Penshiel Tower

Whiteadder Reservoir lies in the Lammermuir Hills of East Lothian, twelve kilometres north-west of Duns and eight kilometres south-east of Garvald. The reservoir was created in the 1960s to supply water to East Lothian and parts of Berwickshire. Millknowe Farm and Kingside School were flooded when the dam was completed in 1968. Water from the reservoir feeds the Whiteadder Water, which joins the River Tweed near Berwick-on-Tweed. A small hydro-electric plant was added in 2023 to power the nearby Hungry Snout pumping station. The reservoir is overlooked by prehistoric sites and medieval ruins. Friar’s Nose is a multivallate promontory fort east of the water. Penshiel Grange, a ruined monastic farm linked to Melrose Abbey, stands south-east of the reservoir and dates from the early 15th century. Gamelshiel Castle, half a kilometre north-east of the northern end, is a fragmentary 16th-century tower house. Nearby, a circle of stones marks the so-called Packman’s Grave, said to be the resting place of a murdered pedlar. A watersports centre on the shore offers activities managed by a local trust. The centre reopened in 2021 after being closed for several years. It provides safe instruction in sailing and other water-based sports while keeping the landscape largely unchanged. Visitors can walk the reservoir’s edge to see the dam and enjoy views across the hills. The area remains quiet, with few buildings, giving a sense of isolation despite its role in supplying water and power.