Today it is hard to imagine the sound of hundreds of marching feet across the hills between Melrose and Lauder.  The track on the Southern Upland Way appears to be an old route, possibly Dere Street built by the Romans around 79 AD and later often used by invading English armies and named the Via Regia.  Now it seemedclouds very peaceful with only the bleating of lambs, trilling of skylarks, the bubbling call of curlews with the distant calls and songs of yellowhammers and other birds.  We saw only three people, one of whom was walking the 212 mi (341 km) route from Portpatrick in the west, and Cockburnspath in the east. 
High up the curly hooked Cirrus Uncinus “Mares’ tails” blew across the blue sky before we left the warm sunshine as we drove northwards towards the misty haar over the Forth.