The slope through the trees is pretty much a continuous, long climb, punctuated by very welcome flat parts – but these are few and far between! Stopping every now and then, though, was a joy simply because you are surrounded by forest, with the sunlight streaming down in shafts between the trees. We took the strenuous path (of course we did) and I again struggled, panted and sweated my way to the top.
There are two walks here, apparently: a gentle Meadow Trail, described as ‘easy’ – mostly flat alongside some pastures renowned for butterflies, and the Cairn Trail – described as ‘ strenuous’.
Part of the Tweed Valley Forest Park, there is much to explore. Thornielee Forest, under the stewardship of Foresty and Land Scotland (the old Forestry Commission), is a gem of a place. We stopped here on our way back from our abandoned plan to walk around St Mary’s Loch, having been put off by the crowds. Sadly, the nearby Thornielee Station, on the now-vanished Peebles railway, closed as early as 1950 so catching a train isn’t an option. We drove here, but it seems local buses stop here on request. Nearby sits the former mill town of Walkerburn. Thornielee Forest lies in the valley of the Tweed halfway between the towns of Galashiels and Innerleithen.
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