This was an interesting experience. As we were driving through Jedbergh, from the border, we saw…read moresigns advertising Fernieherst Castle, and with our interest piqued, we drove down the driveway to a beautiful housecastle. That's the best thing about having a car: you can stop at random points along your destination. When we stopped down the drive, we found out that it's an ancestral home of the Kerrs. There was a curator inside who explained all of this to us, very eager to do so. July is the only time that it's open to the public, with guided tours inside of the home at 5 pounds. There were historical documents, a brief explanation of the family, and a guest book, where various related Kerrs signed their names. It went back 20-30 years, and some children could find their parents' signatures inside. Kerr, Carr, Kar, Karre, etc. come here to learn more history about their family, and I think to one who is related, this would be a particularly awesome experience. She explained that people made trips from all over the world to see how their relatives lived. Though we opted out of the tour, we were allowed to walk the grounds a bit. They were beautiful, and the home was certainly lovely from the outside. Definitely come here if you're a Kerr relation, or if you're curious what a modern-day castle looks like in the inside. I'm 'a fan' because of the courteous, informative nature of the curator. But here's a warning: the road to get out is a tiny, one way affair that curves around, and it caused a lot of stress to my companion, so you've been warned!

Spacious National Trust shop with a good range of quality gifts, maps, books and local products…read more Probably the best place in Seahouses if you're looking for a quality souvenir.

I don't mean to be cynical but Britain has over 400 scenically beautiful ports/harbours, many of…read morewhich are as pretty as this place and more accessible. There's a near uniqueness here as this tidal island is cut off from the 'mainland' daily by tides so visitors need to be aware of time so they don't get caught out. If it wasn't for the early Christian history with a religious connection, and a dilapidated monastery, it would still be popular but honestly while I was happy to visit once in fairly good weather I wouldn't wish to return. For me it was a decent walk. It's quite a remote location. It must be grim in deep winter. One thing I did find delightful were the food purveyors selling real local honey, fish, jams and pickled foods and it has a very good coffee place - Pilgrims. Tnere's a great honey fraud going on throughout Europe as most of it is cheap sugars. If you buy honey from China or Turkey (or one that's 'blended') it ain't honey for the most part. They won't miss my company though as locals told me it's a pretty crowded place in spring through autumn.

Lindisfarne is a nice island. It has some sites of interest such as Lindisfarne Castle and the…read morePriory. Both charge to enter. In fact, you have to pay for everything on the island. You are asked to park in a tourist car park as to reduce congestion on the island itself - fair enough, but there are no facilities to get cash, unless you go for cash back at a shop (post office is closed at the weekend... when you get the tourist trade in) - five pound minimum on non tourist items - such as a packet of polos. That's a lot of mints. Not really sure why items for sale were prohibited - one thinks that the profit margin is somehow on those items when operating cash back. Parking machines don't take cards, so if you were unlucky as us and didn't have any cash, you had the option of trying to find somewhere off the island (which meants driving back to the mainland again) or getting cashback and a lot of sweets. The boy rebelled at this point, and refused to pay for anything else on the island out of principle of having to buy so many sweets, so we ended up just walking around the beach, which was ulitimately the nicest way to spend an hour or so on Lindisfarne if you have already visited the castle and priory. Which is lovely, by the way. Just prefer to have our days out unsullied by tourist traps seeking opportunities to take more money out of us than is really necessary. Happy to park away from the island (and if we had realised, would have parked on the beach a few minutes away), happy if monies go towards preserving the island's heritage. Not happy if it's made horribly awkward to do so.

I've tried to visit the Bass Rock four times and have yet to make it. The weather has never been…read morefavourable to go out on a boat. Apparently it is very difficult to get to the Bass Rock even though it doesn't look very far from the shore. Will try again next summer! There is a lighthouse and gannets!

Me and my family went on a boat ride to see Bass Rock. From the shore we saw that the Bass Rock was…read morecovered in something white and we thought that it was probably plant life but as we approached the Bass Rock it turned out the be thousands upon thousands of gannets and other sea birds! It has to have been one of the most amazing sites I have ever seen. They just absolutely covered the rock and where everywhere in the sky. The Bass Rock also has amazing caves and is just an interesting place to see up close. I definitely advise a boat trip!

Yet another advert for 'ooh, get you East Lothian and your pretty beaches too!' And for this one,…read moreyou get a couple of free rusting, abandoned midget submarines too! Only when the tide is out, mind. Aberlady's nature reserve is a lovely, easy enough walk that can keep you occupied for a couple of hours, or you can cut straight to the point, and head down to some gloriously sandy beaches, with some not so tropical waters, but still lovely for a paddle. Did I mention the submarines? We sadly missed them, spending too long wandering around the headlands, but it's a wonderful place to go to when you want to escape from the world. Oh and new found fact, this was the first nature reserve, appointed in 1952. So go there, and give a wee thanks to those that did so, because Aberlady is worth it!

If your travels take you up to Newcastle, this is a great spot to spend an afternoon. There are…read moregargoyle heads - big ones - that greet you at the entrance. You can tour the giant "house" (17th century Palladian mansion with tons of art work and great architecture) but what I remember most were the fabulous gardens! There is a "walled garden" which is best described as sunken, with all kind of plants, surrounded by streams and fountains. There is also a conservatory with some really exotic plants...I could spend an entire day here and in the past, I have done so. You can walk even further around the grounds into the woods where "follies" are scattered as well as some ancient statues from Greece or Italy, etc. There is also a large farm market that sells smoked salmon and meats, cheeses and bakery goods. It's open from Spring until Fall. If the weather is good, this is the place to be.

This can be an interesting place to visit depending on what interests you. Kids tend to get very…read morebored very quickly and they really should change the name because it is not much of a secret when it is advertised all over the place. It is a nuclear bunker that was meant to be kept a secret so that members of parliament in scotland or other V.I.P`s could be rushed there in the event of a nuclear war but it is now open to the public so we can all see what they would have been doing as we were all dropping down dead. Not somehwere to visit more than once but worth a look at least once.

This is a once top-secret underground base which would once have been the seat of government in…read moreScotland in the event of a nuclear war. An innocent-looking farm building hides a 3 ton blast door which leads to a tunnel down to the military base, with accommodation for 300 people. You can visit the dormitories where military personnel would have stayed, and the rooms where top government officials would have lived while everyone else perished. There's the nuclear ops room and RAF control room, switchboard and radio room, and a BBC sound studio for emergency broadcasts. The place is huge, on two subterranean levels and a visit is fascinating, if a little chilling, and not just because you're underground. The place is an absorbing reminder of the cold war and the fear of nuclear attack. The nuclear ops room is very atmospheric in particular, with a background hum of radio chatter and commands being issued adding to the effect. They've turned the original mess canteen into a cafe, selling reasonably priced, if not too adventurous food. You can also buy souvenirs of your visit in the farmhouse, before having a look round several military vehicles located around the building. Obviously a late addition to the site as that would have been a bit of a giveaway! Thoroughly recommend a visit to bring a bit of cold war history to life.