The Scottish Borders Tourist Information

Let us help you plan your ideal vacation in The Scottish Borders ...

Covering about eighteen hundred square miles, the Scottish Borders area stretches from the rolling hills and moorland in the west, through gentler valleys to the rich agricultural plains of the east, and the rocky Berwickshire coastline with its secluded coves and picturesque fishing villages.

Through the centre, tracing a silvery course from the hills to the sea, runs the River Tweed, fed by its many tributaries and providing some of the best fishing in Scotland. As well as fishing, you can try your hand at golf, riding or cycling, and make use of the modern sports centres and swimming pools.

You'll discover friendly towns and charming villages, while the castles, abbeys, stately homes and museums illustrate the exciting and often bloody history of the area. It’s that history which is commemorated in the Common Ridings and other local festivals, creating a colourful pageant much enjoyed by visitors and native Borderers alike.

Neidpath Castle, Peebles. Photo: Scottish Borders Tourist

The genius of the Borders lies in its frontier character. If the violence has long-subsided, the monuments to it remain. Hill forts, brochs, bastles, pele towers, tower-houses and castles are the evocative reminders of the area's contested past and its role as a racial, national and international boundary.

Ancient fortifications, battle-fields, standing stones and ruined abbeys are the essential backdrop of this region, as potent to the imagination now as they were to Sir Walter Scott and James Hogg, the Ettrick Shepherd, nearly 200 years ago.

It is the Cheviots and the Tweed which for nearly one thousand years have formed Scotland's national boundary. The frontier was once hotly contested and for many centuries was beyond either nation's laws.

This was the stamping ground of the border reiver, those horse-thieves cattle-thieves and murderers, who featured so prominently in the world famous Border ballads.

The ruins of castles, tower houses and abbeys are reminders today of a past which is probably more bloody than that of any other area in Britain.

For those who prefer tranquillity there are stately homes and gardens. The most mature, Traquair, said to be the oldest inhabited house in Scotland, has colourful historical associations with Mary Queen of Scots and the Jacobite Risings.

Jedburgh Abbey. Photo: Scottish Borders Tourist Board

The Borders' rich tapestry of history is brought to life in the region's museums - some concentrating on local industries like textiles or fishing, others a particular place or person, or simply the way of life of our forefathers. Reconstruction, photographs, maps, records, implements and other exhibits tell an absorbing story - and modern methods such as slide shows and video films illustrate the Borders' colourful heritage.

Because the Borders is a region famed for its textiles we think you'll want to browse and buy in the mills and shops, where beautiful tweed snuggle up to some of the highest quality knitwear in the world.

Scott's View near Melrose. Photo: Scottish Borders Tourist Board

Whatever time of year you choose to visit the Borders you can be sure of a warm welcome. The principal towns are all close neighbours.

Rarely more than 20 miles separates one from another yet a particularly noticeable and rewarding feature of the area is the way the picture quickly changes with each town having its own distinctive character.

If you are looking for accommodation, first choose the type you require:

   Hotels, Guest Houses, Bed and Breakfast, etc.

   Self Catering Cottages, Villas, Apartments, Static Caravans, Holiday Parks, Lodges, etc.

   Camping and Touring Caravan Sites

   Boating and Sailing Holidays

Please note that if you are wanting to stay in an apartment, some may be listed as "Aparthotels" in the Hotels section. These tend to offer more services than a normal apartment, eg restaurants, bars, and "Reception" staff more associated with hotels. Normal apartments are listed in Self-Catering.

If you are planning a holiday in a static caravan or mobile home, these should be listed in the Self Catering section.

Don't forget we offer lots of information on Activities, Attractions and Travel to help you plan your vacation.

Tourist Information Centres

EYEMOUTH
Auld Kirk, Market Place, Eyemouth, TD14 5HE
Tel: 01890 750678
E-mail: eyemouth@visitscotland.com
Seasonal Opening

HAWICK
Drumlanrig's Tower Knowe, Hawick, TD9 9EN
Tel: 01450 373993
E-mail: hawick@visitscotland.com
Seasonal Opening

JEDBURGH
Murray's Green, Jedburgh, TD8 6BE
Tel: 01835 863170 (option 1)
E-mail: jedburgh@visitscotland.com
Open all year

KELSO
Town House, The Square, Kelso TD5 7HF
Tel: 01573 228055
E-mail: kelso@visitscotland.com
Open all year

MELROSE
Abbey House, Abbey Street, Melrose, TD6 9LG
Tel: 01896 822283
E-mail: melrose@visitscotland.com
Open all year

PEEBLES
High Street, Peebles, EH45 8AG
Tel: 01721 723159
E-mail: peebles@visitscotland.com
Open all year

SELKIRK
Halliwells house, Selkirk
Tel: 01750 20054
E-mail: selkirk@visitscotland.com
Seasonal Opening

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Useful links

Tweedbank Village Website - www.tweedbank.co.uk

Walkerburn Village Website - www.walkerburn.org

Innerleithen town Website - www.visitinnerleithen.com

Steve Gresswell's 'Around Hawick' video

Steve Gresswell's 'Around Hawick Too' video

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The Scottish Borders Tourist Information

Hotels, Guest Houses, Bed and Breakfast, etc. Self Catering Cottages, Villas, Apartments, Static Caravans, Holiday Parks, Lodges, etc. Camping and Touring Caravan Sites Boating and Sailing Holidays

Tourist Information Centres

Useful links

Hotels, Guest Houses, Bed and Breakfast, etc.

Self Catering Cottages, Villas, Apartments, Static Caravans, Holiday Parks, Lodges, etc.

Camping and Touring Caravan Sites

Boating and Sailing Holidays