2nd Day - Tuesday - Melrose Abbey und Abb's Head
Today the sky looks nice and the sun shines into my room. Slowly I awake. That is an disadvantage in a hotel or Bed and Breakfast, you have to get up in time or won't get any breakfast. In this case it means breakfast at 9 o'clock. So I toil myself out of the bed at 8 o'clock - having a shower, got dressed and then breakfast. Today of course Scottish Breakfast with fried egg, fried tomatoes, mushrooms, beacon (actually more ham) and the obligatory sausages. Utterly fearless I tried the sausages but I did not ate them. Voluntary I ate something like that in New Zealand?? It is amazing what you eat if there is nothing else (in this case no German sausages).
After I parked the car I went to the visitor information. It was placed in a cute little house opposite of the Abbey. Here I asked for walks around Melrose. But the kind man there could only offer me a walk I knew, I printed it at home before I came to Scotland, but to that walk later. Now I walked to the Abbey (for those who don not know an Abbey is a cloister). Melrose Abbey is quite interesting even though there are mainly ruins left. But I was not in the right mood for the place so I did not went to the museum and after an hour I was on the way to my "walk" around the hills.
First the walk went through the town across the market place and passes the pillar with the unicorn, then the first slope but only a short one. Then the walk starts between to house. It feels a bit strange to look into the peoples back yard bit it is an official walk. Then the stairs, these stairs can scare you and for someone like me, coming from the plains, it was a real challenge. But with three breaks I manage the stairs (see the photos). But that was just the start of climbing up the hills. The path went more and more uphill, sometimes steeper, sometimes less and no end of the climbing in sight. So I made up my mind I do not need to walk around the hills. I found a nice spot beside the path and sat down. A plaid and my book I had with me. And so I read a while, ate an apple, watched the sheep and enjoyed the view over Melrose. Then it looked like it would start to rain and I went back to my car.
Here now the link to the photos:
Melrose und Melrose Abbey
But it was far to early to drive back to Edinburgh. I remembered a place at the North sea that could not be to far away. So I looked at the map an right. I estimate around an hour to drive and I was right. The drive alone was worth doing it. I drove across the main direction to Edinburgh on small roads and enjoyed the countryside. Then I arrived at Abb's Head. Here is a small nature reserve. A path leads you along the cliff (right at the edge) and close to the sea gulls, which are breed here. Here I med a school class from Germany who did this walk more or less excited (mainly less). And I talked to two girls who decided not to do the walk with ballerinas (a wise decision, the walk requires descent shoes!). And prompt I got wet again, the second time within two days. But until I finish the walk I was dry again. When you step down a stairway which is build into the rocks you have two options to go on. One is to climb up the cliff again and walk to a lighthouse or you walk inland back to the start point. I chose the second option. At a wee Loch a swan swam towards me and my first reaction was to look for a nest. But there was none and the swan was very peaceful, I took some photos and then the swan turned. I moved on also and after 1 1/2 hour I reached the start point. At the parking area is an old house where you can find toilettes, information about Abb's Head and a Cafe. Here I bought a Cafe Latte and sat down in the sun. When new dark clouds arrived I went back to the car and drove back to Edinburgh.