Where Scotland Begins: A Guide To The Scottish Borders

The Scottish Borders is a highly underrated area of Scotland that so many visitors skip. After all, if you’re starting in Edinburgh or Glasgow, then you’re more likely to be heading north to the Highlands.

There is so much to explore in the Borders, though – so much, in fact, that despite first visiting the Borders six years ago, I am only just writing this guide now, because I never feel like I can cover enough. The lovely rolling hills provide a fabulous backdrop for ruined abbeys, historic houses, and charming high streets packed with museums, independent shops and cosy cafés, all along the scenic River Tweed. Out on the coast, you’ll find delightful fishing villages and rugged walks.

There is something to be said for the variety here. While the Highlands attract visitors for the wild beauty and castles and more wild beauty and more castles, the Borders have a bit of everything (including the beauty and castles) – and it feels homely and comfortable rather than rugged and wild.

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I’ve finally compiled this guide which is packed with fun facts and stories, as well as your typical to-do list.

The four Border abbeys

The most famous of the attractions in the Scottish Borders are the four ruined 12th century abbeys. Three are in towns that you should visit anyway, and one, Dryburgh, is a standalone abbey. They’re all maintained by Historic Scotland, so it’s worth visiting all four if you have a pass. If not, I definitely recommend at least the first two on this list: Melrose and Jedburgh.

Melrose Abbey

Melrose Abbey is perhaps the most interesting abbey to visit in the Borders for a couple of reasons. Firstly, it features a gargoyle of a pig playing bagpipes. I mean, where else are you ever going to see that?

Secondly, and more importantly, it is the resting place of Robert the Bruce’s heart. Yes… just his heart. The rest of him is buried at Dunfermline Abbey (another abbey that is certainly worth a visit!).

The plaque says “A noble hart may have nane ease gif freedom failye” which translates roughly to “a noble heart may not be at ease if there is no freedom”, a quote from the 1376 poem The Bruce by John Barbour.

It’s also got a great museum with dress-up opportunities and… piss pots.

Melrose itself is a lovely town and might be my favourite one in the Borders – I’ve written a bit more about it below.

For a unique stay in the Borders, you can actually stay in the on-site Cloisters House! It hosts up to eight guests, so if there’s a group of you it’s not too expensive either. So cool!

Jedburgh Abbey

Jedburgh might be my favourite abbey of the three that I’ve visited. It’s incredibly well preserved, with the full nave still standing, so it’s really impressive even from the outside.

I definitely recommend going in, if just to get the full scale of it.

Dryburgh Abbey

15 minutes from Melrose, Dryburgh is the most scenic of the abbeys because it’s not smack bang in the middle of a town. The most notable fact here is that the famous author and poet Sir Walter Scott is buried amongst the ruins – you’ll read a lot more about him in this post!

There’s very little left of Dryburgh compared to the first two. Although one thing that is left is apparently a kind spirit known as Fat Lips. There’s also a Fatlips Castle near Jedburgh – I believe unrelated to the friendly ghost. Obviously, all I can think of is the Sum 41 song.

Kelso Abbey

The fourth abbey is in Kelso, but it’s currently closed for renovations. I still haven’t visited properly, so can’t comment on this one, except that you can see most of it from the road. You also hear much less about it compared to the others, and yet at one time it was probably the most impressive.

Sadly, there isn’t much left of Kelso Abbey, which particularly struck me as we looked at the mock-ups of how it used to look – it was absolutely massive! What struck me further is that what is left is remarkably well preserved. So what happened to the rest of it?

Kelso is another nice town so it’s worth parking up, taking a wander by the abbey, and then enjoying some of the shops and cafés in town.

Scott’s View

The best view in the Scottish Borders is named after a local author who you may have heard of – Sir Walter Scott! These days, he’s immortalised in one of the most prominent statues in Edinburgh, and references to him and his work are peppered throughout Scotland. Alongside Robert Burns, he’s one of our most famous literary exports.

This was reportedly one of his favourite spots to come and sit to just take in the view – and looking across to the Eildon Hills, I can see why.

