Due to the inclement weather Simonside Country Fair was cancelled. However we decided to proceed with the walk and a hardy bunch turned up.
The first named Dandie Breeder was Willie “Piper Allan” who was born in Bellingham in 1704 and died in Rothbury in 1779. Willie Allan was a Gypsy and roamed the Borders. His life is well documented and his son Jamie was more famous than him and several books were written on them. Willie and Jamie Allan were kingsmen of the Gypsy Kings and Queens of Yetholm. Yetholm was also a centre of Dandie Breeding in the late 1700s early 1800s and several of his close relatives stayed there.
Lord Armstrong of Cragside was also a Dandie owner and he
commissioned various paintings which include Dandies.
We had planned to combine this walk with Simonside Country Fair however this was cancelled. The walk did go ahead however it did start to rain. We are planning to go there next year and hopefully have some sunshine?
Thanks very much everyone for coming and we can all recommend Rothbury’s Newcastle House Hotel. Photo credit to Ann Deegan and Karen Atkinson