This is a fantastic little volunteer run air museum. Staff extremly helpfull & friendly. We went on…read morea Sunday arfternoon & was pleasantly supprised at the access to the aircraft, especially the Vulcan Bomber. There is a well informed museum, It was a pleasure not to surrounded by hordes of people. Good athentic location next to Carlisle Airport. I didn't realise there was a voucher availible untill writing this review but am more than happy to support volunteers efforts. No cafe but the reception did provide hot & cold drinks, crisps.

Visited April 2015: "Border town attraction"…read more We didn't think we were going to spend a great deal of time at Melrose Abbey, due to it being a ruin but there was more to do then our first glance. For one, we were able to walk up a very narrow staircase, to the top of the church. You were able to see the entire village, and not feel overwhelmed by the height. Robert Bruce's heart is buried there. We were not provided or offered an audio guide

As Scottish church ruins go, Melrose Abbey is top of the line! Much more interesting and scenic…read morethan St. Andrews Cathedral for what it actually is TODAY - not for what it once was. Great photo opportunity, too. See my photos for reference. This attraction is included in many 1-day coach tours that start off from Edinburgh (mine was by The Highland Experience Tours). Is it worth the trip from Edinburgh on your own (by bus or train)? Well, not really, as you won't spend more than 1 hour max exploring the grounds of Melrose Abbey. And the village of Melrose itself, let's just say that it's a sleepy little hovel between someplace A and nowhere B. But as part of such an organized coach trip, it's well worth your time. The entrance is moderate (5.50 - minus 11% if you're in a group), you can take as many pictures as you'd like. What distinguishes Melrose Abbey from, say, St. Andrews Cathedral, is that a large part of the once mighty construction has survived! So there's actually something to see other than just bricks on the ground that indicate former walls and towers. What's left is enough to let you feel the actual impact the original abbey must have made on visitors. Included in the ticket price is an audio guide. You'll get it when entering through the shop, which is also the ticket office. Since just a couple of clerks are responsible for BOTH shop and tickets you'll find that the simultaneous arrival of two or more bus groups, which is not uncommon, mixed with people who want to get out and buy books or less useful items in the shop, will create an *interesting* situation. Well, that's that particular brand of British efficiency.

Visited the Mill on the Fleet today and thought it was awesome. The surrounding area is stunning…read moreand the building with the old mill wheel turning is lovely from the outside. The Mill building houses a little shop and cafe on the ground floor. When you head up to the first floor (with lift access) there is a museum detailing the history of the Mill. There are lots of information boards and interactive displays. Great for engaging kids. Plus there is a dressing up section for the children. But the magic really happens when you reach the top floor. There is a little gallery space with local art which is great to wander round. However, the show is really stolen by the 'book shop'. I have never seen so many books piled up. It is like a labyrinth of nooks and crannies with walls of every type of book you could imagine. I am not articulate enough to find the right words but it is like something out a story book. The staff are very friendly and helpful and never moaned once as we spent ages wandering round looking at everything and touching lots of books! Unfortunately I had not take my purse as there were lots of little treasures I would have loved to have bought. All very reasonably priced too. Plus, there was a children's section with big cushions on the floor. I will definitely be back. Gatehouse of Fleet is one of my favorite places and the Mill just adds to it's draw.

This place is brilliant…read more Gatehouse is where my parents live, and its really beautiful. The Mill on the Fleet is an old mill, as the name suggests, inside theyve got a pretty good little museum, but the real treat I found was the awesome bookshop at the top floor. You will never have seen a bookshop quite like it! It is chaos, piles and piles of old books form corridors of, yes you guessed it, books!! If you've got time to burn and you're a book fan, this is an absolute must!!!!!

A walk up a hill to Castlegate brings you to Jedburgh Castle Jail and Museum, once site of…read moreJedburgh's medieval castle. The castle was totally obliterated by the Scots in the early 1400s to ensure the English didn't make use of it. In the 19th century Jedburgh Prison was built on the site. The grusome experience of prison life in the 19th century is laid bare here via displays, cellblock recreations and audio visual shows. A jailer's house is also onsite. Jedburgh Castle is medieval, the prison dates from the 1820s Built in 1820 Jedburgh Castle Jail is an important example of Howard Reform Prison architecture. The history of the Royal Burgh of Jedburgh is shown in the Jailer's House. I have mixed feelings about this place. When I went it was getting towards dusk. The place is huge and very lonely/empty. I wandered around the floors alone, looked at the condemmed cell, saw everything but never felt comfortable. Suddenly I had to get out and I actually ran. It is supposedly haunted. I bet! Go with a crowd on a sunny day if this kind of place appeals to you. was £2 entrance.

Was here investigating paranormal events at the Gaol back in the mid 1990s with a really nice bunch…read morefrom Gateshead. for a change i'm not going to write a history and all the photos got lost in a computer crash. so we spent a wonderful evening at the place it' so incredibly atmospheric, heavy doors and little cells a pervading musty odour of decay everywhereand beware of the rooms that have mannequins in them I first encountered there, without warning, in the dark at about 11.30 at nightguess how I felt.. Parts of this place are incredibly creepy well worth a visit if passing.

this museum is actually inside Carlisle Castle in Queen Mary's Tower and is well worth a visit…read morewhile you are there. It is free to get in once you have paid to get into the Castle and it has many displays of uniforms, weapons, equipment, musical instruments, and the most interesting part for me was seeing the personal items of soldiers and reading their stories. That really made it feel more real to me. In the museum there is also a mock up of what it would have been like in one of the trenches in WW1 my boys really enjoyed this part. There are two floors to this museum and it is amazing what they have packed into such a relatively small area. There is a small gift shop here too selling items relating to the regiment and the army in general and I believe they also hold a lot of archive records and will do research for you but they will ask for a donation towards the running of the museum.

