The Lord and Lady Palmer kindly hosted the the first Opening Meet of the Borders Bloodhounds on Saturday 4th October 2003. The Joint Masters (left) welcomed an excellent turnout of 25 riders and many people on foot.

Quarry Captain, Les Turnbull and John Pigg (right) gave the mounted followers an enjoyable day in warm dry conditions not normally conducive to good scent.

Click on photographs (courtesy of Tweedale Press) to enlarge.

On the left hounds move off with senior Joint Master Jeremy Whaley MBH

On the right Joanna Wright feeds the hounds!

Click photos to enlarge

The first hunt started down by Edrom Church. Despite the stubble field being full of electric construction workers vehicles and people walking all over the place hounds went away well to run hard onto Edrom Mains, crossing the road by the sheep pens they were soon onto the set aside by the Whin Covert on Manderston. They were flying now as they came to the winter wheat, but this hardly checked them and flew through the Ducket to catch the quarry by Buxley Dairy. An excellent pipe opener.

The second hunt started by the memorial at Broomhouse. Crossing two stubble fields they went over the road onto Ladywell, again on stubble up to Kaysmuir where the quarry had run down the road. Hounds took the line down the road without assistance and onto the Broomhill drive where they checked on the newly sown winter rape. Held on by Broomhill they were soon running again above Howdens and Elphole onto some better grown rape. Hounds faired better here and crossed the road by the Chalkielaw corner to run back through the yard at the end of Fountain Wood. Now on grass they ran well into the edge of the Lake Covert and out into the Pony Club Field. They were racing again over the south drive at Manderston and out below Simpsons Bank to catch the quarry by the water below Manderston Grove.

The final hunt started by Kimmerghamme quarry on Mungos Walls. Running east over stubble the quarry had used well grown turnips to try and confuse the hounds. The smelly turnips did slow the hounds, but they were soon on again over stubble and onto the grass at Wedderburn. Leaving Wedderburn eastwards hounds then ran north ran by Wedderburn Mains to cross the road above Turtleton and on to Brieryhill where hounds caught their quarry by the old kennels.

A good days sport and a good start to the season.