DISCOVER BERWICK AND THE BORDERS
BBC Countryfile Magazine|January 2022
Visit a spectacular frontier town this winter to explore its hinterland of epic rivers, historic houses and woodlands sparkling with frost, says Susie White
Susie White
DISCOVER BERWICK AND THE BORDERS

On a winter morning by the Tweed, every umbel of hogweed, every bristly head of burdock stands crisply outlined in frost. Avenues of poplars reflect perfectly in the water and the “Tweed’s fair river, broad and deep” lives up to the poetry of Sir Walter Scott. For a region with a violent past, today is tranquil and full of natural beauty, a place to experience in its winter skin.

The journey of discovery can start at Berwick-upon-Tweed, one of the most important fortified towns of Europe. With its strategic position at the mouth of the river, Berwick was frequently fought over by England and Scotland. Changing hands 13 times, the town finally became English in 1482. You can walk the whole circuit of the Elizabethan ramparts and look giddily down on to the arrow-shaped bastions, grass-topped, jutting out, their huge earthen banks built to absorb the impact of cannon fire. Narrow gates in the massive town walls could be closed at night for safety.

That magical sense of an enclosed town by the sea fired my imagination as a child. Travelling north on the overnight sleeper from London, I peeped from the cabin window as the train trundled over the 28 arches of the Royal Border Bridge, a full moon rising over the estuary.

Walking on top of the walls gives the best view of Berwick’s many architectural gems. There are nearly 300 listed buildings, many in the pink sandstone that gives them a defined and warm character. Some derive from the turbulent past: the magazine where gunpowder was stored and the solid barracks built in 1711 to the design of Nicholas Hawksmoor, the distinguished architect. Others were the houses of prosperous merchants from the town’s days as a trading port.

This story is from the January 2022 edition of BBC Countryfile Magazine.

Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.

This story is from the January 2022 edition of BBC Countryfile Magazine.

Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.

MORE STORIES FROM BBC COUNTRYFILE MAGAZINEView All
Guilt-Free Meat? - Should the world stop eating meat to tackle the climate crisis? Chris Baraniuk meets an experimental farmer who says we don't all have to become vegetarians
BBC Countryfile Magazine

Guilt-Free Meat? - Should the world stop eating meat to tackle the climate crisis? Chris Baraniuk meets an experimental farmer who says we don't all have to become vegetarians

Should the world stop eating meat to tackle the climate crisis? Chris Baraniuk meets an experimental farmer who says we don't all have to become vegetarians. Livestock farming around the world is facing scrutiny because of its greenhouse gas emissions. Globally, the sector contributes somewhere between 11.1% and 19.6% of total emissions. Meat production is roughly twice as bad as the production of plant-based food, according to some analyses. And beef is the worst of all. Study after study has suggested that, in order to curtail the devastating effects of climate change, we ought to shift to a diet containing less meat - or even go vegetarian or vegan.

time-read
8 mins  |
October 2024
Discover Cider Country - Explore mellow golden countryside, pedalling between medieval villages, historic inns and fruitful orchards, on a delightful Herefordshire Cider Circuit adventure with Julie Brominicks
BBC Countryfile Magazine

Discover Cider Country - Explore mellow golden countryside, pedalling between medieval villages, historic inns and fruitful orchards, on a delightful Herefordshire Cider Circuit adventure with Julie Brominicks

Explore mellow golden countryside, pedalling between medieval villages, historic inns and fruitful orchards, on a delightful Herefordshire Cider Circuit adventure with Julie Brominicks. I'm cycling Porter's Perfection, one of three cider circuits developed for Visit Herefordshire over the past few years. Each showcases a section of this bucolic county's loveliest villages, pubs, orchards and cidermakers via lanes suited to bicycles - e-bikes for hill-averse cyclists like me. The idea is to allow you to appreciate the sights, sounds and smells of cider country while traversing roads never meant for modern cars. If you have dodgy knees, or are keen to indulge in the local adult apple juice as you go (remember, it's illegal to cycle while under the influence), Visit Herefordshire also promotes cider bus routes.

time-read
7 mins  |
October 2024
TOP 10 WILD AUTUMN FOODS
BBC Countryfile Magazine

TOP 10 WILD AUTUMN FOODS

Make the most of seasonal abundance with foraging tips and recipe ideas from wild food expert Liz Knight

time-read
10 mins  |
October 2024
The taste of England
BBC Countryfile Magazine

The taste of England

Amid pastures farmed by her family for more than four centuries, Mary Quicke is reviving forgotten dairy traditions to produce delicious Devon cheeses

time-read
6 mins  |
October 2024
How to eat 30 plants a week
BBC Countryfile Magazine

How to eat 30 plants a week

As science proves the many health-boosting benefits of eating at least 30 different plants each week, Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall shares recipes to help you meet the magic target

time-read
5 mins  |
October 2024
RARE RAFT SPIDER MAKES A COMEBACK
BBC Countryfile Magazine

RARE RAFT SPIDER MAKES A COMEBACK

Thanks to dedicated conservation work, this impressive but vulnerable arachnid is resurgent in East Anglia

time-read
1 min  |
October 2024
SPECTACULAR STONEHENGE FINDS
BBC Countryfile Magazine

SPECTACULAR STONEHENGE FINDS

Following the latest astonishing revelation about the Stonehenge Altar Stone's Scottish origins, Dixe Wills looks at recent discoveries that have changed the way we view this impressive and enigmatic Neolithic monument

time-read
4 mins  |
October 2024
GALLOWAY NATIONAL PARK DEBATE
BBC Countryfile Magazine

GALLOWAY NATIONAL PARK DEBATE

Would this protected status bring welcome recognition and attention - or overcrowding and problems for farmers?

time-read
1 min  |
October 2024
Farmers are valued, so why do they feel we don't care?
BBC Countryfile Magazine

Farmers are valued, so why do they feel we don't care?

For farmers out in their fields in all seasons, worried about the future as dramatic levels of rainfall blamed on climate change damage their crops, inflation and uncertainty push up their costs and what they see as unfair imports threaten their livelihoods, here's a spot of unexpectedly good news: the rest of us think you are doing a good job.

time-read
2 mins  |
October 2024
Pumpkin patches
BBC Countryfile Magazine

Pumpkin patches

Find the perfect jack-o'-lantern for Halloween at a pick-your-own pumpkin patch. Some are simple affairs in tranquil countryside; others offer activities ranging from ghost trains to spooky mazes.

time-read
2 mins  |
October 2024