Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
The Borders
Sandwiched between the Cheviot Hills on the English border and the
Pentland, Moorfoot and Lammermuir hills south of Edinburgh, the
Borders is a region made up of the old shire counties of Berwick,
Roxburgh, Selkirk and Peebles. Travelling from the bleak moorland of
neighbouring Northumberland, you'll be struck by the green lushness of
Tweeddale, whose river is the pivotal feature of the region's geography.
Yet the Borders also incorporate some of the barren stretches of the
Southern Uplands, with their bare, rounded peaks and weather-beaten
heathery hills.
2
Tweeddale
is the Borders at its best, with the finest section between
Melrose
and
Peebles
, where you'll find a string of attractions, from the eccentricities of Sir Walter
Scott's mansion at
Abbotsford
to the intriguing Jacobite past of
Traquair House
, plus a
clutch of ruined abbeys. he valley widens to the east to form the
Merse
basin, an area
of rich arable land that features a series of grand stately homes, principally
Floors
Castle
,
Manderston
,
Paxton
and
Mellerstain House
, all featuring the Neoclassical work
of the Adam family.
To the west, the Borders have a wilder aspect, where a series of four narrow valleys
lead up to the border with Dumfriesshire. North of the Tweed, the bleak
Lammermuir
Hills
form the southern edge of Lothian and are a favourite haunt of Edinburgh-based
ramblers, while further east in
Berwickshire
, especially around
St Abb's Head
, the
coastline becomes more rugged, its dramatic cliffs and rocky outcrops harbouring a
series of desolate ruined castles.
Brief history
he Borders' most famous sights are its
ruined abbeys
, founded under King David I
(1124-53), whose policy of encouraging the monastic orders had little to do with
spirituality. he monks of Kelso, Melrose, Jedburgh and Dryburgh were the
frontiersmen of David's kingdom, helping advance his authority in areas of doubtful
allegiance. his period of relative stability was interrupted in 1296 by the Wars of
Independence with England.
From the first half of the sixteenth century until the Act of Union, the Borders
again experienced turbulent times, bloodily fought over by the English and the Scots,
and plagued by endless clan warfare and Reivers' raids (see p.123). Consequently, the
countryside is strewn with ruined castles and keeps, while each major town celebrates
its agitated past in the
Common Ridings
, when locals - especially the “callants”
(young men) - dressed in period costume ride out to check the burgh boundaries.
It's a boisterous, macho business, performed with pride and matched only by the
local love of
rugby union
, which reaches a crescendo with the
Melrose Sevens
tournament in April.
Rugby Sevens
p.116
Eyemouth's fish festivals
p.118
Kelso festivals and events
p.121
The Border Reivers
p.123
The heart of Robert the Bruce
p.124
Walking in the Eildon Hills
p.126
Sir Walter Scott
p.127
Walks around Peebles
p.129
Mountain biking in Glentress Forest
and Innerleithen
p.131
Jedburgh festivals
p.134