The place is okay, but the altitude ! Urrrgh! The lady from gift shop ORDERED me to throw my drink…read moreaway before entering the shop. She could have asked nicely and explained that. Instead, she forced me to throw it away and when I asked if I can leave it at the counter, so that I can continue my purchase, she said that the counter (which the cashier and some pamphlets are on) is too valuable and forced me to leave instantly. Does customers look like shit to her, or she is just being racist? Either way, I would definitely not recommend this place to anyone I know. Very bad experience.

What a truly magical place! Everyone was so cheerful and accommodating! There is a lot of space…read moreinside and out to move about, shop, and even enjoy a meal. The location is clean and open whether you are eatMing a meal, shopping for gifts or souvenirs, visiting the museum, or getting married! The quality and variety of the gift items as well as the service is 5 star! Everyone is incredibly kind and helpful! Ask for Vikki the Gretna Green Experience Manager! She is exceptional at making your experience meaningful! Leslie

The old adage says that if you've got nothing good to say, then say nothing. Therefore my review of…read morethe so-called famous old blacksmith's shop at Gretna Green is that it is obviously a great place for a sandwich and maybe a cup of coffee. That's pretty much all anybody there was doing - sitting around eating their bring-your-own sandwiches and drinking a takeaway coffee. And that's because eating a sandwich and having a coffee is pretty much all there is to see or do unless of course you want to buy any manner of English/Scottish memorabilia/food/junk that you could buy anywhere else in England/Scotland or online. For an incredulous experience, visit Gretna Green's infamous blacksmith's shop. You'll leave wondering why! Oh, apparently you can also marry or renew your wedding vows there but I think guests have to bring their own sandwiches.

Came here on the way down south. Only had limited time, but this castle was on our route. Has an…read moreinteresting part in history and was free for us EH members. For 500 years, until the English and Scottish crowns were united in 1603, Carlisle Castle was the principal fortress of England's north-western border with Scotland. Unlike most medieval castles, it has been continuously occupied since its foundation by William II in 1092. When Mary, Queen of Scots fled from her rebellious subjects to England in May 1567, she was housed for some weeks here. This was the last time the castle was used as a royal residence. These are just some of the countless interesting facts. There's a lot more to see, learn and read. Funnily enough just the day before we've visited Linlinthgow Palace, the birthplace of Mary. You can visit lots of rooms, can walk on the walls. You can see the prison cells and much more. Its' a highly interesting castle. There is also Cumbria's Museum of Military Life on site, if you got some time on your hands. A museum shop, toilets and a café/restaurant. Picnic tables outside as well. All in all a very interesting visit. We only had 2-3 hours time, but you could easily spend a day here.

From the outside a very nice building with a piece of well-kept lawn. For our group, however, the…read moreadmission fee was a touch expensive, so we left the charms of the interior to wealthier people. Zvenku velmi pěkná stavba s opečovávaným trávníkem. Pro naši skupinku ovšem poněkud dražší vstupné, takže kouzla interiéru jsme nechali movitějším :)

Caerlaverock is unusual both for its triangular design and its pink limestone. Both make it quite…read morea striking sight (see photographs). The castle is technically ruined, but the two front-facing walls and most of the rest of the superstructure remain intact. There is a classic moat surrounding the building, and a narrow wooden bridge gives access to the main gate. Like Dryburgh Abbey, this property is administered by Historic Scotland, so the grounds have been landscaped and the interior courtyard paved and gravelled, with railings added in spots. It's fun to climb around inside the towers and interior buildings, which are labelled to explain their original purpose and use. Like many castles, different portions date from various eras, so the design is a bit of a jumble. The main attraction is a 17th-century residence, with servery, kitchen, and private rooms. On the opposite side is a 15th-century structure which apparently contained a great hall and other residences. The two towers bestride the main gate were used as lord's residences in the 13th and 14th centuries. One interesting bit of history: in 1300, Edward I himself, with a 3000-man army, besieged the castle. The garrison of only sixty men held out for 36 hours. When Edward learned how few his enemy had been, he was so impressed that he allowed the Maxwell family to keep the castle after swearing an oath of loyalty to him. As wonderful as the castle is, the visitor's centre boasts a "museum" which is nothing but a sad joke. Breeze through it, just enough to get the story of the castle, the Maxwells, and the various military actions over the years, and then get right out onto the grounds. There is also a "nature trail" which leads about 200m to the site of the previous castle, used for only a few decades in the mid-13th century and abandoned due to the marshy ground (Caerlaverock is very near the Solway Firth). There are picnic tables, and on a day with good weather, this would be a great site to bring the family for an afternoon.

My all time favorite castle! 'Home Sweet Home' to Clan Maxwell! All kinds of history pours from…read morethis property, we spent hours here at the castle & in the woods. Take your time climbing in the castle, there is a lovely tea room on site to rest. Absolutely precious architecture. A must see for castle hunters. #myfamilytree