I'm not interested in seeing the royal jewels, so I would like to spend one day of my otherewise structured tour renting a car and driving south and east of Edinburgh. How can I best spend one day in that area of Scotland? And what should I know about renting a car for one day?

I always take a car and get in and drive wherever I fancy.

Try the drive to Berwick upon Tweed - the most northerly town in England. Very picturesque scenery and plenty of spontaneous stops and detours along the way.

As for North, I have no idea of any names, just the memory of coastal scenery, follow some signs, more fun that way.

If you get an EARLY start you can see a lot - it mostly depends on what you want. Castles, abbeys, scenery, clifftop walks etc.

There is enough in east Lothian and the borders to fill a couple of weeks so of course you'll have to be very selective.

Some of my favorite places are Tantallon Castle, Dirleton Castle and its lovely gardens, Melrose/Dryburgh Abbeys ( very near each other so they make a terrific "two fer" ), and St Abbs Head.

Lindesfarne, Jedburgh, Floors, etc are wonderful - but your time will be too limited.

A good loop would take you south to Galashiels > Melrose > Dryburgh > St Abbs head > Tantallon > Dirleton > Edinburgh.

This tour would give you two beautiful abbey ruins, an absolutely gorgeous cliff top bird sanctuary (almost like the Big Sur of Scotland) and two amazing castles. Tantallon is perched on the cliff top at the confluence of the Firth of Forth and the North Sea overlookinh Bass Rock.

forget about going to Berwick on Tweed/Bamburgh unless you are taking a couple of days.

You can easily drive to Berwick and back in a day, i always do. The roads are traffic free, the weather, well we hope, sunny, the days long, it's fantastic.

I agree with Janis,for the most part.I would strongly advise taking this route: Take the B7007 just South of Edinburgh(it becomes the B709) and go to Innerleithen where you should visit Traquair House. Then take the A72 to Melrose Abbey, followed by a visit to Kelso along the A699 followed by Floors Castle.I do not recommend Berwick; take the country roads back to Edinburgh if you have time.

I don't recommend Berwick itself - nothing much there, I merely endorse the drive itself. I'm not one to stick to routes, drive wherever the mood takes you, the roof down, the sun shining, mind you it is Scotland, how pleasant.

Well if you like driving, I have to mention the following route, oriented as it may be to a couple of personal preferences, being small villages, ancient history, moorland, castles, and beer.

First, get a really good map, road atlas, or OS map.

Go to Gifford, a wonderful planned village at the foot of the Lammermuir hills. Then cross said hills on the lovely, lonely B6355 toward Chirnside (near, of all places, Blackadder.) South from there, follow a couple of B roads to the River (Cornhill on Tweed) and cross into England, making for the tiny village of Etal, Northumberland, just off the A697. Why? Because the northernmost thatched pub in England, the Black Bull, is there, next to the wee ruined castle, that's why. Good beer and lunch. Later, make for the coast, hoping for low tide to cross to Lindisfarne (Holy Isle) so you can toodle around that village for a bit. After that, or if Neptune Rex has kept you on shore, aim for a quick goggle at one of England's premier castle vistas at Bamburgh, a bit south of the Holy Isle turnoff. The Copper Kettle in Bamburgh offers tea in a pretty cute building.

Return to Edinburgh along the A1 or any other coastal roads for which you have time. If you're traveling in summer, the good news is that you'll have daylight until late, so that won't be an issue.

Love this outing.

If you do decide to go to Holy Island, the crossing times are posted online:
http://www.northumberland.gov.uk/vg/...Times_2004.rtf

If I had one day in Edinburgh, I would just go to the Museum of Scotland. You could spend the whole day there.

If you want a nice drive for the day, go up to St. Andrews and then go home driving down the coast by Creiff. Stop at Creiff Pottery and bring plenty of money.

And other thought Berwick was a long drive!

OK - Lauren - you are a litlle confused there. Crieff is nowhere near the coast -- It is about 15 miles north of Stirling.

I can only think you MIGHT mean Crail - but that is a LONG ways from Crieff . . .

Some great suggestions. I can throw something onto the equation. I have it ona Word doc at home, so email me if you would like me to send it to you. It's all on here somewhere anyway.