George and Desnee

Page 4 of 5

UK May / June 2016

MELROSE, Scottish Borders (8) Time to move on again to meet up with our friends, Ken and Georgina Hudson, at the Caravan Club site at Melrose. Melrose was a lovely surprise. It is an old market town on the banks of the River Tweed and it is gorgeous. No doubt our opinion was tainted by the warm sunny weather but we really enjoyed our time here. There are plenty of good walks in the area. Particularly pleasant is to walk alongside the River Tweed.

In Melrose town you will find the impressive Abbey ruins and a variety of gardens to explore. Desnée and Georgina found a good supply of shops to explore whilst Ken and George managed to loose the footpath on a long circular walk and ended up scrambling over rocks beside the river!

(left) This spectacular, brick viaduct which crosses the Tweed, is the remains of an earlier railway route to Edinburgh now replaced by the high speed, East Coast main line.

We were sad to leave Melrose and to say ‘Goodbye’ to Ken and Georgina but it was time to drive north again to Rosslyn, just south of Edinburgh. ROSSLYN, near Edinburgh (9) Our campsite, Slatebarns Caravan Park, in Rosslyn was right next door to the famous Rosslyn Chapel. The village of Rosslyn is unremarkable but we did enjoy an excellent meal in the pub, The Original Rosslyn Inn, which is a short walk from the campsite.

The main attraction in Rosslyn is the chapel, which was brought to fame by Dan Brown in his novel ‘The Da Vinci Code’. The chapel, founded in 1446, is well known for the amazing collection of stone carvings. You can take a very informative guided tour which brings to your attention many features that you would miss as a casual vistor. Click on the logo (right) for more information.

Another advantage of this campsite is that it is only 8 miles from the centre of Edinburgh. There is a bus stop outside the pub and a regular bus will take you right to the city centre.

We spent a pleasant, sunny day in Edinburgh city centre. In the afternoon, we visted the Surgeons Hall Museum. A bit gruesome at times but really, really interesting with a huge range of damaged body parts on display! Click on the logo (left) for more information.

MAIDEN LAW, near DURHAM (10) South, back into England and to a small CS campsite, The Granary, in Maiden Law. The site owners were a charming couple who really went out of their way to make you feel welcome and to ensure that you had all the information that you needed to enjoy your stay. The farmer was a keen railway man and had a variety of outdoor tracks laid in his farmyard. One of these tracks encircled the camp field (below right). Unfortunately, the weather had turned wet so there was no opportunity to see model trains running - much to George’s disappointment.

The main purpose of our visit to this area was to visit Beamish Museum. We had arranged to meet up with our friends, Keith and Frances and they arrived shortly after us. The change in the weather was a disappointment to all of us. Some times the visibility was down to a few hundred yards aa we were enveloped in low cloud. Undeterred, we ventured out to the local pub, The Three Horseshoes, which was just across the road, for an evening meal. The portions were huge and very enjoyable.

The next day was damp and misty and everyone but George decided to stay in! George visited the Tanfield Railway which was just a few miles away. It is the worlds oldest preserved railway and it was absolutely charming just like a very large garden railway. It only runs for a few miles but it has bags of character. Well done all those enthusiastic volunteers. Click on the logo (below) for more information.

The next day was brighter and we all took a trip to The Beamish Open Air Museum. Beamish is a wonderful place and everyone should visit at least once. The museum is constantly evolving so that there is always something new to see. Click on the logo (left) for more information. There is so much to see at Beamish. Please visit their website to get the bigger picture.

The Open Air museum covers a vast area. If you prefer to ride rather than walk then you can just hop on to one of the old trams or buses which take you to all sections of the museum. Take care crossing the streets as there are many other vehicles travelling around the site! In all areas there are knowlegeable volunteers who are always pleased to chat about what is around you. Call into the grocers and talk about sugar being weighed out and served to you in blue bags. Visit the dentist and hear about fitting of wooden dentures and how teeth were worked upon before modern anaesthetics. The village pub serves real ale from the area and has a 1900s ambience complete with spitoons. If you have a sweeter tooth then have a look at the confectioners workshop where they are making authentic sweets of the times. Beamish is a treat for all the family but allow yourselves a good day to see everthing. You will not be disappointed! We planned to visit the local pub again for dinner but it was closed !!! We could not believe it. However, the friendly campsite owners told us to go into Lanchester (just a few miles away) and try out the Kings Head. It was a good recommendation - great food and huge portions. Better than the Three Horseshoes!! Serves them right for closing on a Monday night! Next day the miserable weather prompted Keith and Frances to head for home. George and Desnee stayed on and took the Park and Ride service into Durham city. Durham is a busy little city. As a university town, there are numerous students which gives the place energy. There are also all the odd shops that students like plus bars and cafés.

The main attraction is Durham Cathedral. It is impressive both inside and out. Another location that you should visit at least once. Click on logo (left) for more information. In the cathedral café we were amazed to see that a huge Lego model of the cathedral was being constructed for charity. The idea was that you could purchase a brick for £1.00 and place it upon the module that was under construction. We bought a brick each. The model was already nearing completion and was very impressive. (Photos on next page). We understand that the model has since been completed.