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Break for the Borders- Which Motorcaravan
Two years ago, I made my first tour of Scotland and as I’m sure many people do, started off with the old favourite, the Scottish Highlands. This area is what Scotland is all about. It has the beautiful, wild scenery and changeable weather conditions, which lead to the most amazing light on the landscape and even the chance to wild camp if you don’t fancy finding a campsite for the night. It was one of my most enjoyable trips and so it wasn’t hard to resist another visit to Scotland this year. For this trip however, I decided that less of a journey was the best option and I would concentrate on the Borders region. This is the area I had previously whizzed past, as I headed to the Highlands, but I knew there was plenty to see there and was worthy of a proper visit. 
The Borders region is famous for its abbey tour and although not staying entirely in the region, I planned to see the best bits, before then heading into the capital city of Edinburgh. It was then across the Firth of Forth into Fife (what a mouthful!), where I would travel along the coast and end up in the home of golf, St Andrews. This itinerary would add some variety to the trip and make it more interesting.
I arrived in Jedburgh, 10 miles from the border with England, early afternoon and had enough time to stop and grab a bite to eat before heading for the campsite for the night. It is only a small site, but it’s a Camping and Caravanning Club Site, so nicely run and ideally placed for exploring Jedburgh. The next morning, I first made my way to Queen Mary’s House in Queen’s Street. This 16th century house is said to have sheltered the ill-fated Queen in 1566 and now houses a visitor centre with highlights of her life and times. Interestingly, you’ll notice that the staircases spiral to the left, apparently for ease of sword drawing, which is where the Scottish term for left handedness or ‘kerry fisted’ came about.
A short from here, are the ruins of Jedburgh Abbey, which dominate the town and overlook the River Jed. It dates back to the 12th century and suffered various attacks from the English between 1545-46. It has a fine visitor centre, which explains the history of the abbey and gives an insight into the monastic life.
Heading out of town, I drove onto Kelso. This is the second town on the abbey route and a lovely market town with a cobbled square, flanked by Georgian buildings. The writer HV Morton, who commented when he passed this way in the 1920’s, “Surely I was in France!” noted its distinct look.
Kelso Abbey was once one of the richest in southern Scotland. Again, it was the English raids that reduced it to the ruin that we see today, the most devastatingly in 1545 by the Earl of Hertford. However, it’s free to enter and is one of the finest surviving Romanesque architecture in Scotland.
Floors Castle on the edge of the town, is a fine mansion overlooking the River Tweed. Designed by William Adam in 1720, it is the family seat of the Duke of Roxburghe. There are only ten rooms open to the public, but there are some wonderfully coloured Brussels tapestries in the ante and drawing rooms and the exterior is quite stunning as well. It is also apparently, that at the castle, Prince Andrew proposed to Sarah Ferguson. On the way up to the castle, if you turn left towards the river, you will find a lovely place to stop. Known locally as the Cobby, there are great views of the castle and also back to the town.
The drive out on the A6089 into the countryside, takes you to the craggy Smailholm Tower, a 16th century fortified keep associated with Sir Walter Scott. The remote tower stands high on a rocky outcrop and was designed to withstand sudden attack. From the top are panoramic views across the countryside and was used by ships approaching Berwick on the east coast as a landmark, such is its prominence. Also at the top, on the north side, the watchman’s seat survives, stuck against the chimney for warmth with a recess for a lantern.
The ruins of Dryburgh Abbey are probably the most spectacular of all the examples in this area and date from the 12th and 13th century. It’s a beautiful and quite tranquil setting, on a horseshoe bend of the River Tweed. The grave of Sir Walter Scott can be found here in the north transept. Scott is one of Scotland’s greatest literary figures and it was rambling around this area that inspired him to write ballads such as ‘The Lay of the Last Minstrel’ and ‘The Lady of the Lake’. His later novels included ‘Guy Mannering’ and ‘Rob Roy’. Most of the Tourist Information Centres in the area stock copies of the Sir Walter Scott Trail booklet, which guides you to the many places associated with his life in the Borders. Fans of Scott should also visit his former residence, Abbotsford House about 2 miles west of Melrose. The romanticism of his writing flows through to the design of this house, which took a long time to complete, as he kept adding to its design.
Leaving Dryburgh, I took the road up to Scott’s view. It’s only a short drive and on the way I also stopped off in the small car park half way along the road on the left. Here you will find a track that takes you to the huge statue of that other Scottish patriot, Sir William Wallace. The panorama at Scott’s View is quite amazing, no wonder it was his favourite viewpoint of the Eildon Hills. I stayed and watched the sun set beyond the hills, as I planned my route for the next day, which would eventually take me north into Edinburgh.
Next morning, I awoke to heavy rain and so I spent most of the morning in the van. Thankfully the rain cleared come the afternoon and so I headed down into Melrose. This is a charming market town with high standing Georgian and Victorian buildings, popular with tourists, most of which come to see the impressive red sandstone abbey. This is another abbey repeatedly destroyed by the English in the 14th century, but its broken shell is pure Gothic with decorative stonework details. It was rebuilt by Robert the Bruce, whose actual heart is buried here and later Sir Walter Scott, also carried out several repairs in the 19th century. It’s also well worth making the climb to the top of the abbey, for the tremendous views.
