This tour takes you to the Borders to visit beautiful Melrose Abbey and historic Alnwick Castle. You return via the spectacular east coast.
Check-in: 08:45 Departs: 09:00 Returns: 19:00
Your day begins by heading south out of Edinburgh towards the border between Scotland and England. Established in 1237 by the Treaty of York, we’ll drive through the beautiful landscape of the Scottish Borders, the southern part of the country with its picturesque towns and villages.
Whilst in Melrose, the picturesque home of the Rugby Sevens, you’ll have the chance to visit and explore Melrose Abbey* — widely regarded as one of the most beautiful ruins in Europe. The outside of this grand ruin is decorated in some very unusual sculptures such as hobgoblins and a bagpipe-playing pig.
Leaving this fantastic piece of Scottish history behind, we’ll continue to the star attraction of this tour, Alnwick Castle*. Here you will have ample time to explore the castle and the stunning gardens that surround it. Wander around the medieval walls and be amazed by the large lavish staterooms, which amongst other things house a collection of 14,000 catalogued books in the Library.
While you walk around the castle, you may recognise it as a location from some of the ‘‘Harry Potter’ films and from ‘Downton Abbey’. You can even take part in a broomstick training session on the very spot where Harry had his first flying lesson. For those who want to stay on the ground, there are various museums and exhibitions to discover inside the castle.
The road home takes us up along the stunningly breathtaking East Coast of Northumberland back to Scotland. For our last location of the day, we’ll stop off at North Berwick, with its picturesque red sandstone harbour, views to the islands and, of course, the world-famous Bass Rock, the 107-metre tall volcanic rock, home to a colony of Gannets. This seaside town and former royal burgh has a whole host of great things to see and do. Enjoy the sea air, a deep-fried mars bar or a stroll along the beach before we leave this last stop of the tour and return to Edinburgh.
