Sacred Ruins

We were in Melrose today and whilst others went shopping, I wandered along the path that borders the Abbey grounds. I was looking for the famous bagpipe-playing pig, but in vain.

This is Melrose Abbey from the south east, now in ruins but still displaying some wonderful carving and tracery. The ruins were a source of stonework for locals, "borrowed" to enhance their own properties. Sir Walter Scott, whose Abbotsford lies not far away, was apparently not immune to this form of vanadalism.