Abbotsford House

Abbotsford House was once home to Sir Walter Scott, and what a home it was. As you can imagine, for a writer, the library and study room is an absolute dream. Elsewhere, there are cabinets upon cabinets of his collections, including even a lock of Bonnie Prince Charlie’s hair, and gifts from Robert Burns!

I was blown away from the moment I walked in, though. The spectacular entrance hallway is full of armour, as well as staff who know absolutely everything. When I asked a question about something in his collection, which was mostly rhetorical with the expectation of a vague reply, I was given a detailed answer.

As stately homes go in Scotland, this is one of my favourite attractions I’ve been to (along with Mount Stuart House on the Isle of Bute!).

Not only is the house itself magnificent, but it’s complemented by lovely gardens, and there are loads of interesting things to look at inside the house too. Even if he did seem to have an unhealthy obsession with locks of hair. I found a few very old editions of his famous works as well, which is really cool.

P.S. Speaking of Sir Walt… there’s an interesting plaque nearby, on the outskirts of Galashiels!

Honestly, I need to know more. Why was the journey pathetic? Why did someone make this plaque specifically for this? And why is it tacked to a random wall on an unassuming road in Galashiels?

Leaderfoot Viaduct

Move aside, Glenfinnan – this is one of Scotland’s best viaducts. Even better is that it can be viewed from the road, so you don’t even need to walk to see it, although the photo above is taken from a footbridge so we did walk for a better vantage point.

The viaduct is no longer in use, having ended passenger travel in 1948, and freight travel in 1965. It was due to be demolished in the 1980’s but luckily it’s been preserved instead. It’s a shame it’s not in use, but I’m glad it’s at least still there.

Mary Queen of Scots House

You might wonder, like me, why there is a museum dedicated to Mary Queen of Scots in the Borders. She visited this house for a few days on a state trip to the Borders, but wound up staying much longer than expected after falling seriously ill.

The museum is in Jedburgh, just a few minutes walk from the abbey, so it’s easy to add this on to a visit to the town. It’s also FREE entry, although they do of course appreciate donations, and if you don’t have any cash for the box, there’s a card machine which is set to £5.

I decided to try the audio guide for £2.50, which was… a weird experience, if I’m honest. It’s set up like an interview – basically a podcast with “Mary” herself, explaining everything as you walk through the rooms. Which is kind of a fun way to do it, but erm, the voice actor has an English accent!

It does explain a bit more than some of the information boards, but generally there is plenty of info on display. It covers most of her life from growing up in France, to returning to Scotland as Queen, and her plight from popular leader to imprisonment and sentence to death – including her final letter written hours before she was executed. I found it very interesting, so definitely worth popping in, especially as it’s free.

Visit some stately homes: Traquair House & Floors Castle

The Scottish Borders is filled with stately homes, but if I had to pick two more to visit (Abbotsford would be my first choice), it would be Traquair House and Floors Castle. Aesthetically I think Floors may be one of the most impressive in Scotland.

Traquair is slightly more humble, though not by much, and it’s Scotland’s oldest inhabited house! Lady Traquair still lives there and I’ve heard many reports that she’s lovely and really welcoming.

An honourable mention goes to Thirlestane Castle, where you can visit on a tour but also actually stay! It’s pricey for one night, but if you stay for two or three, it can end up being under £200 a night which is a steal for a castle stay!

Go outdoors (and indoors) in Peebles

Going further afield now – everything so far has been within a half hour drive of each other, if you wanted an idea of how easy it is to see the main sights.

There are quite a few prominent towns across the Borders, and I won’t pretend I’ve visited them all. To date, my favourites are Melrose and Peebles.

Peebles is home to a fantastic high street with lots of independent shops and cafes, alongside a lovely river walk. Leading out of town, one of the walks takes you through a tunnel to Niedpath Castle, which looks great. On our list for next time, as it was unfortunately too rainy when we were there so we just stuck to the town centre. (To clarify: the whole walk is NOT inside a tunnel.)

