Back to the Borders

Lying at the feet of the Eildon Hills, Melrose is the birthplace of the game of rugby sevens. The triple peaks of the Eildon Hills are the most distinctive single landmark in the Scottish Borders. At their feet in the valley of the Tweed lies Melrose. Ruined Melrose Abbey dates from 1136. A casket discovered believed to contain the heart of Robert the Bruce was marked by a re-burial ceremony and commemorative stone tablet.

The area around Melrose has been inhabited for thousands of years. The Roman army arrived in AD79 or 80 and built a major fort nearby named Trimontium, 'Place of the Three Hills'. A signal station or shrine was built on the summit of the Eildon Hill North. The Roman Heritage Centre in the town centre is dedicated to Roman life in Scotland. Priorwood, which specialises in plants suitable for drying with an apple orchard walk and picnic area and Harmony Gardens, a walled garden with magnificent views over the abbey and Eildon Hills, are both National Trust gardens.

Two miles west of Melrose visit the house built and lived in by Sir Walter Scott, one of Scotland’s greatest writers, author of many timeless classics including Waverley, Rob Roy, Ivanhoe and The Lady of the Lake. Set in the heart of the Scottish Borders, in beautiful landscaped grounds on the banks of the River Tweed, see where Scott wrote many of his works. Visit the Library with over 9,000 rare volumes, the Armoury, including Rob Roy's Gun and Montrose's Sword, and the Dining Room where Scott died on 21 September 1832.