Melrose. Scottish Borders.

Our last trip away for 2022 was across to the Scottish Borders. This area of Scotland is largely rural with undulating countryside and hills. Its 63 square miles borders the City of Edinburgh, Dumfries and Galloway, and various council areas in between . Also it borders the English counties of Cumbria and Northumberland which meant that the it bore the brunt of not only armed raids by Border Reivers but conflicts and wars with England. Although the Scots and English no longer shot one another anymore, the English still do not know the true meaning of the words ‘voluntarily union’ or ‘democracy.

The area boasts some beautiful picturesque towns and villages, one of which, Melrose is were we decided to pitch up for our Autumn week. Our campsite at Gibson Park is situated virtually in the town itself. It boasts the normal high standard facilities you would expect from a Caravan and Motorhome Club site and is a couple of minutes walk from a large well stocked Co-Op.

This small traditional town lies in the valley of the River Tweed and is best known in the modern world for originating rugby sevens in 1883. An annual Tournament between the Border teams takes place on the second Saturday in April each year. At Greenyards, Melrose RFC also has various rugby union team’s of all ages. It also allows local youngsters to use it for football practice. The late great Doddle Weir played at his rugby here between 1989 until he moved down south in 1995. 

Melrose Abbey is said to be the most interesting of all the Borders abbeys and only a short walk from our base. Founded by Cistercian monks in 1136 who aspired to live by an austere set of monastic principles. At Melrose they found fertile land by the River Tweed. The abbey would become one of the wealthiest monasteries in medieval Scotland. Unfortunately you can not explore the ruins because of health and safety reasons which is a shame but you can still get to appreciate its wonderful Gothic architecture. 

As normal the abbey was repeatedly destroyed by the English in the 14th century. Following an attack on the town by Edward 2nd in 1322 the abbey was damaged and it was King Robert the Bruce who ordered its rebuilding.

Shown around the ground by our volunteer guide, who has been doing the job three days a week for twenty years, we came across where Roberts heart was buried on his return from Holy Land and the Crusades around 1330 and discovered in 1996 and placed in a lead casket.

From the Abbey its well worth the short walk to the Chain Bridge.This suspension footbridge crosses the River Tweed from Melrose to the village of Gattonside. It was opened in 1826 and is an early surviving example of this type of bridge with a span of 91 m (300ft). A notice is fixed advising on use of the bridge: no more than eight people at one time and no swinging allowed.

Gattonside was the orchards for Melrose Abbey.The village was granted to the Abbey by King David the third in 1143 and still has many place names associated with the Monks testifying to its ecclesiastical history. 

The weather was very wet during the week which curtailed our walk along the River Tweed to Newstead Village, forcing us to cross the soggy fields back on to the road. The villages lies on the River Tweed to the east of Melrose and is reputedly the oldest continually inhabited settlement in Scotland. It was also the home of the masons who built the abbey. At the top end of the village just before the site of the old Roman Settlement is the Newstead Millennium milestone. 

Even with the flooding along the River Tweed we did manage to reach the Battery Dyke which was built by the monks to protect their fields from flooding. On a better day its still possible to to walk along of the wall but it is narrow and can be slippery. Personally I would not want to chance it. 

A much more successful walk the following day with only some light rain to contend with. An interesting circular walk that took in Darnick, the Lowood Bridge and Garttonside. From here you again make use of the Chain Bridge across the Tweed to return to Melrose. Darnick is another traditional Scottish village with winding streets and narrow lanes. The original Lowood Bridge was built in the 16th century with the present bridge being built in the 1790s to replace the ferry. 

 

At last some blue sky and even some sunshine allowed us to walk up Eildon Hill North to enjoy the magnificent panorama of the Borders. There is some evidence that prehistoric peoples regarded the Hills as a holy place. Further support for this theory followed excavations on the top of North Hill which uncovered what could have been a shine. A wee bit cold on top but otherwise a grand walk. 

Our final day was again dry so we walked up through the town to the old station then on to Rhymes Stone which was erected in 1929 by the Melrose Literary Society and marks the spot on which the fabled Eildon Tree once grew. It was under this tree that Thomas the Rhymer took a fateful nap while hunting on the estate of Melrose Abbey. He was awakened by the Queen of Elfland, who he kissed. He then spent seven years with her in the Land of the Elves before returning to his home in Earlston for seven years, then disappearing for good: presumably back to the Land of the Elves and the Fairy Queen. 

The End.