Innerleithen and Traquair

The walk begins near the Strand. The small town also has a Morningside, Princes Street, and Bond Street, all owing their names to a former Earl of Traquair. Innerleithen owes its spa status to the therapeutic waters of St Ronan's Wells on Lee Pen. In 1827, Charles Stuart, 8th Earl of Traquair, built a pump house, reading room, and pavilion on the site.

The route crosses the River Tweed and passes Minchmoor Road (a 13th-century drove route used by Edward I, the 'Hammer of the Scots', and later by the Marquis of Montrose after the Battle of Philiphaugh in 1645). Crossing Quair Water brings you to the Bear Gates at Traquair House, closed and welded shut in 1745 by the 5th Earl until a Stuart returns to the throne.

Traquair House is 1,000 years old (with modern wings completed in 1680) and has been visited by 27 monarchs including Alexander I (who signed a charter here in 1107) and Mary, Queen of Scots. It boasts one of the smallest breweries in the country, producing the world-famous Traquair's Bear Ale.

Back in Innerleithen, the walk passes the Victorian shop front of Robert Smail's Printing Works, preserved as a living museum by the National Trust for Scotland.

Acknowledgment: Text derived from the Out and Out Series; Discovering the Countryside on Foot. Pictures courtesy of Wikipedia.