Friday - Scotland at last!

Another full and interesting day. It was really exciting to cross the border this morning, although we did a bit of tiki-touring first. We visited a couple of small towns first, one of which included Ford Castle, which was the inspiration for Allan’s company logo - looked just like the real thing!

We drove on to a place called Flodden field which was the scene of a battle between England and Scotland in 1513, in which 14,000 men died in a day. Apparently, the Scots came roaring down the hill with their pikes, and got stuck in the mud at the bottom, leaving them open to the English attack. There was little to see but a monument and the fields, but it was very moving to stand at the scene where so many people had died at once.

Our next stop was Jedburgh where we used the information centre to help us book two nights accommodation in Edinburgh (we don’t have a Scottish B&B book). They were so helpful, and a passing Scotsman had us in fits with an entertaining story about the superiority of Scots over the English, which is too long to repeat here. I have to say that everywhere we have been since leaving London, people have been exceptionally friendly and helpful.



We visited the ruins of both Jedburgh Abbey and Rosslyn Chapel. We are learning the difference between abbeys, cathedrals, minsters, and about lady chapels, transepts, reredos and sacresies - maybe there’ll be a prize for anyone who can tell us what they all are when we get back! Ruins are intriguing, and most places have either live, or audio guides, which add interest.

Now ensconced in our attic room on the edge of Edinburgh and looking forward to checking out the town tomorrow.