When the weather’s good, Peebles is the place to go to get outdoors. Up the road is the Glentress Forest, filled with the best mountain biking trails in Scotland. No bike? Glentress is also home to Go Ape, a haven for Tarzan-wannabes.

Coldstream – with some interesting borders

There are many, many roads between Scotland and England, some more major than others, from rural single-track roads to motorways, and even walking paths. I’d quite like to cross all the borders at some point, but one of the “mid-range” (for want of a better word) crossing points is at Coldstream bridge.

Not only is this scenic, but there’s another interesting border point nearby. As you’d expect, the border runs along the river… but a mile or so out of Coldstream, there’s a field south of the river which is part of Scotland. This is one of my favourite fun facts I’ve learned recently!

So first of all, for context, there’s an annual street “football” game played in the Borders, called the Ba’. What makes this even more fun is that the Ba’ is also an Orcadian tradition! In fact, it’s possible it goes back earlier in Orkney than in the Borders.

Every New Year, the Ba’ would be played between Coldstream in Scotland, and the village of Wark in England, and the winner would keep this plot of land. Well, eventually Coldstream grew substantially, while Wark is still just a village – so Coldstream just started winning every time purely on manpower. In the end, they decided to simply re-draw the border permanently.

The main border crossings are on the M74 at Gretna, between Carlisle and Glasgow, and the A1 at Berwick-upon-Tweed, between Newcastle and Edinburgh. The third most popular route is the A68 south of Jedburgh at Carter Bar, which is the first photo in this post – the stone markers make for great photos, but also the view back over the pass is fantastic.

St Abbs

Over on the coast, the lovely fishing village of St Abbs sits perched on the edge of Scotland.

You might recognise it as New Asgard in the Avengers movies. There are, surprisingly, a few Marvel filming locations in Scotland, including a whole fight scene in the streets of Edinburgh!

There isn’t a lot in St Abbs itself, but I recommend a walk around St Abbs Head if you want a nice coastal walk. This was actually the very last thing we did the weekend before we were thrown into lockdown for months and our lives were turned upside down, so we ought to get out and do it again soon.

You’ll also get views to Eyemouth, where there’s a nice beach. The Borders don’t have much of the coastline before it hits Berwick-upon-Tweed (another place that has swapped between Scotland and England far too often, but is ultimately now part of England), but it does pack a punch when it comes to views from the main A1 road and also the train. It’s one of my favourite parts of the journey when taking the train to London! (Or Newcastle or York, for that matter.)

And YET. The small stretch of coastline includes Siccar Point, which led to such an important geological discovery in the 1700’s that a cast of it is displayed in the Natural History Museum in NYC. It showed that the layers of rock didn’t conform to anything that had been studied before – and the process for the rock to come together this way meant that the earth must be MUCH older than the Bible states (well, that turned out to be an understatement!).

Duns

Duns is a small town in the Borders that I only heard of recently, and yet in a short time I’ve seen it crop up for three different reasons.

Firstly, the bear. In Princes Street Gardens in Edinburgh, there is a statue of a Polish bear, Wojtek, who served in the Polish army carrying ammunition in WW2. A mad story, but this corporal bear (yes, corporal!) retired after the war and spent the rest of his days in Edinburgh Zoo.

In Duns, there’s another statue of Wojtek which was donated by its twinned town in Poland, Zagan. He’s holding a bomb, which, I mean, automatically makes it an interesting statue!

Secondly, there’s a castle which has been used as a filming location in various movies.

And finally (I have only JUST discovered this) there is a motor museum for Jim Clark, one of Scotland’s most successful Formula 1 racing drivers, which displays his F1 cars and trophies – something we will definitely be visiting at some point! I can’t believe I’d never heard of it.

Anyway, Duns is one place we haven’t actually visited yet, but I felt it had to be mentioned!

The Great Polish Map of Scotland

Another reference to Poland in the Borders can be found at the Barony Castle hotel on the road between Edinburgh and Peebles. The Great Polish Map of Scotland is a geographically correct, concrete model of Scotland. This is one of the few places I’d recommend, err, taking a drone. We haven’t stopped there yet but from what I’ve read, it seems like it’s difficult to really see the scale of it from the side. That or they need to build a higher platform so you can see it properly.

