A wet afternoon in Spittal - right at the mouth of the Tweed. The south bank of the Tweed here has always been in England although Berwick itself on the north bank has changed hands over a dozen times, the last time being in the 15th century.
Recently a proposal was made by tourist attracting quango types from the Scottish Borders to 'buy' Berwick back so it could be promoted in their literature. It failed.
So here we go - the start of the journey...
the mouth of the Tweed
standard jaded seafront amusement arcade on Spittal Promenade
Looking north over the river across Sandstell Point to the Lighthouse on the north Breakwater
Berwick & Tweedmouth Harbour - still a port albeit on a small scale. Bridges visible are the (from front to back) "Old Bridge" (road, built 1610), the "New Bridge" (road, built 1925) & the "Royal Border Bridge" (rail, built 1857-60)
Berwick Town - with the Town Hall Tower the highest building in it.
A little upstream from Berwick, 8km (5 miles) from the mouth of the river lies the point where the ancient bounds of Berwick town are pressed into action to provide the border between England and Scotland. Of course one may cross this formerly hotly disputed international frontier freely today, but dotted all along border roads are toll houses. A short walk down to the river from the B6461 Berwick to Kelso road and we reach the river.
Leaving England behind (on this bank at least)
Welcome to Scotland - this and the photo above taken from no-man's land by the Old Toll House on the B6461
A view downstream - there is a man fishing down there - it's legal to fish for salmon in England, but not so in Scotland - a small but visible difference between these two parts of Great Britain
The lower reaches of the Tweed are home to many birds - notably swans one of which you can just about make out with a magnifying glass in this picture!
A riverside view upstream, left bank is England, right bank is Scotland
