The Scottish Border towns

Heading south from Edinburgh in our rental car we didn't have to go far to enter a magical land of picture postcard towns full of nice restaurants and cafes and lush countryside where stately homes and natural beauty combine in an irresistible combination. The only stress is getting used to the extremely narrow and twisting roads.

Peebles made a suitable first stop for a late morning tea and town walk. We saw the church and elegant old bridge over the River Tweed and checked out some shops.

Next stop was Traquair House, a lovely stately home a few miles down the river from Peebles. Supposedly Scotlands oldest inhabited house, Traquair House also boasts some great craft shops on the property and a small brewery that brews the best beer bar none (In Eric's opinion anyway).

Although it had started to drizzle we decided to enjoy Scotland's largest hedge maze in the back garden. Elise had a few problems getting to the centre but made it eventually.

After Traquair House, with the rain now falling steadily, we made our way to the ruined Dryburgh Abbey intending to enjoy a very late lunch. However the café was hosting a wedding so after a quick look at the abbey over the fence we headed further south for our appointment with Hadrian's Wall. We were somewhat disappointed that we hadn't allowed more than half a day to explore this fascinating and very scenic part of Scotland and agreed we must come back someday.

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