8 Places To Visit In The Scottish Borders

Places to visit in the Scottish Borders are too often overlooked for the wild Highlands or curated Edinburgh. If you’re guilty of skipping them then you’re missing out. Let me show you just 8 places to visit in the Scottish Borders that you could do in a single daytrip and the stories behind them. It’s a circular route and there are so many other detours you could take along the way.

This is by no means a complete list of things to do in the Borders, but it gives a good variety. Use this as the bones of a daytrip and add or subtract whatever you want along the way!

1 – Scotts View

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The first of our places to visit in the Scottish Borders is this incredible view out towards the Eildon Hill. Named after the man who did so much for Scotland and its stories – Sir Walter Scott.

Walter isn’t the only Scott worth talking about here though. It was said that Michael Scott, the famous Borders Wizard was the one who cleaved the Eildon Hill into the three peaks we see today. The best known story was how Michael got his powers from a white serpent. After defeating the snake out on the hills he was encouraged to retrieve a section and cook it. After tasting the meal he was gifted with incredible knowledge and powers.

You can read or listen to the full story here!

There is parking for cars in a layby and benches to sit and enjoy the scenery.

2 – William Wallace Statue

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Just a three minute drive from Scott’s View, at Bemersyde stands this incredible 30 foot high statue of William Wallace. It was built for the Earl of Buchan in 1814 but as far as we know, Wallace had no connection to this area of the Scottish Borders.

Wallace wasn’t quite a commoner but the son of a minor landowner of Elderslie. He rose from being fairly unknown to be knighted and appointed a Guardian of Scotland, gaining a reputation as a fierce and ruthless fighter along the way.

There are practically no records of Wallace until 1297 when Wallace gathered a band of men and attacked the Sheriff of Lanark. There were a number of small groups carrying out daring attacks until eventually the whole combined Scottish force triumphed at the Battle of Stirling Bridge. One of the English leaders, Hugh de Cressingham was flayed and Wallace made a sword belt out of his skin.

Wallace wasn’t done and he raided the North of England but after his loss at the Battle of Falkirk, his reputation took a hit. He gave up being a guardian but carried on fighting right up until he was betrayed and captured in 1305. At the age of 35 Wallace was hung, drawn and quartered in London then his limbs sent to Perth, Stirling, Newcastle and Berwick.

There is a small car park here and a short woodland walk to the statue.

3 – Dryburgh Abbey

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Another 3 minute trip and we come to the ruins of one of the big four Scottish Borders Abbeys. Any of these incredible buildings make great places to visit in the Scottish Borders! Dryburgh Abbey is beautiful and tranquil but with a turbulent past and more than its fair share of stories.

Built around 1150 for the Premonstratensian Order (try saying that after a few drams) it was destroyed and rebuilt at least three times before eventually giving in to the Scottish Reformation. Sir Walter Scott loved the peaceful abbey and is buried here in a simple tomb. Not far away you can find the plain military tombstone of Field Marshal Douglas Haig, commander of the BEF in WW1.

Having been around for almost 900 years any building would pick up some ghosts along the way and Dryburgh is no exception. They have even spilled over to the hotel next door where the Grey Lady wanders the grounds. The story goes that a young woman lived here when the abbey was still functioning and fell in love with one of the monks. When his brethren discovered their affair they executed him for straying so far from their path and his lover drowned herself in the River Tweed.

Dryburgh Abbey is managed by Historic Scotland. Free to members and £6 for an adult ticket otherwise. Dog Friendly!

4 – Fatlips Castle

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About 25 minutes drive away this time is the interestingly named Fatlips Castle. One of many towerhouses in the Scottish Borders.

This towerhouse went by a number of different names and nobody knows the true reason behind the one that stuck. One story says that there was a goat called Fatlips in the castle that would cry out every time the English were coming. Another explanation was that the lord who lived here was especially friendly and ruled that everybody was to be kissed on entry.

Perched on the Minto Crags in the Borders, the tower was originally built by Turnbull of Barnhill, a famous Border Reiver. The Border Reivers came from both sides of the border and carried out raids on small horses or ponies that could make their way over the poor terrain. They would come back with somebody else’s cattle before another reiver would do the same thing to them. These towers were built as strongholds to stop that from happening!

The legend of how the Turnbulls got their name is a fascinating story. One day, William of Rule was accompanying Robert the Bruce on a hunt when a wild bull attacked. William was a giant of a man and immediately charged in front of the King to protect him. He grabbed the bull’s horns and turned it’s head to side where it could be finished off by the other hunters. Robert rewarded William with lands, the symbol of a bull’s head on his coat of arms and the new surname “Turn-e-bull”.

There is limited space to park here and it’s a steep uphill climb to the tower. No entry inside but the view alone makes it one the best places to visit in the Scottish Borders!

5 – Linton Kirk

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We’re really starting to rack up the miles now as we arrive at Linton Kirk 30 minutes away.

Today the kirk sits on a small hill in one of the most peaceful places to visit in the Scottish Borders. Things weren’t quite so peaceful though when this area was terrorised by the Linton Worm.

This was a vicious serpent that hid in a hollow under Linton Hill, living off the local livestock. It had powerful jaws and poisonous breath that would kill whoever came near.

