We set off in sunshine at 9:30, a short distance along a railway path then a minor road which followed the river Tweed into Melrose, the town busy with Sunday tourists and motorcyclists. We missed Dryburgh Abbey by taking a wrong turning but were soon back on course, reaching Floors Castle just in time for lunch, eating our sandwiches on a bench followed by coffee and cake in the cafe, the variety of cakes making it hard to choose.
A zigzag route along the Tweed valley avoiding the main road took us within a few miles of the city centre but we took the direct A698 road as Christine was flagging and it was getting late. We reached the hostel at 19:00, well situated in the town centre yet in a quiet location, good facilities and very reasonably priced. Our only complaint was that after running the shower for 5 minutes after our hot and sticky arrival, we enquired if there was a problem only to be told that the boiler had broken down and nobody was available to fix it on a Sunday. If only we’d been told that when be checked in.
An hour after our arrival, the heavy rain arrived so we were unable to look round the town.