Innerleithen and Traquair

The walk begins near the Strand, 392 miles due north of London's famous street. The small town also has a Morningside, Princes Street and Bond Street; all owe their names to a former Earl of Traquair, who found it an interesting diversion to name them after busy thoroughfares in British cities.

Innerleithen owes its spa status to the therapeutic waters of St Ronan's Wells, which issue from a stream on Lee Pen. They were reputed to be beneficial in cases of bile, stomach complaints, scurvy, cutaneous disorders and general debility of the system. in his analysis of 1882, a Dr Fyfe added that the waters had also been of considerable service in cases of sterility; restoring women to a state in which in which "Ladies wish to be who love their Lords".

In 1827, Charles Stuart, 8th Earl of Traquair, built a pump house, reading room and pavilion on the site, allowing the infirm to take the cure in comfort. From the wells, you can see much of the town. To the west is Caerlee Mill, built in 1790 by Alexander Brodie, a Traquair blacksmith who had made his fortune in London. Woollens and knitwear have always played an important role in the fortunes of Innerleithen. In this mill in 1803, the process of dying wool blue with woad for commercial use was first accomplished.

The route out of town crosses the River Tweed and passes Minchmoor Road, a drove route used since the 13th century. Edward I came this way on one of his military campaigns that earned him the title 'Hammer of the Scots'. In 1645, the Marquis of Montrose fled along this road after his Royalist troops had been defeated at the Battle of Philiphaugh.

A bridge over Quair Water takes you to the Bear Gates at the head of a long grassy avenue leading to Traquair House. In the autumn of 1745, the 5th Earl bade farewell to the young Prince Charles Edward Stuart and closed the gates behind him, vowing that they would never be reopened until a Stuart returned to the throne. They have remained closed to this day, welded shut to ensure the promise is kept.

The Earl's descendants still live in Traquair House, which is 1,000 years old. The modern wings were completed in 1680. Since Alexander I of Scotland signed a charter here in 1107, it has been visited by 26 other monarchs including Mary Stuart who nursed her son, the future James VI (James I of England), here. His cradle can be seen in the King's Room, part of a treasure trove of memorabilia reflecting the often turbulent history and fortunes of the Traquairs, who have been persecuted both for their Jacobite sympathies and for their adherence to the Catholic faith.

Traquair House boasts one of the smallest breweries in the country. The copper, mash tun, open coolers, fermenters and wooden stirring paddles of the 18th century brewing house lay gathering dust for over 200 years before the 20th Earl reopened the building. He began brewing in 1965, and hand labelled each bottle himself; now, Traquair's highly potent Bear Ale is world famous, and much sought after by real ale enthusiasts.

Back in Innerleithen, you pass the Victorian shop front of Robert Smail's Printing Works. The last owner, 80 year old Cowan Smail, finally shut the door of his grandfather's shop, full of long obsolete tools and machinery, in 1986. It remained untouched, frozen in time, until the National Trust for Scotland renovated the property and created a living museum. Now, the presses are rolling again, reproducing leaflets and posters with methods and equipment as out of date as the water wheels that once drove the antiquated letterpress.