Day 68 - Newtown St. Boswells to Lauder

A two Abbey day! And they were very different from each other. We started with Dryburgh Abbey ( the one we were too late for yesterday) and I then dropped The Walker off at last night's finish, drove to Melrose Abbey to meet him an hour later. The Abbeys are excellent: Dryburgh is very atmospheric with monastic service chants piped through into the magnificent chapter house and superb trees - one yew was planted in the 11th century! Melrose has very ornate facades, the statue of the Virgin Mary and Child (the finest medieval figure sculpture surviving in Scotland), plus a gargoyle of a pig playing bagpipes! It was well worth the diversion to the route.

Dryburgh Abbey

Must mention that while I was waiting for The Walker in Melrose I ate a macaroni cheese pie. This will surely make Jamie and Kirstie jealous as they both like these but have to come to Scotland to buy them ( though it is rumoured that they are trying to find a good recipe to make them in Derby).

Also I am a bit concerned about how The Walker is going to cope with people when this venture is complete. He finds it difficult when we are suddenly in towns and when there is a crowd of tourists ... well..... what's new!?

From Bernie:
Today's walk  14.7 miles     :     Cumulative  863.2 miles

Probably the busiest day of the whole walk so far... two-thirds of LeJog done & it's tiring enough being The Walker without trying to be a tourist as well AND avoid other people whilst doing both! Made this afternoon's 10 lonely miles on the Southern Upland Way particularly pleasing!

The 3 great Border Abbeys were the reason for our strange route through the Central Lowlands & each is magnificent - I'm quite glad I was lazy yesterday & didn't try to squeeze in Dryburgh at the end of the day! Burial place of Field Marshall Douglas Haig & Sir Walter Scott - interestingly, Haig's grave is marked by a simple stone in the same style as those marking the deaths of hundreds of thousands of his soldiers on the Western Front; the memorial to the dead of World War I is a large & much more elaborate cross. I will be returning to Scott memorials in a few weeks!

On the hill above Dryburgh is a hugely imposing memorial to William Wallace - the Scots love their heroes & this is in a superbly dramatic position overlooking the Tweed valley.

William Wallace Monument

Not surprisingly, Melrose was much busier - it's a tourist centre & easier to reach in a car or by coach. The abbey here is much more ornate & is built from almost pink stone - sounds 'pretty' but there's a ruggedness, too, about the simple buildings used by the monks. Legend has it that the heart of Robert the Bruce is buried here... though even the Abbey information boards acknowledge this is unlikely.

Melrose Abbey

Had to visit 'The Ship Inn' - it claims to be Melrose's only pub (the others are all 'Hotels'!) but even they could still only offer chilled plastic beers!

Highlight of the Day: couldn't possibly choose between the Abbeys or the other tourist attractions - for me the highlight was the simple 'Rhyming Stone', erected in memory of Thomas the Rhymer & tucked away beside a disused lane in the shade of the 2 magical Eildon hills which rise above Melrose. That Thomas was a real person is not in doubt - the legend may be a little more fanciful!
Whisked away by the Queen of the Faeries after falling asleep beneath the Eildon Tree, Thomas believed he had been away from home for only 3 days until he was told that he'd been 'missing' for 7 years! (I'd have loved to hear his excuse!). The Queen had given him the power of prophecy & poetry... if you want to know any more you'll have to Google it!
I came across the legend via a song many years ago (see Song of the Day) but until today didn't know of the 'Rhyming Stone' or understand the place of the story in Scottish folklore. Magic... in more ways than one!

The Rhyming Stone

Song of the Day (an occasional series!): 'Thomas the Rhymer' by Steeleye Span - from what I remember the song doesn't tell the whole story but it was enough to intrigue me & prompt me to research Thomas!

Beer of the Day: first ale in Scotland! Had a pint of 'Game Bird' at 'Burt's Hotel' in Melrose, from 'Scottish Border Brewery' - a dark amber bitter, smooth with a slight bite; OK but nothing out of the ordinary. Never mind, I'm up & running this side of the border!

Chain Bridge crossing the Tweed below Melrose & one of the Eildon Hills - its constuction was prophesied by Thomas the Rhymer in the 13th century

Signs on the Chain Bridge!

Pam: sorry I wrote so much but it's raining heavily & I just kept typing! Next 5 days forecast is for persistent rain across southern Scotland so there might be a lot for you to read when you get home!

Ann: I'd walked bits of Hadrian's Wall before but without much of a Roman focus! While the wall itself is stunning, the size & extent of the forts & villages is staggering & I've also been amazed by the number of other Roman camps, forts & roads I've passed or wandered along which are clearly visible on the ground but not an accepted part of the Roman Tourist Trail.

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