The Scottish Borders (Scots: The Mairches, lit. "The Marches") is a region in southeastern Scotland adjoining the border with England, a fact which has heavily influenced the history of this region. In the days before the British union, this area was frequently fought over, and had a reputation for banditry and lawlessness. At the same time, the Scottish kings were keen to develop and embellish the region—their efforts are probably best seen in the four "Border Abbeys" to be found within the region.
Today the Borders is best known for its wonderful landscapes, historic connections, summer festivals and friendly locals, though it is sadly often overlooked by tourists who drive through the area heading for Edinburgh or further north.
Most towns and points of interest are on or near one of the main roads between England and Edinburgh.
The A1 & A697 are the usual roads from Newcastle. The A1 bypasses Berwick-upon-Tweed., which is in England, but which gives its name to Berwickshire in Scotland and is the service town for nearby villages. Two miles north of town, you cross the border, but it's just a draughty layby, don't bother stopping for a photo. A little further north are the scenic cliffs of Berwickshire, with the railway teetering along the clifftop. Burnmouth, Eyemouth. and St Abbs are small fishing villages here. A697 runs inland via Morpeth and Wooler to a better-looking border, the bridge over the River Tweed. Cross it to Coldstream..
Kelso. stands at the confluence of the Tweed and the Teviot, two classic salmon-fishing rivers. Here are Kelso Abbey and Floors Castle, with Mellerstain House five miles north. The village of Kirk Yetholm. is the northern end of the Pennine Way, descending the louring Cheviot on the last stage of its 267 miles from Edale in Derbyshire.
The A68 follows a rollercoaster route across Northumberland and crests the Cheviots into Scotland at Carter Bar (bagpiper, ice-cream van and tourists spilling out of coaches all too likely.) Jedburgh. has a fine ruined Abbey, and one of the many stopovers of Mary Queen of Scots. Turn off A68 at St Boswells. to reach Dryburgh Abbey, burial place of Sir Walter Scott.
The A7 is the old road from Carlisle through Langholm to Hawick. and Selkirk., where Sir Walter Scott dispensed justice between writing novels. His grand home at Abbotsford House is just east of Galashiels. off the road to Melrose., which also has a ruined Abbey.
To the west are forests and moors. Set in the upper Tweed valley on A72 are Innerleithen and Peebles..
The A1 & A697 are the usual roads from Newcastle. The A1 bypasses Berwick-upon-Tweed., which is in England, but which gives its name to Berwickshire in Scotland and is the service town for nearby villages. Two miles north of town, you cross the border, but it's just a draughty layby, don't bother stopping for a photo. A little further north are the scenic cliffs of Berwickshire, with the railway teetering along the clifftop. Burnmouth, Eyemouth. and St Abbs are small fishing villages here. A697 runs inland via Morpeth and Wooler to a better-looking border, the bridge over the River Tweed. Cross it to Coldstream..
The A1 & A697 are the usual roads from Newcastle. The A1 bypasses Berwick-upon-Tweed., which is in England, but which gives its name to Berwickshire in Scotland and is the service town for nearby villages. Two miles north of town, you cross the border, but it's just a draughty layby, don't bother stopping for a photo. A little further north are the scenic cliffs of Berwickshire, with the railway teetering along the clifftop. Burnmouth, Eyemouth. and St Abbs are small fishing villages here. A697 runs inland via Morpeth and Wooler to a better-looking border, the bridge over the River Tweed. Cross it to Coldstream..
The A1 & A697 are the usual roads from Newcastle. The A1 bypasses Berwick-upon-Tweed., which is in England, but which gives its name to Berwickshire in Scotland and is the service town for nearby villages. Two miles north of town, you cross the border, but it's just a draughty layby, don't bother stopping for a photo. A little further north are the scenic cliffs of Berwickshire, with the railway teetering along the clifftop. Burnmouth, Eyemouth. and St Abbs are small fishing villages here. A697 runs inland via Morpeth and Wooler to a better-looking border, the bridge over the River Tweed. Cross it to Coldstream..
Kelso. stands at the confluence of the Tweed and the Teviot, two classic salmon-fishing rivers. Here are Kelso Abbey and Floors Castle, with Mellerstain House five miles north. The village of Kirk Yetholm. is the northern end of the [[Pennine Way]], descending the louring Cheviot on the last stage of its 267 miles from Edale in Derbyshire.
Kelso. stands at the confluence of the Tweed and the Teviot, two classic salmon-fishing rivers. Here are Kelso Abbey and Floors Castle, with Mellerstain House five miles north. The village of Kirk Yetholm. is the northern end of the [[Pennine Way]], descending the louring Cheviot on the last stage of its 267 miles from Edale in Derbyshire.
Jedburgh. has a fine ruined Abbey, and one of the many stopovers of Mary Queen of Scots. Turn off A68 at St Boswells. to reach Dryburgh Abbey, burial place of Sir Walter Scott.
