chose to visit the South Tynedale Railway (STR) at Alston - and what a good choice it turned out to be. We followed the narrow street to the station and found a car park with spaces for plenty of cars. STR is a preserved 2 ft narrow gauge heritage railway. The original station building now houses the ticket office, shop and cafe,The Crossing Cafe, located on Platform 1, was clean and offered a menu of home-made food. The Hub Museum is housed in a former goods shed.It has a range of household exhibits, historic photos, posters and memorabilia of the local area. The Discovery Centre explores the history of the STR from its beginnings to the birth of the Preservation Society and what is happening now. A visit to the Engineering workshop allows you to see ongoing work on engines etc. The whole site is wheelchair friendl...