Melrose, in the Scottish borders is a little gem of a place. Set on the banks of the River Tweed it has a lovely mix of independent shops, bars and cafes and glorious countryside to explore.
We visited in September and stayed in the Caravan and Motorhome Club site which is located at the end of the High Street, ticking (what is for us) a big box as van owners – lots of things to do and see without moving the van! Being a club site you are getting the high standard of facilities you expect – plus the wardens we met were lovely and helpful too.
Surrounded by the Eildon Hills, there are numerous country lanes to explore, but we decided to go on one of the four signed circular cycling trails that start from the town.
To download a map of the trails visit https://www.scotborders.gov.uk/directory_record/12646/melrose_cycle_trails
We chose to do the Scott’s View and Dryburgh trail which was 13.5 miles (22km). A modest distance for a morning ride, but combined with the promise of hills and the fact that we hail from flattish Peterborough, it sounded like a challenge.
Leaving Melrose we rode past the ruins of the Abbey and out towards Newstead. Soon into open countryside, we stopped to take photos of the site of a Roman fort from a viewing platform with a fascinating information board, just before reaching Leaderfoot Viaduct. Then it was onwards and upwards until we reached Scott’s View where we had another rest and enjoyed the breathtaking view across the valley of the river, with the three peaks of the Eildon Hills before you. This is reputed to be one of the favourite views of Sir Walter Scott. He visited so often on his way home that his horses would stop automatically when they got there!
After that we had done most of the climbing, the rest of the trip was more undulating. We took a detour to see William Wallace’s statute, which was up another hill, but worth it in retrospect! We had to get off our bike and walk along a path to see the statute itself – there are lots of walking trails in this area too so we’ve made a note to come back on foot one day!
Towards the end of the ride we came back to the River Tweed at Dryburgh, another lovely area where you can get off your bike and explore. The route crosses the river at the suspension bridge and then you are on the homeward straight. There are some more hills to encounter but the worst part is in a traffic free section of road so you can take it as slow as you like! Cycling on a tandem means we are very good at getting up hills, but we go really slowly as you can’t get up off the saddle in the same way you would on a normal bike. It always makes me laugh, which doesn’t help with the pedalling!
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