Jedburgh. has a fine ruined Abbey, and one of the many stopovers of Mary Queen of Scots. Turn off A68 at St Boswells. to reach Dryburgh Abbey, burial place of Sir Walter Scott.
The A7 is the old road from Carlisle through Langholm to Hawick. and Selkirk., where Sir Walter Scott dispensed justice between writing novels. His grand home at Abbotsford House is just east of Galashiels. off the road to Melrose., which also has a ruined Abbey.
The A7 is the old road from Carlisle through Langholm to Hawick. and Selkirk., where Sir Walter Scott dispensed justice between writing novels. His grand home at Abbotsford House is just east of Galashiels. off the road to Melrose., which also has a ruined Abbey.
The A7 is the old road from Carlisle through Langholm to Hawick. and Selkirk., where Sir Walter Scott dispensed justice between writing novels. His grand home at Abbotsford House is just east of Galashiels. off the road to Melrose., which also has a ruined Abbey.
The A7 is the old road from Carlisle through Langholm to Hawick. and Selkirk., where Sir Walter Scott dispensed justice between writing novels. His grand home at Abbotsford House is just east of Galashiels. off the road to Melrose., which also has a ruined Abbey.
To the west are forests and moors. Set in the upper Tweed valley on A72 are Innerleithen and Peebles..
The border region was often the scene of battles between England and Scotland, but 1513 marked the beginning of the end. At Flodden Field in Northumberland the Scots suffered a calamitous defeat, and King James IV was killed - the last British monarch to die in battle. In later years they regrouped and came again, but fell to another crushing defeat at Solway Moss in 1542. Scotland could never again pose a serious military threat to England: the Borders still saw banditry and skirmishes, but were no longer the cockpit of war. A quirk of ancestry brought the Scots King James VI to the throne of England, which he much preferred to his cold northern realm, and power, influence and wealth all drained away to the south. And in so far as Scotland has been defined as much by its legends and stories as its terrain, that too drained away. Look to the Greek and Roman classics for your heroes, and forget our own brutish Dark Ages.
Sir Walter Scott (1771-1832), a lawyer living and working in Edinburgh and Selkirk, led the revival of Scottish lore. He took a great interest in the folk tales of the Borders, began writing them down, and writing his own works. His breakthrough was the 1805 epic poem The Lay of the Last Minstrel. He went on to write The Lady of the Lake, Waverley, Old Mortality, Ivanhoe which relaunched the legend of Robin Hood, and many more. In 1812 he bought a farm cottage near Melrose which he named "Abbotsford" — and it grew, and grew and grew, into an ornate Baronial mansion. In 1822 he scored a PR triumph in stage-managing the visit of King George IV to Scotland, having monarch and bowing subjects all dressed in tartan kilts — "clan tartans" which he'd just invented, but that would adorn Scottish regalia, wedding suits and biscuit tins for ever after.
He earned a real fortune but spent an even bigger one, running up great debts over Abbotsford — the financial crash of 1825 bankrupted his publisher and almost himself. He resolved to write his way out of trouble, and continued to publish prolifically. His health was failing by the 1830s, yet he embarked on a grand celebrity tour of Europe. He died at Abbotsford in September 1832 and was buried at Dryburgh Abbey.
- Abbeys: these sprang up in Norman times and flourished in the Middle Ages, but were left to ruin after the Reformation - the 16th-century break with Roman Catholicism. Find them at Jedburgh, Melrose, Kelso and Dryburgh near St Boswells.
- Stately Homes: built for lordly living, not for defence. Those which can be visited include Floors in Kelso, Mellerstain and Thirlestane near Melrose, and Paxton near Berwick.
- Castles in the Borders are mostly Peel Towers - little forts that served as watchtowers and signal stations - rather than noble residences. Most are scrappy ruins, some have been incorporated into later buildings. One you can visit is Smailholm Tower between Kelso and Melrose.
- St Abb's Head is the most scenic section of the Berwickshire cliffs, with sea birds whirling over a tumult of waters. Take the minor road east from Coldingham, park at the head of St Abb's village (don't take a car down the steep narrow lane to the harbour) and walk across the fields to the Head.
- And see Berwick-upon-Tweed for places right on the border: Norham Castle just south of it in Northumberland, and Paxton House just west in Berwickshire.
Abbeys: these sprang up in Norman times and flourished in the Middle Ages, but were left to ruin after the Reformation - the 16th-century break with Roman Catholicism. Find them at [[Jedburgh]], [[Melrose]], [[Kelso]] and Dryburgh near St Boswells.
Stately Homes: built for lordly living, not for defence. Those which can be visited include Floors in Kelso, Mellerstain and Thirlestane near Melrose, and Paxton near Berwick.
Castles in the Borders are mostly Peel Towers - little forts that served as watchtowers and signal stations - rather than noble residences. Most are scrappy ruins, some have been incorporated into later buildings. One you can visit is Smailholm Tower between Kelso and Melrose.
