Dryburgh Abbey (Roxburghshire)

Thanks to Stuart and Claire for providing our first pictures of Giant Redwoods in Scotland. The above photographs were taken on a visit to Dryburgh Abbey near St Boswells in the Scottish Borders. Stuart tells us that there are at least three Giant Redwoods in the grounds. Earl Haig, the World War 1 Field Marshal, and Walter Scott are buried at Dryburgh Abbey. Nearby is a statue of William Wallace located at Scott’s Outlook, a scenic vantage point that looks out over the Tweed Valley and Old Melrose to the Eildon Hills. In the 19th century, the 11th earl of Buchan, a descendant of the Erskines, a senior cleric at Dryburgh and a founder of the Society of Antiquities in Edinburgh, created a magnificent garden within the cloisters and erected a strange obelisk to Kings James I and II. He was buried in the former sacristy of the abbey - which he purloined as a family vault. It is due to his efforts that the abbey was preserved. Nowadays, as well as being a tourist attraction it is also used as a picturesque location for weddings. Here are some links to sites that give further information and pictures, some that also show the Giant Redwood tree closest to the Abbey. Discover The Borders St Cuthberts Way