The legend reached the ears of John de Somerville who was desperate to prove himself. Fearlessly, the young man rode over to challenge the beast. He sat on his horse outside the Worm’s lair and it slowly came out to meet him. The Worm opened its jaws wide but couldn’t get quite wide enough to swallow both man and horse. Instead of attacking, it just stood in confusion and that gave Somerville an idea.

He came back with a specially made lance, twice as long as normal with burning peat on the end. Once again it came out and when it opened its jaws wide, Somerville charged forward to lance the burning peat down its throat.

The creature was slain and Somerville was knighted becoming the first Baron of Linton. There is even a carved stone fitted into the modern church that commemorates the story! You can just make out the man on horseback lancing the creature.

The kirk is still used as a place of worship. There is a car park and you can see the carved stone but I would avoid here on a Sunday.

6 – Smailholm Tower

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30 Minutes from Linton stands Smailholm Tower, an isolated sentinel watching over the surrounding landscape.

This peel tower was built by the Pringle family around the early 15th century when they were vassals to the Black Douglases. Smailholm was there to protect the family and their cattle from any Border Reivers prowling around. It would be no easy job to sneak up on the castle and there is a little seat built into the grassy roof for a watchman.

The tower moved into possession of the Scott family and became a great source of inspiration to a young Walter Scott. He would visit here with his grandfather who lived in the nearby farmhouse. The boy spent a considerable amount of time around the ruins of the castle, letting his imagination run wild.

Walter used the tower as a setting in some of his literary works, convincing his grandfather to restore the tower. If it wasn’t for Walter Scott, then this would be lost as yet another pile of stones and we’d have a lot less places to visit in the Scottish Borders today!

Smailholm is managed by Historic Scotland so free to members and £6 for an adult ticket otherwise. You can park and walk around the outside of the tower for free.

7 – Melrose Abbey

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20 more minutes in the car and we have practically gone full circle now. Melrose Abbey dominates the town and is probably the most important abbey in the Scottish Borders today.

Originally built 1136-46 on the orders of King David I, the interesting thing about Melrose isn’t the architecture or the setting but it’s residents. King Alexander II and the wizard Michael Scott are buried somewhere here but most famously this is the resting place of Robert the Bruce’s heart.

Bruce did a lot of impressive things in his time, fighting to ensure Scotland remained an independent country. Unfortunately, he didn’t have the time to go on crusade. He was a pious man and desperately wanted to go to the Holy Land so on his deathbed, made his loyal friend James Douglas promise to take his heart instead.

Bruce’s heart was placed in a casket, hung around Douglas’ neck and off he went to find his own crusade. The small group of Scots knights joined a campaign against the Moors in Spain. Sadly, not many survived the fighting. One dubious account by Walter Scott has Douglas launch Bruce’s heart at the enemy in a dying act of defiance.

Douglas’ body and Bruce’s heart were returned to Scotland and it was believed the heart was buried in Melrose Abbey but nobody knew where. That was until a mysterious lead casket was dug up in 1996. After a bit of investigating, it was proved there was a recognisable heart inside. It dated from around the right time and was reburied with a memorial stone for all to pay respect to the real Brave Heart.

Melrose Abbey is managed by Historic Scotland so free to members or £6 to adults. The grounds are dog friendly but not the small museum.

8 – Thomas Rhymer Stone

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It might not seem like much, but to me this was one of the most fascinating places to visit in the Scottish Borders. Just outside of Melrose you will find a stone marking where the old Eildon Tree stood. It commemorates a legendary Borders figure called Thomas the Rhymer.

While Thomas was resting under the Eildon Tree, he was approached by a mysterious rider. This was the most beautiful woman he had ever seen and he jumped to his feet and bowed low. She told him that she was Queen of the Fairies and had come to seek him out.

Thomas was baffled but when the Queen invited him to kiss her on the lips, he was soon under her spell. She told him they were going to ride to the fairy kingdom where he would serve her for seven years. Without question, Thomas climbed up behind her.

Thomas was warned that if he uttered a single word inside the fairy realm, he would never return home. It felt like only a matter of days to Thomas when the Queen told him he was free to go. For his service he was gifted with the power of prophecy and a tongue that could never lie. Returning to the Scottish Borders, he became known for predicting events that are still coming true almost 800 years later.

This spot featured in one of his famous prophecies:

“At Eildon Tree, if yon shall be,
a brig ower Tweed yon there may se”

Opened in 1863, the Leaderfoot Viaduct is high enough that you can just see it from the stone.

You can easily park near the stone and wander up to the benches placed for enjoying the view.

Other Places To Visit In The Scottish Borders?

That list has barely scratched the surface of one of the most interesting regions of Scotland. It’s enormous so I could have written 80 places to visit in the Scottish Borders if I’d tried! There are castles, market towns, two more grand abbeys and a whole host of fascinating things to do in the Borders. If you’re interested in literature then some of Scotland’s greatest writers spent time here.

Let me know if you follow this route and enjoy any of the stories you find along the way. Once you’ve finished exploring the Scottish Borders, why not take a visit to Perthshire next?

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