Melrose Abbey

Two things stand out: its Gothic architecture, among the finest carved stonework of any medieval building in Scotland, and its role as the burial place of Robert the Bruce's heart. After Bruce died in 1329, his heart was embalmed and carried on crusade towards Granada in Spain by Sir James Douglas, then returned to Scotland and interred at Melrose as the king had asked. A lead casket thought to hold the heart was found during excavations in 1921 and again in 1996, and is now marked beneath the high altar.

It's one of the great medieval ruins of Britain, and still surprisingly under-visited for its quality. The carved stonework is remarkable even in ruin, right down to the famous pig playing the bagpipes on one of the roof bosses. The setting on the River Tweed with the Eildon Hills behind is lovely, and the town of Melrose, with its good independent shops and restaurants, rounds out a full and rewarding day.

Abbotsford House, the remarkable home Sir Walter Scott built and lived in from 1817 until his death in 1832, is about 3 miles west of Melrose on the banks of the Tweed. Scott was a passionate champion of the abbey and wrote about it in his narrative poem 'The Lay of the Last Minstrel' (1805), which brought it to wide attention. The two make natural companions on a Scottish Borders day tour.

Melrose Abbey is around 38 miles south of Edinburgh, roughly 50 minutes by car on the A7 or A68 through the Borders. It sits in the heart of the Scottish Borders between Galashiels and Jedburgh, and combines easily with Dryburgh Abbey, Jedburgh Abbey and Abbotsford House on a full Borders day tour.