North Belton Farm Getaway - Day # 4

JEDBURGH ABBEY

I am back from another absolutely fabulous day out with my Aunt and Uncle. I took 215 photos if that tells you anything lol. Today we visited the historic city of Jedburgh and Kelso. We had planned to do that yesterday but the rain of course got in the way. It was probably a good thing it happened the way it did because we crammed a lot into todays agenda . So where to start. We got up and did our usual - breakfast and bath. We headed out the door around 10:00am, heading towards Jedburgh. Jedburgh lies on the Jed Water, a tributary of the River Teviot, it is only ten miles from the border with England and is dominated by the substantial ruins of Jedburgh Abbey. Other notable buildings in the town include Mary, Queen of Scots' House and Jedburgh Castle Jail, now a museum. We visited all three. We parked in the free car park adjacent to the Abbey information center. We walked into the information center to see if they had any pamphlets and gather information on all three places we wanted to visit. It turned out that you paid to get into the Abbey, but the Mary Queen of Scots House and the Castle Jail were free. Pretty cool because if it was in the States they probably would have charged you to get into all three places lol. After the information center we headed to the Abbey, which I have to tell you is absolutely stunning. Even though it stands in ruins, it is so majestic. It used to be home to the Augustine Canons , and the first part of it was build in 1150. So its a really really old Abbey. We wandered all around - exploring and taking photos. My Aunt and I climbed a spiral stone staircase to the top of the abbey and you could look down on the whole thing. You wouldnt want to go up there if you were claustrophobic as the staircase is wide enough for one skinny person going up and coming down lol. I got some spectacular shots from up above. One of my favorite photos is looking through the archways at the top of the Abbey on the cemetery down below. Love Love Love it. Be sure to check it out in my photo album which I will probably upload after dinner tonight. After the Abbey we walked through town up a long hill towards the Castle Jail. Jedburgh Castle Jail gives visitors a taste of what life was like in an 1820's prison, whilst also telling the story of the royal Burgh of Jedburgh. You can walk through the original cell blocks of this Georgian jail - the finest remaining Howard reform prison in Scotland - and find out about some of the people who were once imprisoned here and why they were put in. The prisoner's cell blocks tell the story of the Jail and its inmates, with individual cells looking as they would have done back then, complete with model prisoners lol. From there we walked back down the hill and stopped in at the Coffee Corner for lunch. We got there too late for soup as they were all sole out for the day. So I had a haggis and onion toast which was pretty good. After lunch, we headed to Mary Queen of Scots house. Mary Queen of Scots stayed in Jedburgh in 1566 on an official tour, and it was whilst she was here she visited her secret lover in Hermitage Castle.  The Mary Queen of Scots Visitor Centre is located within a 16th century towerhouse, set in a pear tree garden in the heart of Jedburgh. The Rogues Gallery, Last Letter Room and many other parts of the centre explore the life of Scotland's tragic queen through paintings, textiles and objects associated with her.of the centre explore the life of Scotland's tragic queen through paintings, textiles and objects associate. This concluded our visit in Jedburgh (well with a final stop back at the information center so I could purchase a fridge magnet lol) Then it was time to get back on the road for Kelso. Kelso in the Scottish Borders is regarded as one of the most charming and beautiful towns in the Borders. With the largest town market square in Scotland, four cobbled streets converge on the cobbled town square with it’s elegant Georgian and Victorian buildings. They also have an Abbey. Not as big as the Jedburgh one but quite impressive. We walked around this one too and I took more photos. We headed out of Kelso around 5:00pm after a stop in at Sainsbury for some groceries. All in all, it was a wonderful day and I am so grateful to my Aunt and Uncle for letting me stay with them for these few days and taking me places I normally wouldn't see. I will probably be headed home to my folks tomorrow, but I wont soon forget this lovely mini vacation at the farm :-)