KEEN walkers in a Borders village have created a series of leaflets to help people learn about the area.

Stow Walking Group has designed the leaflets for residents and visitors alike.

Stuart Jeffrey told the Border Telegraph that the group has spent the last five years wanting to carry out the project.

He said: “We worked very closely with landowners and farmers to create an amicable route so no livestock was disturbed.”

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Mr Jeffrey, 69, hopes that the walking guides will be a hit with tourists visiting the region.

“People will get off [the train] and ask what they can do [in Stow],” he said. “Especially with the new station opening in spring.”

The group organising the leaflets include Mr Jeffrey, his wife Fiona, and Judy and Alan McNeilly.

Two leaflets have already been released, and a further three will be available in spring 2021, and then the final five will be published in a year.

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Each leaflet is designed with pictures of key heritage sites to be seen along the walks, as well as examples of local flora and fauna.

“The first one [leaflet] is a public heritage walk with lots of old pictures and it goes past the old mill,” Mr Jeffrey said.

The leaflets offer locals and visitors the chance to get outside safely and enjoy walks of varying lengths.

Mr Jeffrey said: “Some [walks] are quick to do, some are longer and go over the hills.

“One of the good things is we spent the last nine months in the village because of lockdown, and we were asked not to walk in the fields during lambing.

“So we walked along the roads and we saw so many wildflowers.

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“It was quite interesting to see things appear over spring and summer. Some plants were found that shouldn’t be here.

“A local botanist reckons they [plants] came here in hessian bags for the mill.”

The Stow Walking Group leaflets can be found in the village’s post office and eventually they will be available in the Cloud House café.

For more information on the leaflets, search @Walks.Around.Stow on Facebook.