Borders railway walks: Galashiels friends write quirky book

Galashiels residents Brian Gould and Forbes Shepherd have been walking together in the Borders for more than 20 years and were “keen” to pass on some of their knowledge about what the region has to offer.

Their book, Border Station Walks, contains 30 walks which all start and end in one of three train stations – Galashiels, Tweedbank or Stow.

“It was good fun,” said Mr Gould, when asked what it was like writing the book. “It is quite small but we didn’t just want to write a book describing how to get from A to B.

“We wanted to create a book that had some sort of personality to it.”

Mr Gould, 62, is a retired lecturer who previously taught at Edinburgh Napier University and he says the book includes the history of the area of each walk, as well as photographs and points of interest.

There are also details about the length of the journey, total ascent in metres, level of difficulty, and the terrain you will encounter.

“We wanted to describe the towns and what makes them unique in some way,” said Mr Gould.

“It comes from our own walking experiences.

"We describe the walk, the weather, all that kind of thing.

“There are a lot of references to Sir Walter Scott and the impact he had on the area too.”

The book promises to take the reader on a journey through the history of the region, “from the ancient tribes that left their mark in stone, to the remarkable religious heritage still visible in the landscape as well as the folklore and legends that excite the imagination”.

Mr Gould says they would be interested in writing another book about the Borders in the future.

The pair had hoped to explore beyond the Borders this summer, but the coronavirus pandemic put an end to their plans of walking abroad for now, although they are booked in to visit the Canary Islands in June.

Border Station Walks will become available at www.etsy.com/shop/borderstationwalks this week, with the pocket-sized guide on sale for £7.99.