Scottish Borders Walks

The Tweed & Melrose Abbey

Date: 15th August 2012
Distance: 3.2 miles
Ascent: negligible
Time: 3 hours
With: Lisa, Rhiannon, Mum and David
Start Grid Ref: NT277743

Walk Summary:
A pleasant walk along the banks of the Tweed before finishing with a visit to the magnificent ruins of Melrose Abbey.

Route Summary: Melrose - Southern Upland Way - Lowood Bridge - Chain Bridge - Melrose Abbey - Melrose

Pictures:

1. The River Tweed

2. Geranium

3. Approaching Lowood Bridge

4. Walking along the north bank towards Chain Bridge

5. Mushrooms

6. Looking along Chain Bridge with the Eildons in the background

7. Melrose Abbey backed by Eildon North Hill

8. Stone marking the burial place of Robert the Bruce's heart

9. Melrose Abbey

Walk Detail: This was a simple riverside walk from Melrose west to Lowood Bridge and then, after a short section along the road to Gattonside, back along the north bank to the impressive Chain Bridge and into Melrose. Unlike a lot of riverside walks, when the actual river can often be obscured by the trees growing along the bank, on this walk the river largely remained in sight most of the time.

As usual with Rhiannon this was not so much a walk as an extended play time including bouts of tig and hide-and-seek. As she doesn't tend to walk so much as run she requires regular refueling and on the north bank we found a small pebble beach to eat our picnic and while away the time skimming stones.

We decided to finish the walk with a visit to the remains of Melrose Abbey. A quite magnificent ruin we spent some time exploring the site including the neighbouring museum and the spot where Robert the Bruce's heart is supposedly buried. On their own the walk and the abbey would be hugely enjoyable but put together this was another fantastic day out.

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