The afternoon of Sunday June 3rd saw over fifty Dandy Dinmonts (and their owners) descend on Yetholm. This breed of terrier was first bred in the Borders in the eighteenth century and has a strong association with Yetholm - for more info see HERE.
    The dogs and their owners, some from as far away as the Netherlands and Sweden, enjoyed a meal in the Plough Hotel, where they had a talk about Yetholm's gypsy history and were entertained by the foremost maestro of the Border Pipes Matt Seattle. They then went on a walk to Kirk Yetholm and paid their respects to the grave-site of Queen Esther Faa Blythe and visited the Gypsy Palace. The photo below shows Matt entertaining everone outside the Gypsy Palace.

SBC have announced that they will be repairing roads in the Yetholm area - this will, of course, involve road closures. The first dates of the road repair programme will take place between 4th and 8th June and will involve, for a while, the closure of the road from Yetholm to Kelso. The SBC announouncement reads as follows:

Phase 1 – Softlaw East Mains - Blakelaw
• 4th June 2018 for 3 days between the hours of 09:00 and 16:00 each day
Alternative route:
Southbound – northerly on B6352, westerly and southerly on B6436, easterly on B6401, Morebattle Road, High Street, Town Yetholm, westerly on B6352 to point of closure.
 
Northbound – the above in reverse.
 
Access for pedestrian and cyclists will be maintained with minor delays.
 
Phase 2 – Town Yetholm – National Boundary
• 7th June 2018 for 2 days between the hours of 09:00 and 16:00 each day
Alternative route
Eastbound – North-westerly on B6352 to Proctors Smithy, easterly on B6396 to Mindrum, westerly on B6352 to point of closure.

A map of the SBC's suggested diversionary route can be found HERE