Before Jane broke her arm, we spent large parts of each day absorbing Edinburgh: the city and its sights.  We walked to the shops, to the cinema, to the bars and cafes we frequented and even, somewhat aimlessly, to just take in the Georgian architecture of New Town or to discover slightly unfamiliar areas on its margins.  We were priding ourselves on our step counts while taking in the ambiance of the city and seeing some new places.

For example, for the first time in all our past Edinburgh visits we went to both the cathedrals in the city.  St Mary’s Episcopal Cathedral is actually just at the end of the street with our Airbnb.  It’s a relatively modern cathedral but it is in a gothic style.  It is large, imposing and pleasantly airy, and set in grassy grounds.

St Giles’ Cathedral is far older and is set right in the heart of Edinburgh next to the Royal Mile.  It has a lovely open spire and a pleasingly compact shape.  Inside, the layout is unusual with a central altar.  I liked the atmosphere, the scale of the place and the fact that it encouraged donations rather than imposed an entrance fee. 

The Thistle Chapel that was bolted onto the side of the Cathedral in 1911, is a particularly interesting aspect of the building.  The chapel was designed and built in the neo-gothic arts and crafts style for the Knights of the Thistle, an order of chivalry associated with Scotland which dates back to 1687.  This order consists of sixteen members and a new member is only ‘invested’ when another dies.  Each member is represented around the chapel with statues or, more recently, plate crests.  I loved the cool, almost damp atmosphere in the chapel and some of the diverse stories of the past and current members.

We also ventured outside of the City.  We visited South Queensferry which Jane had seen described somewhere as the UK’s second prettiest town.  It has a quaint high street and some interesting buildings and gardens nearby. 

However, I think the most remarkable thing about the town is the view across the Firth of Forth between the road and the rail bridge.  The rail bridge was originally built in 1890 and I’m not surprised that it has been voted Scotland’s greatest man-made wonder; it is a terrific, dramatic structure.

We spent a day in Border Country south of Edinburgh. The journey south through the Pentland Hills and past the Eildon Hills to Melrose was very attractive.

Melrose is a pretty town with a number of tourist attractions (mainly closed for the winter).  The Abbey on the town outskirts looked great in the sunny weather.  However, it was clear that it is undergoing significant renovation and repair so we didn’t venture into its grounds.  Instead we simply strolled around the town for a while and then set off to see nearby Dryburgh Abbey.

I vaguely recall visiting Dryburgh Abbey when I was a teenager.  It has changed a lot less than me since then but Historic Scotland have, I suspect, increased the information available around the site.  This did illuminate what it must have been like to be a Premonstratensian monk in the 12^th century.  Apart from the 2am nocturnal mass, the vow of silence and the bitter cold, it didn’t look like being such a bad life! 

The abbey is now a lovely ruin surrounded by very mature trees and well-kept grassland leading down to the River Tweed.  Sir Walter Scott is buried amongst the ruins.  We were almost the only visitors at the time and the Abbey and its environs were peaceful and relaxing to walk around.

We drove on to Selkirk and then Peebles.  We started on roads along the sparkling River Tweed but were diverted, due to bridge repairs, onto a hillside route.  I was surprised at how wild the landscape is around Peebles and, given that we were in no rush, the diversion proved to be a welcome one. 

We found a relatively fast electric car charger on the edge on Peebles town centre and walked into the town.  We took on board cake and coffee at The Milkman and wandered up the high street of what was a spa town.  It was all very relaxing and pleasant, and, all the while, reminding me of childhood holidays with my parents in the Tweed Valley.

We headed home chattering about our impending day of baby-sitting First Grandchild the next day, unaware, of course, that subsequent events would prevent that, or further big trips before we return home.  At least we managed to see some Scottish countryside and we can comfort ourselves with the knowledge that it will be there still when we return in the future.