Surviving Mai Tai Tom’s “Royal” Blunder: 2022 England & Scotland

CHAPTER TWELVE: The Scottish Borders

Day Twelve: Kath’s Cookies, Fleurs At Floors, Scotland’s Largest Inhabited Castle (But Not By Us), Great Scott, Guardian O’ The Scottish Borders, Burt’s, Farewell To Arms, The Agony Of De-Feet, In Search Of Mary Queen of Scots, A Locals Restaurant and Masking Issues

At breakfast, we received wonderful news. Kath was willing to share her recipe for those tasty shortbread cookies (Kath works at Budle Hall). We learned the “secret” ingredient is the ground rice, and Celia even brought out the box to show us. Unfortunately, other than the list of ingredients the recipe was lacking directions, so we (Tracy) will have to experiment a tad. (Maybe we’ll see it on MaiTai Tracy’s Kitchen sometime soon.)

We bade goodbye to camera-shy Ziggy, who gave us her usual “look” of endearment. In case you were wondering what type of dog Ziggy is, she is a lurcher which we learned is a cross-breed between a Greyhound and a herding dog. According to Ralph, Ziggy was quite the hunter in her youth.  The sheep were nowhere to be found, and I didn’t have the heart to ask where they were. If you want to stay in this part of the world, I can’t think of a better setting than Budle Hall. Ralph and Celia (and Ziggy) really make your stay a special one.

In planning for this trip, there were plenty of spots I had marked on the itinerary. Unfortunately, before I left, I saw many of these places were either closed for renovations or events. Today was one of those days. The first disappointment would be Floors Castle, an 18th-century castle that is Scotland’s Largest Inhabited Castle and home to the 10th Duke of Roxburghe. Today, however, it was closed for a private party of some sort. I guess our invitation was lost in the mail.

Instead of getting to see the interior of the castle, we were able to enjoy the gardens and parkland that surrounds Floor Castle. Before going into the gardens, I galloped over to see some four legged friends who seemed kind of lonely in the expansive fields.

But enough horsing around.

Inside The Walled Garden, we visited The Tapestry Garden.

Since Floors Castle hosts concerts, I figured the Tapestry Garden would make for a great Carole King venue. Speaking of concerts, Tracy learned there was to be a Michael Buble concert at the castle on July 4th and asked if we wanted to stay until then. The Tapestry Garden is relatively new (2016) and provides some contrast within The Walled Garden.

The garden pathways were lined with an array of colorful flowers including lupines, Scottish thistle and many others.

The gardens at Floors Castle were designed in the 1830s, and the Walled Garden was added in 1860.

The head gardener lives in the house in the corner of The Walled Garden. Tracy asked whether she could move in. Turns out she can. The house, built in 1815, has been restored and can be rented out as a holiday house. Tracy said she’d see me next year if I wanted to visit.

The French-style Millennium Parterre was our next stop. It features the intertwining initials of the 10th Duke and Duchess of Roxburghe. Since I left my drone in the car, I got this photo off the website.

The ever-present rhododendrons of the United Kingdom were in full blooming glory in a glorious array of colors.

They were so big …

… it looks like I’m waving pompoms.

Pollinators were buzzing with excitement.

The gardens were interesting, but we were a little bummed about missing out on the castle.

This Westie puppy was just happy to hitch a ride courtesy of his parents.

We then meandered the Riverside Walk and Woodlands Walk to catch a glimpse of the front of the castle we couldn’t visit.

Yep, it’s large alright.

We were going to sneak in, but it was time to head for a viewpoint that a famed author visited quite often.

This lookout is where Sir Walter Scott would come to reflect.

It would later be named, not surprisingly, Scott’s View.  There are commanding views of the River Tweed and Eildon Hills. This was an area that once even had volcanic activity.

Now it was time to find another famous Scot located a short drive away.  Near Dryburgh Abbey, on a hill overlooking the River Tweed, we stopped to photograph the giant statue of Scotland’s hero and “Guardian O’ The Scottish Borders,” William Wallace.

The statue, erected in 1814, was the first of many statues honoring Wallace. The statue is 21 1/2 feet tall on top of a nearly ten-foot pedestal. It’s a short walk through a wooded area from the parking area.

Nearby the statue is an urn with a poetic tribute.