Southern Scottish border

On our last trip to Scotland, we spent one night in Melrose. It was a pleasant small town: we visited Lindisfarne (yes, I know it's actually in England!), St. Abbs Head, and Dryburgh Abbey that day. There are also a couple of ruined castles in that area, but we ran out of time.......Next day, we stopped at Rosslyn Abbey.....Have also been to Twice Brewed (great pub, but order fish and chips, NOT the burger there!), then hiked for a couple of hours on the wall, accessing it directly across the highway. The steps up are steep, be sure you have shoes with good soles, not just sneakers......Housesteads is also nearby.

I spent a couple of nights in Melrose and it was nice little town. You might also check out Kelso, Jedburgh or Selkirk. BTW try to find time to visit Hexaham. There is a funny little museum on the Reivers and a wee cathedral. Also, further west Hermitage Castle is impressive in a stark way and has interesting history re Mary Queen of Scots. Pam

After Hadrian's Wall you could head up to Robbie Burns' country (Ayrshire). Lots of small towns and villages, the Burns Centre, Culzean castle (with deer park), beaches ....it's closer than Edinburgh and might be nicer for the kids.

How old are your kids? Another interesting site in the Borders in Traquair House. It's old, has lots of Bonnie Prince Charlie history and has a maze which is fun for kids. http://www.traquair.co.uk/ Pam

Def go to Traquair - ducks / geese running about carpark, house has great history and your children can see a "priest-hole". Place has a brewary and, i think, area with old farm equipment.
S

Thank you for your ideas. I've made a list of them all. I had another thought...we all love to fish and I keep reading about the River Tweed. I've even seen the chef Gordon Ramsey, on the BBC, fish it with his son. Would anyone have ideas of how we could spend a few hours fishing without spending an arm and leg? That would be an incredible memory for us as our usual vacations are spent camping/fishing.

Fishing is really different in Scotland. Check out this website. http://www.perc.org/articles/article249.php and this one http://www.fishpal.com/Scotland/Tweed/index.asp?dom=Tweed They take it very seriously. Maybe you can find one that is family friendly, but it's salmon fishing and it looks like it's $40 to $1,400 per day, and I suspect that is per person. Although maybe not. You get a guide. They count the fish. ; ) "Those fishing fees aren't pure profit for the owners, however. Owners supply a guide who shows the anglers to the fishing holes and acquaints them with local fishing rules and practices, although he doesn't necessarily stay with the angler all day. Most importantly, the guide keeps track of the number of fish landed, since the owners pay a levy to the River Tweed Commission based on their average annual catch-£46 (about $70) per fish per year. On the Tweed, where about 10,000 fish are landed each year, that assessment pays for poaching patrols, biological studies, and the core of the habitat restoration budget. "It's a circle: We keep the fish going, which keeps the fishing going, which keeps the riparian owners going, ad infinitum," Coleman says." And if you're thinking of a wee bit of poaching, then check out this book, The Return of John McNab, by Andrew Grieg. Pam

... maybe just a picnic near the river then.

I would plop myself down for 2-3 nights at one of the outstanding farm house b&b's near Rothbury in Northumberland. From there you can do easy days trips to Hadrian's Wall, the Northumbrian coast, and the Scottish Borders. That way you don't have to spend time looking for a new place to stay every night. Web site: http://www.visit-rothbury.co.uk/index.htm

Just stayed at a nice place along Hadrian's wall in Gisland. I know you said you want to stay in Scotland but I'd recomend staying along the wall in a Bed and Breakfast. I stayed at Willowford Farm- I was traveling alone but it is a family friendly place. There are dozens of options near Once Brewed too.