Lauder

Ballast, the coarse rock that is used for the foundations under the sleepers and tracks, was quarried from the Lauder region and the station was what was referred to as a “switch out” station.  Original railways had a tablet safety mechanism to prevent more than one train travelling on rail sections at the same time.  The tablet was picked up at a switch station and carried in the cab of the train.  If a driver arrived at a switch station and there was no tablet then he knew not to continue until the table and train returned.

Lauder was named after the Scottish border town of Lauder in Berwickshire.  The Scottish influence can be seen in Lauder cottage which was built of sun-dried mud-brick, a method well used in Scotland to create homes that were warm in the winter and cooler in the summer.

It was not until 1995 that the original Lauder Store (built 1890) stopped operating as the butchers, the general store and the post office.  In 1960 for some reason the current Lauder Hotel was cut in half and turned around from facing the railway to it’s present direction, which seems a bit strange when you look at it today.  Many of the original Lauder buildings like the school and Milmor Cottage have been converted to accommodation options for cyclists.

Lauder is also a good departure point to head up to the nearby town of Becks (10km) and then follow the quiet Loop Road for a further 15km past the histori Cambrian Gold Mining area to the wonderful historic St Bathans.  Many cyclists will also ride and out and back day-trip from Lauder into the Ida Valley through the amazing Poolburn Gorge.