Scottish Borders - Scottish Borders

Scottish Borders

Location
State	UK
Capital	Newtown St. Boswells
Surface	4,732 km²
Inhabitants	110.200 (2005)
Tourism site
Institutional website

Scottish Borders (literally: Scottish Marches) is a region in the south east of the Scotland on the border withEngland.

To know

Southern Scotland region, easily accessible from Edinburgh, Borders has a short stretch of coastline on the North Sea and, as its name indicates, borders theEngland. It is still a land with a rural flavor, devoid of large urban centers. In their place there are villages, Romanesque and Gothic abbeys, noble country villas and medieval castles built in an attempt to keep the greed of the kings ofEngland. TO Kelso is the castle of Floors and in the surroundings of Hawick, that of Hermitage with a massive size. The most interesting abbeys are found in the villages of Kelso, Melrose, Jedburgh is Duns. In Dryburgh Abbey, near Melrose, Walter Scott (1771–1832) one of Scotland's foremost writers is buried. Always in the vicinity of Melrose visit Abbotsford, the writer's country residence. Pebble is a nice village among wooded hills with a manor of the Stuart family, the "Traquair House".

Along the stretch of coast overlooking the North Sea is the fishing port of Eyemouth and the tiny center of St Abbs with a marine reserve and a center available to those who dare to immerse themselves in the icy waters of the reserve to explore its depths.

Territories and tourist destinations

Urban centers

Newtown St. Boswells - Capital of the Scottish Borders.
Eyemouth - Eyemouth is a fishing port at one end of Coldingham Bay whose waters have been partly designated as a marine reserve (St Abbs & Eyemouth Voluntary Marine Reserve). St Abbs, a small village between cliffs at the other end of the bay, can be reached by passing through Coldingham. Both places are very popular in the summer.
Galashiels - A village of 15,000 inhabitants, Galashiels has no tourist interest. Better to stay in the nearby Melrose, almost a fraction of Galashies and more inviting. Near Melrose is Abbotsford, Walter Scott's country residence and the medieval Dryburgh Abbey where the writer is buried.
Hawick - The main attraction of which is the Hermitage castle about twenty kilometers from the center. It is a construction of the thirteenth century, with a solemn and austere appearance but according to others very sinister. It belonged to the Earls of Bothwell, whose 4th representative, James Hepburn, married Queen Mary Queen of Scots in a second marriage. It is open to the public only in summer.
Jedburgh - A village of 4,000 inhabitants, Jedburgh is a very popular holiday destination for the possibility of outings in its surroundings. There is a 12th century abbey.
Kelso - Kelso's primary attraction is Floors Castle. It is actually a country manor built in 1720 by the 5th Duke of Roxburghe John Ker 1st Duke of Roxburghe and enlarged by his successors with crenellated towers. Due to its striking location on the River Tweed with beautiful views of the nearby Cheviot Hills, the castle was the backdrop for some scenes from the 1984 film "The Legend of Tarzan, King of the Apes". The interior is open to the public. There are paintings by modern authors, including a work by Matisse. How Jedburgh, also Kelso offers good hiking opportunities.
Peebles - Delightful village among wooded hills, Peebles has as its main attraction the "Traquair House", a manor that belonged to the Stuart family and located on a branch of the road to Galashiels.

How to get

How to get around

What see

Itineraries

From Peebles

From Edinburgh getting onto the A7 takes you to Galashiels, one of the largest centers in the region (about 15,000 inhabitants) but to save time and see more it would be better to start the tour from Peebles according to the itinerary below.

Peebles
Galashiels
Hawick - From Galashiels, passing through the village of Selkirk, you get to Hawick
Jedburgh
Kelso —
Eyemouth - From Kelso the shortest way to Eyemouth is through Coldstream until Berwick-upon-Tweed on the North Sea coast but in English territory. From here you follow a short coastal stretch of the A1.

The Pennine Way

"The Pennine Way" is an itinerary that starts from the location of Kirk Yetholm (near the village of Town Yetholm) and ends at the edge of the Northumberland National Park, located across the border.