Millennium Walk

Beyond the 12 acres of ornamental grounds immediately surrounding the house are the remaining 175 acres of pastures and timbered areas, which act as shelter belts to warm them and give protection from the severe westerly prevailing winds of winter. To the west there are only heather moors, so the Chisholme trees are vital protection from these winds.

The best way to tour the estate is by following the Millennium Walk, which begins close to the Walled Garden. This walk passes through all the replanted and ancient timber belts and gives fine views of the rest of the estate.

Whitrig Wood

After passing through the belt of mature deciduous trees lining the stream that feeds the lake, one enters Whitrig Wood. The first section of Whitrig was clear-felled during the operations of the 1980's. Since then birch has successfully regenerated and the young stems can now be harvested as poles for garden use. This area is rather wet underfoot but leads to a drier section of mature broadleaves and conifers, especially rich in wild flowers. After another smaller denuded section one reaches the easterly part of Whitrig, which is divided by a stream, the Churnton, and which again contains mature trees. The furthest corner of the wood was once used for coppicing (birch and alder), a practice that Chisholme is reviving.

 

Borthwick Water

Crossing the track leading to Parkhill Farm one enters the Churnton Burn. The burn has cut deeply into the terrain - its banks are lined with ash, oak and birch - and Dippers nest beneath the tiny waterfalls along it. Turning towards the west, one passes through a conifer plantation (mainly Sitka Spruce) which is the beginning of Fathill Plantation. After the conifers there is another section of clear-felled where the tree seedlings are doing especially well. Branching off to the north is The Brae, a downward sloping section reaching to the Borthwick Water, the small river which drains the Roberton Valley and which eventually joins the Teviot, and hence the Tweed.

Continuing, one comes to the Woodcock South plantation, which gives good views to the north of the Lower (or Croft) Pasture, the Steading buildings and the back of the House. This plantation was originally planted under the Forestry Commission Mixed Broadleaves and Conifers scheme, but only the conifers, including Scots Pine, Sitka Spruce and Noble Fir, have succeeded. The broadleaves have since been replanted under the Millennium Forest Scheme (MFS).

Lodge Plantation

Continuing on through Woodcock North one reaches the entrance track by the Gate Lodge. This, in fact, is the end of the Millennium Walk and we could return to the house by turning left. Turning to the right, however, we have Lodge Plantation on the left and the Front Clearfell (excellent views of the heather moors to the west) to the right. Lodge Plantation was originally maturing Sitka with some mature Larch included, but it was the compartment to be most affected by windblow. The Sitka gradually succumbed in the five years following the clear-felling, but some mature larch remained, and now this area is regenerating with natural larch seedlings.

The Front Clearfell

The Front Clearfell was the first compartment to be replanted in 1987/98 under the Forestry Commission Broadleaves scheme. The winter winds on this exposed slope are severe, so growth has been slow but sure. As well as a full range of native broadleaves, there are Red Oak and Norwegian Maple, and Wild Cherry (Gean) line the track. Badgers have a sett here.
Before reaching the Front Gate, we turn east again up a tractor track leading to the Top (or Garden) Pasture. This track is lined with mature Larch to the left and young Sitka to the right.

The Monument to Man

Reaching the Top Pasture, one comes to the Monument to Man built on the highest point of the estate. The Monument symbolises the pure and unconditioned Spirit of Humankind, hence the open ring above the four columns expressing that Spirit is not to be contained or limited. We pass on through an avenue of ancient beech and head down the pasture and back to the house to end the walk.

Also to be mentioned, however, is the Chisholme water supply. On the heather moors beyond the Front Gate is a 33,000 gallon reservoir which supplies the estate and all its buildings with natural spring water. The spring can diminish to a trickle during summer, so the reservoir has to be supplemented by a hydraulic ram situated in its own bunker by a stream.

When the time comes to start the ram, this stream is dammed with rocks and turves to form a small pond, which covers the entrance to a pipe leading to the ram house. It is the constant weight of the water in this pipe that operates the ram via a series of valves, thus pumping a steady supply of water uphill to the reservoir. This ram was built at the turn of the 20th century by a firm in Carlisle - replacement parts for it can still be ordered and come by return of post.

Flora & Fauna

The estate is well supplied with flora:   

As well as the usual rabbits, mice, voles and moles, there are fox, Roe deer, stoat, weasel and badger. The latter were always present in the Roberton Valley below the estate, but have moved up to two areas within the estate since the clear-felling activities of the late 1980's. Chisholme hares seem to engage in their Mad March activity in April, at which time it is possible to get very close to them, so absorbed are they in what they are doing. As a rare treat, the red squirrel has recently made a come-back and can be seen regularly all around the estate.