River Till walk offers stunning views and lots of flora and fauna

Starting at Twizel Bridge the path along the side of the River Till makes an attractive and interesting walk.
The River Till offers an attractive and interesting walk.The River Till offers an attractive and interesting walk.
The River Till offers an attractive and interesting walk.

One way it is possible to walk down river to the Tweed but I recently chose to follow the marked path up river, which if you go all the way will end up at Etal about five miles away, maybe it would be best to have a car at both ends of the walk if you did not wish to retrace your route.

My walk was for only part of the way along a path which offered stunning views of the river as it meanders and twists and turns through woodland and open parkland. Twizel Bridge is on the A698 between Berwick and Cornhill, the old bridge was completed in 1511 and is regarded as one of the country’s finest mediaeval bridges, its arch is 27 metres (90 feet) and was the largest single span arch in Britain until 1727.

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There are many fine old trees on the path heading towards Etal, especially large are venerable old Beech trees, some near the river have their extensive root system exposed as they creep over and cling to the rocks at the waters edge. Others stand precariously above cliff faces where again their roots are often exposed.

Beside the river are old Alders and in the parkland area large specimens of Hornbeam.

Lots of wild flowers are blooming just now, especially noticeable are Primroses, Meadow Saxifrage, Red Campion and Ransomes.

On the day of my visit it was cold on the coast with a strong NE wind but here along the Till it was warm and sheltered with lots of butterflies flying around.

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It was nice to see Orange Tips and Speckled Wood as well as the more familiar Peacock, Small Tortoiseshell and Green-veined White.

Woodland birds were much in evidence through their song, with recently arrived Blackcaps, Willow Warblers and Chiffchaffs all trying to establish territories and compete with some very noisy little Wrens.

On the river several Herons were quietly standing at the waters edge and Mallard, Goosander and a pair of Mute Swans were on the crystal clear water.

Although the water is clear just now at other times it must have been a brown raging torrent as debris has been left high up the riverside trees by winter floods when it must have looked impressive.

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