Walking the Border: A Journey Between Scotland and England

by Ian Crofton

In this book Ian Crofton makes a journey on foot from Gretna Green in the southwest to Berwick in the northeast, following as close as possible the Anglo-Scottish Border as it has been fixed since the union of the crowns in 1603. Much of the line of the Border runs through a wild, overwhelmingly unvisited no man's land - the sort of trackless waste perfect for keeping two belligerent peoples apart? During the course of his journey Ian Crofton considers a number of questions, such as how 'natural' are borderlines? Sometimes they follow physical barriers, sometimes an arbitrary line on a map, the compromise made by some committee of distant diplomats.

Genres: Travel, Scotland, Nonfiction, British Literature, History

246 pages, Hardcover

First published September 4, 2014

Reviews

[Nick Davies · Rating 3 out of 5]

Slightly disappointing. Don’t get me wrong, this is a decently written, well researched, nicely described account of an interesting walking project along the English-Scottish border, and it sat firmly in the three or four star region throughout. For folks particularly interested in the area and the route, I’d heartily recommend this, but...

I guess there is something to be said for the sometimes barren and sometimes dour landscape leading to a sometimes similar feeling to the writing. There’s a lot more history than personal observation in this book, and I have maybe read too many similar accounts recently that felt a bit more satisfying. This isn’t wholly the fault of this book, but it’s how reading it left me feeling.

[Fiona · Rating 4 out of 5]

Ian Crofton tries to walk along the length of Scotland's border with England - with difficulty! Like many borders, at some point an arbitrary line was drawn across the country often making little geographical or historical sense. There is no clear path for most of the way but fortunately Scotland has no law of trespass so anyone can walk anywhere they like. I enjoyed his struggles with the terrain because I've often found myself up to my oxters (armpits) in bogs when walking and it's just as miserable an experience as he describes. The most moving part of the book is when he watches the annual commemoration service for the Battle of Flodden - yet another Scottish defeat snatched from the jaws of victory! He says, and is allowed to say this because he is Scottish, that 'Scots like to dwell on disaster.....but maybe staring disaster in the face is a way of putting things in perspective, owning up to one's own fallibility, keeping hubris in check'. Maybe - but most of us prefer Bannockburn to Flodden! Part of his journey is to muse on the differences between people living on different sides of borders, not just the Scottish border but anywhere in the world. He comes to the conclusion that 'We're a' ae oo' - we are all woven out of the same wool or, to quote a better known Scots saying, 'We're a' Jock Tamson's bairns'. I'm not sure this book would be of huge interest to someone without an interest in Scottish or Borders history but I really enjoyed it. It's well written, entertaining, and I learned a great deal so that's a good and satisfying read in my view.

[Sean Linley · Rating 5 out of 5]

As someone local and a keen walker I was excited to read Ian's account of his border travels. The book is filled with warmth and humour and I felt I could relate to many of the issues he faced! It was great to read about familiar sections of the border but also to learn and be inspired about new areas. It was a very accessible book with lots of interesting facts and it was clearly well researched. I was surprised at the three star rating and definitely feel it warrants higher. Thanks for sharing your journey Ian!

[Pat · Rating 4 out of 5]

I'd read anything set in this location but it did drag in places. It's a mix of his present day experiences and lots of history.

[Mike · Rating 5 out of 5]

MY kind of book

[Adeptus Fringilla · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is a combination of describing a journey along the scottish-english border by foot, and a history of the border. It's written in an engaging style. I can emphasise with Ian's description of the tough walking conditions, having walked in the borders region many times myself. However, I have found that the historic sections in this book appear a little bit random.

[Tim]

Fascinated to discover, via Stuart Kelly's review in the Guardian, that the Scots word Barrie meaning good ultimately comes from Romany... On my to read list...

[Lynn]

I read only the portion that takes place along the Scottish Borders -- making a note here so I remember the title if I choose to go back and read the rest.