Scotland - Peebles to Haggerston

---

Thursday 19th May 2011 Peebles to Haggerston 83 miles
The weather seemed ok so we decided to visit Northumberland before heading home. Drove along the River Tweed to Melrose where there is an Abbey and two NT small gardens – Harmony and Priorwood, which also has a rare apple orchard, some trees dating from Roman times. On to another Abbey at Dryburgh and then through Coldstream to a small village called Branxton. We had read somewhere that there was an unusual garden next to the fountain, known as ‘Cement Menagerie’ and populated with zoo and farm animals as well as statesmen and soldiers all modelled, life-size, in cement!
It was quite easy to find as there were only about ten houses in the village and the owner was happy for us to wander around and see his garden, that he had ‘inherited’ from his wifes’ uncle. It was quite amazing and bizarre to see life size giraffes, penguins, sheep and a motley assortment of models in amongst his garden! Seemed to be quite out of place somehow!
We also visited the field where the Battle of Flodden between the Scots and the English was fought, in 1513, which is now marked by a tall cross. So peaceful now that it is hard to imagine that it was once a battlefield and 10,000 men were killed.
We then went to Berwick on Tweed to find out the tide times to enable us to visit Lindisfarne but as we were not able to visit until tomorrow, spent a very pleasant afternoon in the sunshine walking the Elizabethan ramparts around the town and then along the sea wall to the lighthouse.
Somehow or other we have ended camping for the night at a huge Haven Caravan Site in Haggerston and had a meal in their lounge bar surrounded by crying children!! At least we are close to Lindisfarne and Holy Island!

---