5 Fantastic Attractions to See South of Edinburgh

Jedburgh, Melrose and Roslin

If you’re based in Edinburgh, you could spend a day driving south of the city and visiting the historical towns of Jedburgh, Melrose, and Roslin.

Robert the Bruce and Mary Queen of Scots feature in stories significant enough to rival their counterparts in this area.

This post contains affiliate links. If you use these links, I receive a small commission. It doesn’t cost you anything extra, and it helps me maintain this site. Thank you.

If you plan on travelling around the UK, the best way to get around is by car. You get to see more, but you will find hidden gems the average traveller doesn’t see.

Need A Car?

If you want to book a car, you can use one of these rental websites: EconomyBookings.com, DiscoverCars or Expedia.

Need Accommodation?

Try using these accommodation websites: Booking.com, Agoda and Expedia to find a comfortable place to sleep after your day of exploring.

Subscribe to my blog and keep up-to-date as I provide more information on my experiences travelling.

All prices and times were correct when this was written or updated, but please check the websites when you wish to visit.

Do you want to contact me for more information on this blog or another? You can by leaving a comment at the bottom of the page.

Drive South of Edinburgh

Jedburgh

Jedburgh is an hour and a quarter south of Edinburgh. I drove down to this town first to start my journey exploring these three towns.

You can easily find the attractions in Jedburgh by walking from one to the other. You can park at the large car park on Canongate near the VisitScotland iCentre. In this town, you will find a lot of Scottish history, and the walls don’t have to talk to learn about it.

Mary, Queen of Scot’s House

Just a short walk from the car park is Mary, Queen of Scots’s House, where she spent only a month of her life.

You can wander around this three-storey house, which has yet another spiral staircase from the period. This one is a left-handed spiral. The Kerr’s who owned the house were left-handed, and it was the best way to defend yourself.

Paintings, documents, and jewellery bring her story to life, and one of the surviving death masks is on display.

Hours

April – October 2023 Monday – Saturday 10:00-16:00 Sunday 10:00 – 15:00

November 2023 Monday – Sunday 10:00-15:00

Note: Opening times are a guide only and may change daily. Please contact the business directly.

Prices

Admission is free, although donations are welcomed. Check their website here for tickets and prices.

Jedburgh Castle Jail and Museum

The longest walk in this town is uphill to the Jedburgh Castle Jail and Museum. You could also park in their large car park.

Inside, you’ll find cells with prisoners’ stories of how they lived during their incarceration and plenty of interactive activities, especially for the kids.

In the museum, you’ll find an audio-visual guide and artefacts telling tales of those who occupied these lands over the centuries. For the kids, there is a chance to dress up and feel what it was like for kids incarcerated a couple of hundred years ago.

Jedburgh Jail and Museum is an excellent attraction for the whole family as the kids, and you will be entertained.

Hours

April – October

• Monday – Saturday 10:00 – 16:00
• Sunday 10:00 – 15:00

The last admission is 30 minutes before closing.

Check their website here for more times or if there are any closures.

Prices

Your donations are welcome, although admission is free. You can book through their website here.

Jedburgh Abbey

Part of Historic Scotland, Jedburgh Abbey, can be used with your Explorer Pass or Historic Scotland Pass if you have one. It is well worth getting a pass if you visit Scotland, as even visiting a few of their sites helps save you money. You can read more about the UK passes in my blog, Save Money and Explore the UK with an Attraction Pass.

Inside the visitor centre, you’ll find displays of artefacts and stone carvings dating back 1300 years that have been excavated from the grounds.

The Abbey belonged to the Augustinian monks who lived secluded but still helped the community in the 1100s.

Its demise was due to the disputes between Scotland and England. Being on the Borders, the Abbey was always in the firing line, and of course, the Protestant Reformation of 1560 signalled the end.

Even in its ruined state, you can understand how big this Abbey was. As you walk through its archways and around the grounds, it is a marvel of its time.

Hours

1 Apr to 30 Sept:
Daily, 9.30 am to last entry at 4.30 pm (closes 5 pm)

1 Oct to 31 Mar:
Daily, 10 am to last entry at 3.30 pm (closes 4 pm)

Prices

• Member/Explorer Pass holder: Free
• Adult: £7.50
• Child aged 7-15: £4.50
• Child under 7: Free
• Concession: £6.00

Melrose

I next stopped at Melrose, just over an hour south of Edinburgh.

