Blackadder Water

Blackadder Water is a river in Berwickshire, Scottish Borders, part of the River Tweed system. It rises near Westruther and flows through the Merse before joining the Whiteadder Water at Allanton. The river once powered mills and still shapes the landscape today. The name may come from Brittonic or Old English words meaning ‘watercourse’ or ‘vein’. In 2002 it reached 2.84 metres at Mouthbridge, its highest recorded level. Its headwaters join burns near Greenlaw before winding past estates such as Kimmerghame House and Wedderburn Castle. A walk along its banks shows farmland and wooded stretches. The river’s quiet course contrasts with the wider Tweed valley. At Allanton the site of Blackadder House marks where it meets the Whiteadder. From there the Whiteadder crosses into England, joining the Tweed near Berwick-upon-Tweed.