Sir Walter does not live here anymore

Last week we took our kids to the Sir Walter Scott's residence of the Abbotsford. It was a gloomy, rainy day and to get there we had to take a long ride on an X95 bus throught the Borders and then walk for quite a while to get to the house from the bus stop.

However when we finally got there we were really surprised at the welcoming atmosphere of the whole venue - it is run by an independent trust and has really devoted guides almost ready to summarize all Sir Walter's novels just for you. It must have been a spectacular residence to live in (and so did Sir Walter, though he finally went into serious financial trouble because of the lavishness with which he built and decorated the house.) My favourite bits were a Chinese motive wall paper and a little stone crucifix on display in the library. Little grey item, apparently belonging to Mary Queen of Scots (which she was said to be carrying to her execution) with its spacious rooms, library stuffed with 9000 volumes and cozy armchairs.

My favourite parts were the little walled garden and a dog's sculpture at the entrance. Sir Walter looks in all the portraits like a nice, firendly guy, though a little bit grumpy - oh, I can imagine how grumpy it would make me to know that I have to write all these long novels about rainy Scotland in the Middle Ages! I came accross some of his novels in a posh house library and sadly some of the pages were not even cut open..