Melrose Abbey

Another Historic Scotland site, Melrose Abbey, is another example of how big and grand the Abbeys were in their time.

Once again, its history is marred by the constant battles between the Scots and the English.

Keep a lookout for the famous bagpipe-playing Melrose pig in the carved stoneworks up high on the walls.

Melrose Abbey was also a favourite place for Robert the Bruce. He declared that he would like his heart to be buried there. In 1996, during excavations, the urn containing his heart was found. He is now buried somewhere within the Abbey without a marker.

Hours

1 Apr to 30 Sept:
Daily, 9.30 am to 5 pm (last entry 4.30 pm)

1 Oct to 31 Mar:
Daily, 10 am to 4 pm (last entry 3.15 pm)

Check for closures

Prices

See their website here for more prices.

Roslin

Roslin is the closest town, only a 20-minute drive south of Edinburgh, but it has just as much to show you as the others.

Rosslyn Chapel

Known as a star in The Da Vinci Code, Rosslyn Chapel attracts around 200,000 visitors a year, and its car park is large enough to accommodate everyone.

Interactive information boards are in the visitor’s centre, and information talks are inside the Chapel regularly during the day. In these talks, you hear about the secrets that Rosslyn holds in its carvings and how the Chapel came about, and there are many stories to be heard.

I cannot begin to describe what it is like inside. You will not believe the intricate work on the stone. You have to see it to believe it.

I can understand why you can’t take photos, as there are people everywhere looking up and around, and it wouldn’t be pretty if you added cameras to the mix.

You can learn what it was like to live during the late Middle Ages and Renaissance outside on the grounds.

Hours

Monday to Saturday
9.00 am – 5.00 pm

Sunday
12.00 pm – 5.00 pm

There are five 90-minute timeslots from Monday to Saturday and 3 90-minute timeslots on Sunday.

Check their website here for times you can book.

Prices

• Adults £11.50
• Concessions £9.50
• Under 18s with family FREE

Tickets need to be booked online. You can find the link here.

Roslin Glen Country Park and Rosslyn Castle

Just a short walk from the Chapel is the Roslin Glen Country Park and Rosslyn Castle.

The ruins of Rosslyn Castle also include the “new” house, which is private but is used for rental accommodation. You can walk across the bridge and see what is left of the old castle before heading down the path to the Roslin Glen Country Park for a walk in nature.

You could also drive to Roslin Country Park on a day trip south of Edinburgh to explore its many walkways.

After seeing the Chapel, I loved spending the afternoon wandering beside the river and amongst the trees in this nature oasis. You can also enjoy a picnic before exploring the grounds and find the spot used in season one of Outlander at the Old Gunpowder Mill.

Conclusion

If you only have the time to visit one of these towns South of Edinburgh, I recommend Roslin and Rosslyn Chapel.

If you want to check out UK passes, read my blog, Explore the UK with Passes. These passes save you money while you see the attractions south of Edinburgh and the rest of the country.

Have You Found This Blog Helpful? Then Why Not Buy Me a Coffee?

Links

If you’d like to read more of my blogs on Australia, you can find them on the following links; Queensland, South Australia, New South Wales, Victoria, Camping and Silo Art, or if you’re after New Zealand, the United Kingdom or Photography, you can click on their links.

Travel Resources

• Flights & Accommodation—You can search for the cheapest flights and accommodation using Booking.com, Skyscanner, Tripadvisor, and WayAway, which offers 5% cashback.
• Car Hire—Take to the open road with great deals from EconomyBookings.com, RentalCars.com and DiscoverCars.
• Train & Bus Tickets UK & Europe—Use Trainline to plan and book your rail and bus travel in the UK and Europe.
• Travel Insurance is the number one thing to pack when you’re travelling. Cover-More Australia, Cover-More New Zealand, EKTA, Travel Insurance Master, and Insubuy keep you insured during your travels.
• Attractions—buy before you leave home with these great sites: Big Bus Tour, Get Your Guide, GoCity and Viator.
• House Sitting is a great way to save on accommodation, and Trusted Housesitters offers house sittings worldwide.
• Photo Editing is a great way to bring your photos to life, and you can try Luminar Neo, which I use.
• Visa Applications—apply online for your visa requirements with iVisa.
• Sim cards—Try Airalo, the world’s first eSIM store, which solves the pain of high roaming bills by giving travellers access to eSIMs (digital SIM cards).

If you want more tips, try my Travel Links and Resource page.

Did You Like This Post? Then Pin It!