The border abbeys: Dryburgh

The border abbeys: Dryburgh, originally uploaded by British Traveller.

And Dryburgh, which contains the graves of none other than Sir Walter Scott and Field Marshal Haig (if you've ever watched Blackadder this will mean something to you).

The border abbeys: Melrose

The border abbeys: Melrose, originally uploaded by British Traveller.

Last week you saw a complete, operating abbey on Iona. Today I'm in the Borders, a region ravaged historically by wars with the English. The famous border abbeys show the signs of it, although their ruined state lends them a certain romantic quality. This is Melrose Abbey, where the heart of Robert the Bruce is said to lie.

New Lanark

New Lanark, originally uploaded by British Traveller.

Scotland is the proud location for four World Heritage sites. On this trip I've seen three of them: prehistoric Orkney, the centre of Edinburgh, and now this, the mill town of New Lanark (the other one is a tiny island in the middle of the Atlantic). And why is this mill so important? Good question. Aside from the fact that it's quite a big mill, which doesn't earn it world heritage status in my book, the reason seems to be that it's owner, Robert Owen, was quite nice. Owen provided his workers with good homes and wages, free health care and the world's first nursery school. As he rather frighteningly put it, 'society may be formed so as to exist without crime, witiout poverty, with health greatly improved, with little, if any misery, and with intelligence and happiness increased a hundredfold.'

Oban harbour front

Oban harbour front, originally uploaded by British Traveller.

Oban is the main ferry terminal for the Scottish islands. There's nothing particularly special about it, but since today is the third time I've been here I think it's earned a photo.

A Reward

A Reward, originally uploaded by British Traveller.

After all your hard work following this blog for five weeks now, I think you've earned a nice classic sunset picture. Well done! This is Killoran Bay on the Isle of Colonsay. Go on, you know you want to find it on Google Earth...

Iona

Iona, originally uploaded by British Traveller.

Another day's travelling yesterday brought to the Isle of Iona. A pilgrimage hotspot, being the site where Columba brought Christianity to Scotland in the sixth century, it is still home to an active monastic community. Walking round the abbey was a special moment for me, as I'm so used to seeing them in ruins. There is a real atmosphere of prayer radiating outwards, from the cloisters to the glorious beaches and beyond.

North Uist

North Uist, originally uploaded by British Traveller.

A slightly rockier beach on North Uist. The weather has cleared up brilliantly, which I'm told is quite unusual. Unfortunately, I've messed up my ferry times, so I'm faced with a dash down the islands to make the ferry tomorrow morning. But I've got a great bus driver, who keeps stopping to let us wander around and take photos. I read that it takes a long time for anything to happen in the Western Isles, and that seems to apply to bus journeys - it takes 4 hours for a one and a half hour car ride. And tonight I'm also throwing in the hostel towel and heading for a B and B. Maybe meet some locals instead of any more Dutch cyclists.