Melrose

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Travels Without Miranda, #10: Melrose, Scotland

My month’s journey backpacking around Scotland taught me that there is no reason why I can’t have something I really, really want. I woke up one November morning in 1997 and announced that I was going to Scotland the following summer. I spent six months saving up, and even losing a month’s income to the Ice Storm of ’98 didn’t deter me from my goal.

The most amazing month of my life was drawing to a close when I landed at the youth hostel in Melrose. It was a grand old Victorian house, but it was for the abbey I had come. My month had been one of following the steps of Scotland’s hero William Wallace and one of her kings, Robert the Bruce, and it was at Melrose Abbey that Bruce’s heart was buried.

Melrose youth hostel

Melrose youth hostel

There wasn’t much left to my trip, just a few days. I was due back at work in a week. I was heartsick to be giving up my travels, but excited that my life was about to begin. I was starting university in the fall and would move out on my own, events that made it a little easier to say goodbye to Scotland.

My last night in Melrose I sat on a bench watching the sunset behind the abbey ruins. It is one of those moments of my life that I remember with shattering clarity. It was a perfect moment in time when I knew that I was at the right place and that everything in my life was exactly as it should be. I was flooded with a feeling of peace and well-being and rose from that bench clearheaded and ready to face whatever the future had in stock for me.

Melrose Abbey. The Bench would be just offshot to the right.

Melrose Abbey. The Bench would be just offshot to the right.

It didn’t take long after that for my life to completely derail and I ended up spending the better part of a decade grasping for that perfect moment again.

While I’ve never had such a strong feeling of contentment since hitting the road with Miranda, I’ve had several glimpses of that peace I felt in Melrose. With that reference point in mind, I have been able to identify moments that are completely the opposite, when the universe is shouting at me to get out, to move on, that where I am is the wrongest place I can be. I haven’t shared the full story of what went on in Oliver, but I think that what I didn’t say in my announcement that I was leaving was pretty clear.

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Melrose to Dumfries By Way of Carlisle, England

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12:00 pm

What a day! 1st, the bus to Moffat came on the wrong side of the square, so I missed it.  So, I ended up in Galashiels (a lot ‘nicer’ than the guidebook claims). I came here since it’s supposedly the ‘hub’ of the bus system in the Borders. I enquired about how to get to Dumfries. ‘Very easily, go by Carlisle.’ Carlisle? EECHH!!! It’s in ENGLAND!!!! I just hope I won’t be stranded there for too long!

(Of 28 days in the U.K., I spent a long 45 minutes in England!)

3:23 pm

I just passed a ‘Welcome to Scotland’ sign. (There is no ‘Welcome to England’ sign. Further evidence of England’s desire to quelch Scottish nationalism, and Scotland’s desire to assert herself as a separate nation.) My ‘stay’ in England lasted all of maximum 30 minutes! It looks a lot like Scotland (!). I actually encouraged the local economy by buying something! I got to the stance from which a bus to Dumfries departs, and, to my delight, the next bus was in 22 minutes. I’ll be there in about a half hour. The Cumbrian accent (the little I heard) is actually quite different from the Scottish accent (speaking generally, of course, since there are so many different Scottish accents!) Coming into Carlisle, I saw a sign saying ‘Hadrian’s Wall’. I came this close to staying in order to see it!

6:58 pm

I made it to Dumfries!!!!!! Since I discovered I had a whole £100 extra in my account and there are no youth hostels here, I decided to treat myself to a B and B. It’ll cost me £16/night. I have my very own room!!! Boy does that feel weird! A B and B also means restaurants, so this will be an extravagant weekend. Hell, I scrimped and saved for the last month! Ayr youth hostel is full. I’ll see if there are any cancellations Sunday morning. If not, I might just stay the day and get something very close to the bus station in Glasgow. It’s too bad that today was basically wasted. Did you know I’m this close to Carrutherstown? I thought I might ‘pop in’ tomorrow, just to say I’ve been there.

Tonight, I’m definitely going to see a movie. I have an hour to kill before I leave, so I’ll enjoy the semi-quiet (lots of traffic) of my own room and get ahead with Wallace. I decided that if I find any other Wallace books, I’ll buy one with the money George gave me. Don’t ask how I’m planning to pack! I’ll figure it out Monday night! Tuesday morning! My last weekend in Scotland…

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Hiking Around Melrose

6:28 pm

What a delightful day I’ve had.

1)         A-two hour ‘stroll’ around a tiny museum about Trimontium, a Roman fort near here. Why two hours ? A most wonderful audio tape packed with wit, humour, and facts.

2)         Lunch. I decided to treat myself since I have a bit of extra money. I came in around 11 :50. ‘You serve lunch?’ I asked. ‘At 12’ ‘Oh, then I’ll have a half pint of Guinness while I wait.’

