ROADS TO ST. MARY^S LOCH. 121 



Loch Skene is more easily reached from Tibbie's 

 than from any other point. It is near the head of Win- 

 terhope-burn, but, particularly after rain, the mosses 

 in that direction are unsafe, or at least troublesome, to 

 those unacquainted with them. The angler, however, 

 may follow the road up to the source of the Little 

 Yarrow, above Birkhill, and thence striking across the 

 hills in a westerly direction, he will easily come upon 

 it. It contains very fine trout although their taking 

 is not always to be relied upon. 



There are a number of roads to Yarrow and St. 

 Mary's Loch, most of which have been already in- 

 cidentally referred to. The angler may most readily 

 reach the river itself by Selkirk, which is the terminus 

 of a line of railway that branches from the Edinburgh 

 and Hawick at Galashiels. Selkirk is sixteen miles 

 from St. Mary's Loch ; and there being a good road 

 up the vale of Yarrow the whole way, a few hours' 

 pleasant walking, with intervals of a little angling, will 

 bring the angler who has left Edinburgh by the morning 

 train to Tibbie Shiels's, with time left for a cast in the 

 loch before the gloaming. Anglers, now-a-days, how- 

 ever, usually prefer driving, and there are of course all 

 kinds of conveyances to be had at Selkirk. We have 

 already noticed the road from Peebles, up the Manor 

 and down the Meggat, solely for pedestrians and eques- 

 trians, and from Innerleithen, up the Quair and down 

 Mount-Benger-burn. From Hawick, the road by Tushi- 

 law is continued up Tushilaw-burn and down by Al- 

 trive to meet the road from Innerleithen at the bridge 

 below Mount-Benger, while a bridle-road leaves the 

 vale of Et trick a mile or two further up, and descends 



