Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Melrose
POP 1656
Charming Melrose is a tiny village running on the well-greased wheels of tourism. Sitting
at the feet of the three heather-covered Eildon Hills, Melrose has a classic market square
and one of the great abbey ruins.
Sights
Melrose Abbey
(HS; www.historic-scotland.gov.uk ; adult/child £5.50/3.30; 9.30am-5.30pm Apr-Sep,
to 4.30pm Oct-Mar) Perhaps the most interesting of all the great Border abbeys, the red-
sandstone Melrose Abbey was repeatedly destroyed by the English in the 14th century.
The remaining broken shell is pure Gothic and the ruins are famous for their decorative
stonework - see if you can glimpse the pig gargoyle playing the bagpipes on the roof. You
can climb to the top for tremendous views.
The abbey was founded by David I in 1136 for Cistercian monks from Rievaulx Abbey
in Yorkshire. It was rebuilt by Robert the Bruce, whose heart is buried here. The ruins date
from the 14th and 15th centuries, and were repaired by Sir Walter Scott in the 19th cen-
tury.
The adjoining museum has many fine examples of 12th- to 15th-century stonework
and pottery found in the area. Note the impressive remains of the 'great drain' outside - a
medieval sewerage system.
RUINS
Activities
There are many attractive walks in the Eildon Hills , accessible via a footpath off
Dingleton Rd (the B6359) south of Melrose, or via the trail along the River Tweed. The
tourist office has details of local walks.
The St Cuthbert's Way long-distance walking path starts in Melrose, while the coast-
to-coast Southern Upland Way passes through town. You can do a day's walk along St
Cuthbert's Way as far as Harestanes (16 miles), on the A68 near Jedburgh, and then return
to Melrose on the hourly Jedburgh-Galashiels bus. The Tweed Cycle Way also passes
through Melrose.
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