Explore some of the Borders towns

I’ve already mentioned a handful of towns, but there are plenty more of them, and what I’ve really noticed is that they have so many great independent shops and cafés, which is the main reason I’m dedicating a section to them because they deserve a shout-out.

I’m not going to pretend to be an expert for places to eat & drink as we’ve never had an evening meal in the Borders, but some of our favourite finds so far are:

• Apples For Jam in Melrose – they do exceptional bagels, but we’ve only had the breakfast one so far. We WILL be going back for lunch at some point!
• Mainstreet Trading Company in St Boswells – this is a lovely community hub which is officially a bookshop, but also has a deli and café. Sounds like an ideal place to stop, if you ask me!
• The Cream Chimneys in Kelso
• Coltman’s Kitchen, Deli & Bar or The Oven Door in Peebles – both dog friendly, which is a bonus

And places I’ve read good things about for dinner: Asado Gaucho (steakhouse) in Peebles, The Gordon Arms in Yarrow, The Ship Inn in Melrose, and The Cobbles in Kelso.

Shopping-wise, I was enamoured with Catherine & Company and The Mole House, both in Kelso, The Gift Box in Peebles, and Ticketty Boo in Melrose. So many lovely gift shops!

Where to stay in the Scottish Borders

As above, there are lots of stately homes and castles where you can stay and live out your dreams of being a princess.

I’ve already mentioned Thirlestane Castle, which offers tremendous value if you stay more than one night (when I checked, one night was £315, but three nights was under £600!).

And while we’re on the subject, Schloss Roxburghe is a very highly-rated 5-star hotel. I know a few people who have stayed there and recommend it, so if you want a real treat-yourself place to stay, this is it.

Finally, Duns Castle has been used in various films and is exclusively a hotel and events venue.

Not on a castle budget? Me neither. I’ve never actually stayed in the Borders as it’s close enough to home that we just do day trips there, but I would recommend staying in or near Melrose. That means you’re central enough to explore the whole area easily.

Speaking of which, southern Scotland is split into two main areas: the Scottish Borders south of Edinburgh, and Dumfries & Galloway in the south-west (I’d also include Ayrshire, south of Glasgow, but it’s not on the border). The line between these two is a bit blurred for me, as I think of the Borders as anywhere east of the main M74 motorway, which is incorrect because a chunk of that is actually D&G.

That means in my mind, attractions like the Grey Mare’s Tail waterfall and the impressive drive through the brilliantly named Devil’s Beeftub could easily be incorporated into a Scottish Borders itinerary. If you’re driving to or from Gretna, another fantastic stop is the Samye Ling Buddhist centre – an actual Buddhist temple in the middle of Scotland’s rolling hills!

Oh, and also one of my favourite place names in Scotland: Quothquan. Did I spend the next ten minutes of the car journey saying it over and over? Yes I did.

Even after several visits to the Borders, I still haven’t seen everything, but I finally feel like I’m getting there. There are more stately homes than you can shake a stick at, and Galashiels is home to the Great Tapestry Of Scotland; something I still haven’t been to see, nor spent any time in Galashiels itself, for that matter, despite it being one of the largest towns. Our visits have usually been focused on historical sites and river walks – and for me, that’s what the Borders do best.

I have much more of southern Scotland to explore, because like visitors to Scotland, we head north far more often than we head south! I’m sure you can see from this post that it’s a vastly overlooked region that’s a great destination in its own right.

Read more on underrated Scotland destinations:
⭐ A Burns-Themed Literary Weekend In Dumfries and Ayrshire
⭐ A Car-Free Adventure On The Isle Of Bute, Scotland
⭐ Four Islands, One Epic Weekend On The Isle Of Mull
⭐ How To Spend Two Days In The Trossachs: An Alternative to Loch Lomond
⭐ Exploring The Cute Coastal Towns Of Fife, Scotland
⭐ Camping & Castles: An Aberdeenshire Adventure