Eildon Hill

day 26 Saturday 12 June

In the morning we did the Eildon Hill walk behind the hostel- about 400m! – with Gail Grimshaw from Brisbane, who we met at the YH and was travelling on her own for 6 months.  A lovely view of the Tweed Valley, the roman fort and the abbey. It was a lovely sunny day.

The Tweed Valley from the Eildon Hills

Then we drove along nice valleys to England and up onto the moor to Alston.

Melrose

days 25 - 26 Friday evening - Saturday morning 11-12 June

The hostel was a big old house near the ruined abbey and a short walk to a lovely town centre with quite up-market shops. We went for a walk down along the river including an old suspension bridge – a very pretty spot and a charming town.. It took a couple of hours I think.

Melrose Abbey http://www.aboutscotland.com/mel.html
Robert the Bruce's heart is said to be buried among the pink and red sandstone ruins of this Cistercian abbey which was repeatedly destroyed by the English in the fourteenth century.  The ruins are notorious for their riverside surroundings and decorative artwork - including one gargoyle of a pig playing the bagpipes.

The walk by the river in the late afternoon.

We had a room together here and we did a load of washing, filling the drying room.