3)         The Trimontium walk, which just happens to occur only on Thursdays! A guide led us to the fields and explained where everything was. It cost about £2, but I had met an elderly man named George Giles just before the walk and he insisted on paying for me. We made conversation during lulls in the fascinating lecture/stroll about Trimontium. Our conversation (a lot about religion and belief or lack thereof in God) continued around tea and cookies (part of the tour).

There was a pause while we walked along a wall that was about the width of this open notebook (a ft or two.), with a four-foot drop on one side and an eight-foot drop on the other! Upon reaching town, we parted with a cheek kiss (very comfortable) and a handshake. When he’d gone, I found myself holding a £10 note in my hand. So, I’ve met a wonderful man, sort of the grand-father I never had, and I’m financially ahead and I found some thistles which I’ll go pick (just one) this evening.

The only problem is I didn’t get around to calling the Dumfries tourist information centre (literally no time to do so). I might do so early tomorrow morning. I can afford two nights in a B and B if necessary, although I’d like to remain under a £20/night limit.

8:58 pm

Found a thistle. Damn are they painfully prickly!!! Tomorrow, I’m taking a ‘scenic’ tour to Moffat. From there, I’ll try to get to Dumfries! I figure a night or two there then Ayr.

Everything is so lovely!!! The Abbey is bathed by late evening sunlight which is literally radiating through clouds. I’ll be honest, there’s a hole in the sky which looks like the gateway to heaven. Only heaven is on Earth.

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Stirling to Melrose

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11:29 am

I’m on a bus waiting to depart. Destination: Melrose. Yep. I’ve had luck today. Here’s how it’s gone :

1) Huge breakfast with extra bread and jam to eat for lunch with peanut butter

2) Walk to bus stop. Told bus to Edinburgh 2hrs. Train: 50 min. (travelling time)

3) Go to train station. Fare to Edinburgh very similar (few p. difference at most. Less than £5). Next train leaves in 10 min.

4) Get to Edinburgh. Told to go to bus station. Get there on my own with no detours.

5) Find bus to Melrose. Less than £6. Leaves in 15 min. Time to get bed booked and buy a snack!

6) I’m on my way. Cost: a lot less than the train to Berwick!!!

6:06 pm

I’m in the absolutely lovely Melrose youth hostel, a Victorian mansion. From the common room, I have a view of the abbey, which is even better from the dining room! I cannot believe just how different the Lowlands are from the Highlands. I slightly regret not bringing home some Highland dirt and a thistle when I had the chance. Oh, well. Scottish dirt is Scottish dirt!

The Abbey was great and included an audio tour. I gave my last respects to Robert the Bruce at the site where his heart is buried. Yup, it made its way back!!! This is on thing I’ve been most lucky with. (When the heart was found the second time, a year or so ago, I think, it was taken to Edinburgh for tests. There were incredible delays with getting it back to Melrose. I missed the burial by only day or two, but at least the heart was home when I went to Melrose, and not lying in some scientist’s office.) It was like visiting a grave — I guess it was a grave. It was most moving, to say the least.

So, I plan on two nights here, perhaps one in Dumfries (if I find a cheap place), two in Ayr, and one very near the airport ! Melrose is great in that everything is very nearby and the hills aren’t very high! My trip is just about over and I don’t feel that I’ve wasted my time. It’s a good feeling.

8:16 pm

I have not felt such peace and pure contentment since Colorado. I mean, I’m sitting this close to ancient (okay early medieval to 19th century) ruins. Melrose is such a beautiful abbey, mostly red and yellow ochre, but there are other colours as well, best seen inside. Digress.

I think I’ve invented a new sport! The sport’s name ? Mud skiing. It involves going hill walking in inappropriate attire such as worn down sneakers that won’t adhere to anything and light coloured jeans. Now, find a steep, slippery, muddy hill (you have to be at the top). Now, carefully pick your way down to the first muddy and slippery patch you can’t see. Allow yourself to slip down it, gaining momentum. Once you’ve stopped sliding, KEEP MOVING VERY QUICKLY until you reach the next muddy and slippery spot you can’t see. Allow yourself to go full speed down that one, gaining more momentum. You should end up literally barrelling down the hill. The point of the exercise is to get to the bottom on your own two feet, without falling, without dirtying your clothes, and with a very minimal amount of mud on your shoes. Impossible ? Hell, I did it !

10:20 pm

Everything is just fine and perfect and wonderful. I feel such peace. I wish I could feel like this in the ‘real’ world. I called home and actually got (my mother). She’s going to put some money in my account. Turns out I had a whole £100 left, but for some reason I was unable to extract half of it. Oh well, Friday I’ll have the extra cash, so I’m going to enjoy my weekend. Horseback riding, perhaps?! (I can’t explain the frame of mind I was in as I wrote this entry. It was like I was floating on clouds. I had no worries, no stress, no negativity. It was pure bliss, I suppose.)