Our drawing of the route — the shape of the walk, not a navigation aid. Carry OS Explorer on the hill.
Two and a bit miles crossing the Tweed twice, out over the 1624 Old Bridge into Tweedmouth, west along the south bank under the Royal Tweed Bridge to the foot of Stephenson's Royal Border Bridge viaduct, then back across the Royal Tweed Bridge and down to Quay Walls. Riverbank underfoot for most of it, with a road pavement over each bridge and a set of steps at the Tweedmouth end of the Old Bridge. The council's dog control PSPO places no exclusion on any of this ground, but the two road bridges are classified routes with narrow footways, so a short lead is required there. Swans and eider ducks sit on the mud below the Old Bridge at low water and a loose dog will put them up.
A large Haven caravan park on the cliff top at Magdalene Fields, ten minutes' walk from the Elizabethan walls and with its own steps down to the sand. Haven's own park page states plainly: "We welcome dogs with open arms! There's a dog-friendly beach and restaurant terrace as well as nearby areas to walk that'll make your pooches' tails wag. You can even bring well-behaved dogs into designated areas of the main restaurant." Dogs go in pet-friendly caravans only, which are a subset of the stock and must be selected at booking, so a general availability search will show you vans you cannot use. The Brigs of Tweed is the on-park bar and restaurant with the dog terrace.
An easy mile and three quarters there and back along Quay Walls, past Ness Gate and out onto the half-mile stone pier to the squat red lighthouse at its end, with the whole of Spittal and the Tweed mouth on one side and open North Sea on the other. It is flat concrete and stone the whole way with no stiles and no gates. The council's dog control PSPO carries no exclusion or lead order here. What matters instead is the sea: the pier has no railing on the seaward side for much of its length, waves break clean over the parapet in any easterly, and it is closed off by the harbour authority in rough weather. Keep a dog close and turn round if spray is landing on the deck.
Three and a half miles there and back upstream from below Stephenson's Royal Border Bridge, following the north bank of the Tweed out of town through the trees to the Whiteadder confluence and Canty's Bridge on the Paxton road. It leaves the crowds within five minutes and the far end is all heron, goosander and salmon nets. Bank path and estate track, muddy after rain and with two kissing gates. The county dog control PSPO puts no exclusion or lead order on the route, so it is off-lead ground, but the bank is undercut in places with a fast deep river below and the last field before Canty's Bridge is grazed.
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