Lauder

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In my old 1920s guidebook Lauder is described as 'a dull little royal burgh.' It had 628 inhabitants, a quaint old town-hall, and a hotel called the Black Bull. Today, it still has that quaint old town-hall, the Black Bull survives, and while I didn't find the time to count all the locals (I got to eleven then gave up), I am delighted to say that the town remains a tad on the insipid side. It's nice to see that some things don't change.
I am, of course, being a little unfair, but essentially all there is to the town is a long street with a strange town-hallish building plonked in the middle. It is, apparently, a typical medieval layout for a market town in Scotland. Oh yes, there's a castle too, but once you've paid it a visit and dutifully examined in great detail the outside of that town-hall and the church, you will find yourself engaged in no small amount of thumb-twiddling after a mere ten minutes in Lauder. Because, at the end of the day, Lauder is just a little place in which to stock up on provisions or stay the night while exploring the surrounding beautiful countryside. It is also a place in which one can walk. The Southern Upland Way - an awesome long-distance footpath - passes through the town, and after many days of trudging through green stuff with not a shop or another soul in sight, arriving in some place even as lifeless as Lauder makes one's heart skip a beat with excitement. So go to Lauder, drink ale, sneak free photos of the castle, then retire to a marshmallow pillow in the Black Bull and give thanks for dull little towns.