Hi Martha, yes, I thought it was you two crossing the bridge there and wondered.
I hacked my way through the shrubs on the north side then crossed the burn to reach a patch of grass I had spotted from before I had reached the bridge. It wasn't a mown lawn but quite OK and tick-free.
When we had spoken earlier I had mentioned one burn looking good for camping, and that was in fact the next one going south that I had remembered. Ticks can be very local and it sounds like Malcolm must have sat just where some infested animal had been resting - a nasty experience! At least you hadn't pitched before you found them.