A trip to the borders of Scotland

This past Saturday I went on a day trip sponsored by Arcadia to the Scottish Borders south of Edinburgh.  It was an all day trip and it took us to see five different historical sites.  Our first stop was at the Rosslyn Chapel, a Roman Catholic church built back in the 15th century.  Some may recognize the name from Dan Brown's The Da Vinci Code, as it played a major role in the novel/film.  Unfortunately some parts were undergoing reconstruction but it was still an amazing church.  Inside we weren't allowed to take any photos; however, it was too beautiful to pass up so I shut my flash off and snapped a few shots from my pocket, not too many good ones thou as this was a difficult way to take pictures....

Our next stop was at Melrose Abbey, founded back in 1136 by Cistercian monks.  This Gothic-style abbey was built upon the request of King David I of Scotland.  

From Melrose Abbey we went to Smailholm Tower, which is thought to have been built in either the 15th or 16th century.  The tower was designed to protect its occupants from English attacks.  It was four stories high and provided a great view from the balconies at the top...

After Smailholm Tower we traveled to Dryburgh Abbey, established long ago in 1150.  It is the burial ground of a very famous Scottish author, Sir Walter Scott.  Of the trip this was my favorite place we visited.

The last destination on our trip was Scott's view which overlooks the valley of the River Tweed, famous for being the site where Sir Walter Scott often went to site see and find inspiration for his writing.