The place I have created

So said Sir Walter Scott about Abbotsford, where we were today. What a place!

It’s somewhere I have wanted to go to for a very long time and can’t think why we have never been. Maybe now it was because we both followed a FutureLearn course on Walter Scott, which was based at his house, maybe it was because I looked at the shelf full of Scott novels picked up and read when I was a teenager. Maybe it was because Gordon had set himself the challenge of actually reading one of his books, chose Rob Roy and managed to finish it (it took a long time!). Or maybe we were tempted when we realised that we could get into the house half-price with our Arts Pass. Or maybe we just fancied a day out and we had long planned to start following in the footsteps of St Aiden and St Cuthbert in the same area.

We went and were very impressed indeed. I loved the house - the Study (see Extra 1), of course the Library (see Extra 2), the handpainted Chinese wallpaper in the Drawing Room (see Extra 3), although Gordon was more impressed with the collected weaponry that adorned some of the walls - one of the excellent Guides showed him where Rob Roy’s swords etc were! Then the walled gardens - even I appreciated those (see Extra 4).  There are many walks around the estate, all free to use, but the weather wasn’t brilliant and so we had a picnic and left, vowing to return soon. 

Melrose Abbey later, which we had also booked, was a disappointment for several reasons, but perhaps we had had enough for one day. We returned home.