St Abb's Head is the most scenic section of the Berwickshire cliffs, with sea birds whirling over a tumult of waters. Take the minor road east from Coldingham, park at the head of St Abb's village (don't take a car down the steep narrow lane to the harbour) and walk across the fields to the Head.
- Several long-distance hiking trails cross the area.
The Pennine Way is a 268-mile trail from Edale in Derbyshire to Kirk Yetholm. Its northernmost stage, from Byrness, is 27 miles along the ridge of the Cheviots, with no habitation or road access along the way. It can be done in one long day, or you can bivvy at the two refuge huts (bothies) along the way, or you can break it into three there-and-back walks from the valleys. The path climbs steeply from Byrness then heads north to enter Scotland near Ogre Hill. It now follows the border fence, switching between England and Scotland, past the Roman fort at Chew Green and Roman "Dere Street". It comes onto the exposed ridge climbing to the well-named Windy Gyle and Cairn Hill (743 m, 2438 ft). Here there is a side path to the summit of The Cheviot (815 m, 2674 ft). The main path turns sharply northwest, following the border fence down past a refuge hut, climbing The Schil (601 m, 1972 ft) then descending into gentler countryside, to end at the Border Hotel in Kirk Yetholm.
The Southern Upland Way is a 210-mile trail from Portpatrick on the Rhins of Galloway (looking across at Northern Ireland) to Cockburnspath on the Berwickshire coast. In this region, coming from the west it passes St Mary's Loch, Traquair, Galashiels, Lauder, Abbey St Bathans, and Longformacus before reaching the coast. It crosses the hills but reaches no great altitude and most sections are short enough for a there-and-back Sunday stroll. Much of its eastern route is shared with the Sir Walter Scott Way.
The Borders Abbeys Way is a circular 68-mile trail. It's usually done in five stages, in no preferred direction or order: Kelso-Jedburgh-Hawick-Selkirk-Melrose-Kelso. It's mostly lowland and easy going, with the highest point at 339 m (1113 ft).
The Berwickshire Coastal Path is a 30-mile trail from Berwick-upon-Tweed along the cliff tops via Eyemouth, St Abbs and Cove to Cockburnspath. Here it meets the Southern Upland Way from the west, and the John Muir Way north via Dunbar and North Berwick to Edinburgh.
St Cuthbert's Way is a 62-mile trail from Melrose Abbey, where the saint spent much of his life, east via St Boswells and Maxton to Kirk Yetholm, meeting the Pennine Way. Continuing east it crosses into Northumberland in England and runs down to the coast and by tidal footpath to Lindisfarne. It's all lowland in nature.
- Boat trips from Eyemouth and St Abbs explore the rugged coastline.
- Watch Rugby Union, or play if you're tough enough. Notable local rugby clubs are Hawick, Melrose and Jed-Forest (Jedburgh). You may well see international players turning out in local club fixtures. The Borders only plays soccer at junior / amateur level.
Several long-distance hiking trails cross the area.
The [[Pennine Way]] is a 268-mile trail from Edale in Derbyshire to [[Kirk Yetholm]]. Its northernmost stage, from Byrness, is 27 miles along the ridge of the Cheviots, with no habitation or road access along the way. It can be done in one long day, or you can bivvy at the two refuge huts (bothies) along the way, or you can break it into three there-and-back walks from the valleys. The path climbs steeply from Byrness then heads north to enter Scotland near Ogre Hill. It now follows the border fence, switching between England and Scotland, past the Roman fort at Chew Green and Roman "Dere Street". It comes onto the exposed ridge climbing to the well-named Windy Gyle and Cairn Hill (743 m, 2438 ft). Here there is a side path to the summit of The Cheviot (815 m, 2674 ft). The main path turns sharply northwest, following the border fence down past a refuge hut, climbing The Schil (601 m, 1972 ft) then descending into gentler countryside, to end at the Border Hotel in Kirk Yetholm.
Boat trips from Eyemouth and St Abbs explore the rugged coastline.
Watch Rugby Union, or play if you're tough enough. Notable local rugby clubs are Hawick, Melrose and Jed-Forest (Jedburgh). You may well see international players turning out in local club fixtures. The Borders only plays soccer at junior / amateur level.
The restaurants in the hotels in the various towns will have the best dining; otherwise it's pub grub.
The larger towns have pubs, but the hotel bars may be more comfortable.
The crime rate is very low in the Borders and the chances of you encountering a crime during the daytime are next to none. Of course this does not mean there is no crime. It is advisable to be sensible when out at night: avoid large groups of youngsters hanging about street corners; they are very unlikely to approach you or communicate, but it is best to be safe by walking on the other side of the road.
As with much of Scotland, some roads may be rather narrow, twisty and unpredictable. Take this into consideration while driving.
- West to the South West of Scotland including Dumfries and Galloway
- North to the Central Belt of Scotland including The Lothians
- South to North East England including Northumberland