Melrose is a great town to visit at anytime of the year, but it shines brightly in the long days of summer. Floral displays add to the colour and character of this bustling and prosperous town, home to 2,500 or so people and a lot of visitors! Here’s my guide to 6 things you can do to have a memorable Melrose experience.

Dig into history - Trimontium Museum, Melrose Abbey, Newstead

Melrose and Newstead lay claim to serious antiquity - ancient Celtic Tribespeople called this area home long before the Romans arrived to make a mark with their huge Trimontium Fort. Find out more about both these groups at the 5 star Trimontium Musuem, in Market Square. New in 2024, the museum will offer a virtual reality experience to bring the fort to life for the 21st century! Move forward approx. 1,000 years to the graceful ruins of Melrose Abbey. Founded by Cistercian Monks invited here by King David I, the Abbey was one of the most powerful in Scotland, and is the resting place of King Robert The Bruce’s heart, among many other memorials. Work is ongoing to ensure the future of the ruinous abbey, with scaffolding up in 2024. The entry price has been reduced accordingly, and a visit is still highly recommended - check out the museum, just across the lane. Finally, if you want to stretch your legs, a short walk along Priorswalk (signed for Borders Abbeys Way) will take you to Newstead. Here you can go on one of the excellent guided walks of the Trimontium battlefield, passing by the quaint rows of houses in this settlement - reputed to be the oldest continuously habited village in Scotland.

Hikes & Strolls - Eildon Hill, Town Walk, Daunder to Darnick

Eildon Hill North dominates views from Market Square, just tempting you to hike up it and it’s fellow peaks. This is as great a half day hike as you’ll find anywhere in Scotland, with loads of options to vary it up. Find out why these mysterious hills, full of legends and stories, captivate thousands of walker every year. If the stiff climb isn’t quite your thing, then you can follow the Town Trail around Melrose, this will point out some of the interesting features of the town centre, and will be primarily on the flat. Finally, why not take a daunder to Darnick, the characterful conservation village sitting just west of Melrose? Easy loops from the town taken you out here along the quiet back road, with the option of returning via The River Tweed and Southern Upland Way. A perfect summers evening walk.

I can provide guiding for all of these walks, or a combination of any. Just get in touch :)

Shoppers Delight - The Reading Room, Charity Shop & More

Indie shops rule the roost in Melrose, and long may that continue. Primarily focused on a triangle formed by High Street, Buccleuch Street and Abbey Street, you are sure to find something for your tastes here. The Reading Room is a favourite of mine, sucker as I am for a bookshop. Owner Rebecca has created a lovely wee space full of attractive books and quirky gifts, with a real emphasis on local artists. I also want to mention the charity shop Chest, Heart & Stroke Scotland. Now I know what you are thinking, charity shops are a bit off-piste for travel guides aren’t they? But folks, this is a Melrose charity shop. So it’s four rooms of goodness including tweed jackets, PG Wodehouse novels and classic sets of Trivial Pursuit. So, right up my street! Just Joh on Abbey Street is a great wee gift shop, one of a number in the town. Melrose is very fortunate to have such a vibrant and eclectic selection of shops, follow the Melrose Traders on Facebook to find out more.

Cultural Pursuits - The Borders Book Festival

For a few days in June the cultural spotlight of Scotland leaves the Central Belt and shines on Melrose for the Borders Book Festival. This years edition will be the 21st and takes place between 13 and 16 June. Tickets will fly quickly for the headliners, but why not take a punt on something different or challenging? If all else fails, enjoy the sunshine, street food and beers in the orchard for this wonderful occasion in the Borders calendar. You can find this years programme here.

Borders Book Festival Directors Paula Ogilvie & Alistair Moffat

Food and Drink - Provender, The Kings Arms, Simply Delicious

Melrose is a foody delight, with everything from upmarket suppers, to pub grub and horsebox coffee! Provender is tucked away at the West End of the High Street, and is at the more upmarket end of the towns offering. I ate here in late February 2020 so you can do the maths and work out that it was the last time I ate out for quite some time - but what a way to go, the memory of the food kept me going in lockdown! Contemporary Scottish cuisine, done brilliantly well. The Kings Arms does pub grub, and very well too. A great place for a casual dinner, or hearty post Eildons lunch. Finally, for a sweet treat I love Simply Delicious. Handmade chocolate, the best ice cream and jars of sweeties. Perfect to fuel up for a trip across the road to The Abbey. These three are just the tip of the Melrose foody experience, let me know what I have missed…

Gardens - Priorwood and Harmony

Two National Trust for Scotland Gardens can be found in Melrose. Harmony Garden is home to the Borders Book Festival but other than the festival and set up time either side, it is a peaceful oasis and is of course at its best in the summer months. Just across the road is Priorwood Garden, which features a heritage orchard and was once part of the Abbey precinct. Both are free to enter and are a great place to enjoy a picnic or a coffee, as you revel in the tranquillity of Melrose, Gem of Scotland.

Image Credits: South of Scotland Destination Alliance& Duncan Ireland, @tweedvalleyblogger, Borders Book Festival

A day oot in The Borders… 6 things to do in Melrose