Melrose
(Above image is a capture of Melrose from atop the tower at Melrose Abbey.) Melrose is an attractive, historic, small town located in the heart of the Scottish Borders region. The town is located about 39 miles directly south of Edinburgh and 63 miles north of Carlisle (which is on the English side of the border) and as such offers a good base for touring the Borders region. The population of Melrose is about 1600 persons and the name is derived from the Brittonic (Welsh) term for ‘bare moor’. Places to visit in and around Melrose: Melrose Abbey. This is a romantic ruin located in the town centre. Founded by Cistercian monks in the 12th century under the auspices of King David I. Damaged by English troops in 1322 and 1385. Rendered a ruin by the ‘rough wooing’ policies of England’s King Henry VIII in 1545 with denouement being the Scottish Reformation of 1560. Here, in 1920, was found buried what is believed to be the heart of King Robert the Bruce of Scotland (...