One of the great things about living in the Home Counties is the ease with which one can leave and go elsewhere! Here in Sussex, we have access to the world via Gatwick Airport, of course, but closer to home we can take the train to well-connected hubs such as East Croydon, Clapham Junction, London Bridge, Victoria and onto Paddington to travel west or King’s Cross to travel north or across to Europe. And I haven’t even touched upon our ferry connections.
For this trip, I travelled from my local station in Uckfield, changed at East Croydon to a Cambridge train, alighting at St Pancras. Walked across the road to King’s Cross and took a direct train to Edinburgh. I enjoyed a very relaxing journey on an LNER train, complete with WiFi, plug socket and buffet car, disembarking in Edinburgh around 5 hours later. From here, a local train took me to Galashiels, my final destination.
My destination was an AirBnB in the countryside 2 miles from Galashiels and up the hill from a village called Clovenfords. Jack’s Roost is attached to a farmhouse set on a hill commanding stunning and far-reaching views of green fields and hills.
I enjoyed a comfortable bed, great shower room, private entrance, every extra we could desire and an amazing kitchen.
The following day, I headed off for a long walk through the country lanes to visit some nearby medieval ruins, stopping to chat with some horses from the stables next-door and sheep further on. The horses were great conversationalists – the sheep not so much. I also stopped to say hello to some pheasants and took great pleasure watching a hare bounding across the field some distance away.
The mist was still rising from the river flowing down the valley on the left side of the road, offering some fabulous photo opportunities. The ground to my right rose steeply and was topped by a small pine tree wood. Within this clump sits Whytbank Tower, a historic structure that you don’t see from the road and that most people don’t even know about. So a real hidden gem.
I reached the point where I had to turn off and climb a steep hill, but there was a definite pathway. Large stones were scattered around the route. There was once a medieval settlement all over this area and I understand Scottish Heritage are in the process of examining the site with a view to protecting it. It’d be a great place to go metal-detecting, assuming you could get permission.
I crossed a cattle-grid and proceeded along a pathway that took me through the woods I’d seen from the road below. It was a beautiful, relaxing walk. The path was bordered by trees, some fallen and hosting an interesting variety of fungi. It wasn’t hard to imagine actual elves and fairies living in the mysterious holes in the tree trunks, coming out at night to roll up the fronds of the surrounding ferns and play in magical circles among the moss.
At the end of this long walk, the woods opened up and I was greeted with the incredible sight of Whytbank Tower, a magnificent, stone-built structure, roofed and well-maintained. The lawns and bushes surrounding it were beautifully kept. Also in its grounds were ruins of the houses of an ancient civilisation. The Tower itself was locked up but I don’t think there was much to see inside as it was possible to peer through the locked gate.
As the Tower sits at an elevation of 258m, you can imagine how much I enjoyed the views. I’m told it looks beautiful when covered in snow and that in May it’s surrounded by foxgloves.
Of course, I conducted some research, using the WiFi included in my accommodations, and found that the entire site did indeed form a medieval settlement. The Tower itself had been reconstructed in the 1980s using the original base and presumably recreating its original magnificence. The monument is noted as having been in the possession of an esteemed local family, the Pringles, and is shown in the Exchequer Rolls of Scotland in 1455.
The entire site is considered massively important for our understanding of how people lived in medieval Scotland yet how many people visit Scotland and go no further than Edinburgh castle? There’s far more ancient history off the beaten track.
My terrific Airbnb, Jack’s Roost: https://www.airbnb.co.uk/rooms/49439342?source_impression_id=p3_1666450680_AZ3kvIFshx1d1J9b
Location of Whytbank Tower: https://mapcarta.com/N4178146017