Elsewhere in the town, you can visit the Teddy Melrose Museum and Bear Shop in the High Street and discover everything there is to know about our furry friends. The town’s other museum is the Trimontium Exhibition, opposite the abbey. This fascinating museum displays models, relics and plans from the legionary fortress at Trimontium in the Eildon Hills, above Melrose.
As I headed for Edinburgh, I passed through the town of Lauder, which is home to Thirlestane Castle. The returning rain deterred me from paying a visit on this trip, but there’s a nice campsite linked to the castle if you plan to visit and stay in the town. The Lammermuir Hills run east-west around here and are popular with walkers. There are numerous trails, including a section of the Southern Upland Way, which can be accessed from the town. For me though, Edinburgh beckoned and so I headed on north.
The campsite at Mortonhall is nicely located on the edge of the city, just 10 minutes drive from the centre. A bus stop outside, takes you into the heart of the city allowing you leave the van onsite and not worry about parking.
I however decided to take the van, so in the morning, I first headed up Carlton Hill where the view over the city here is nothing short of amazing. You can see the whole stretch of the famous Royal Mile with Edinburgh Castle in the background. It also provides a nice viewpoint to see down into the Palace of Holyroodhouse, the Queen’s official Scottish residence, set against the backdrop of Arthur’s Seat hill. Up on the hill itself, is a clutch of remarkable monuments. The unfinished National Monument is modelled on the Parthenon in Athens, and intended as a memorial to the Scots who fell in the Napoleonic Wars. Unfortunately, only 12 of its columns were completed before funds ran dry. If the main view isn’t enough for you, you can climb the 143 steps of the Nelson Monument for an even dizzier view of the city and even further on to Fife. The City Observatory with its Gothic tower and astronomical dome stands nearby, as does the much photographed Dugald Stewart Monument.
I spent the next couple of hours down exploring Princes Street and its adjacent gardens and climbed up the beautiful Scott Monument in the gardens, for some more fine views of the city (good job I’ve got a head for heights with all these viewpoints!) I didn’t get as far as the city’s famous castle on this occasion, though I believe its well worth the visit if you are here yourself. As it was getting late in the day now, I instead took the circular road around Arthur’s Seat. This craggy peak within a stone’s throw of the city centre, is a great place for stretching the legs and the climb to the top rewards you with yet another great view over the city.
As it began to get dark, I headed back up Calton hill to see the sunset and the city at night. The Balmoral Hotel, in Princes Street dominates the skyline once darkness falls. The tower of the hotel features a four-sided clock and for over 100 years now it has been kept a few minutes fast to help the public catch their trains on time at nearby Waverley Station. I eventually said my goodbyes to the city and headed back to the campsite. Edinburgh has a lot to offer the visitor and I could have easily based myself at the site for a few days to take in the other sites. These include the Edinburgh Zoo and the Royal Yacht and Ocean Terminal shopping centre on the northern edge of the city.
The Forth Bridge is a feat of engineering and an amazing sight, despite the scaffolding and thick mist that was determined to obscure it from my view on this damp morning. The world’s first major structure to be made entirely from steel, it took eight years from 1883 to 1890 to build. The road bridge further down river was to provide my journey into Fife, but it’s certainly worth stopping at South Queensferry to take some close up pictures of the bridge. The Queensferry Museum gives some interesting information on the bridges and you will also find several nice pubs in the High Street, along with several quaint shops selling souvenirs.
Once in Fife, I travelled along the coast to reach the campsite near St Monance. This is a beautiful stretch of coast on the south side of the county, with several picturesque harbours full of tiny B&B’s and fishing boats. The clear blue sky and warm light the next morning was perfect for visiting these and as it was a Sunday morning, everywhere was quiet and I practically had them to myself. As well as St Monance, there’s Pittenweem, Crail and the largest village Ansruther Easter and Ansruther Wester, known locally simply as Ainster. Here the Scottish Fisheries Museum provides the history and practise of fishing on this coast. In the summer, there are boat trips from Ansruther to see the puffins on the Isle of May.
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I arrived in St Andrews around lunchtime. Famously the home of golf, the sight at the Royal and Ancient Golf Club, was familiar from seeing it on television, but I was surprised you are allowed to walk over the course at your will. You certainly wouldn’t get away with this at any other course. If you are a golfer yourself, then head for the British Golf Museum opposite the clubhouse. Everybody else, may instead want to try the nearby Sea Life Centre, especially if you have children. The golf course overlooks a beautiful open bay, and there are plenty of places to park and admire the view out to sea.
I later walked round the bay, past the castle, to the ruins of St Andrews Cathedral. This was once the largest cathedral in Scotland and there’s an interesting visitor centre here. Keeping with the tradition of this trip I climbed my way to the top of St Rule’s Tower within the grounds, for a birds eye view of the town. You can also see from up here the picturesque harbour and the seagulls hovering around the fishing boats below. St Andrews is also home to Scotland’s oldest university and from the tower you can see the three main buildings that make up the university. A guided tour of it starts from the International Office, near St Salvator’s Chapel in North Street.
This for me was the end of my tour, but I’ve already planned next year will be a continuation of this trip, starting in Stirling and into the nearby counties. If you want to avoid Edinburgh and Fife, there’s plenty more to discover within the Border region, including the east coast, north of Berwick. This is a stunning stretch of coastline and one you could easily combine in a tour with the upper regions of Northumberland as well. The abbeys and historic houses of the Borders however, make a good starting point on which to base your trip, leaving you to expand the itinerary as you wish.
© Craig Roberts
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