scottish borders
day trips & tours from edinburgh

Covering about eighteen hundred square miles, the Scottish Borders stretches from the rolling hills and moorland in the west, through gentler valleys to the rich agricultural plains of the east, and on to 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, walking or cycling, and make use of our modern sports centres and swimming pools. You'll discover friendly towns and charming villages, while our 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. As the Borders is a region famed for its textiles we think you'll want to browse and buy beautiful tweeds and tartans and the highest quality knitwear from our mills and shops.

Eating out is a pleasure too - with a choice of hotels, inns, restaurants and cafes offering prices to suit your pocket and flavours to tempt your tastebuds.  The region draws on the best of the land and sea and serve it up in their inimitable style.  Ales brewed to an ancient recipe, sugary confections boasting local town names, hearty fish soups with Gaelic seasoning, salmon and game smoked to a distinctive Borders cure - it can make you hungry just thinking about them!  And the chefs of the Borders have this all at hand.  Many of the towns of the region still boast a local butchers shop and bakery, so you too can create fine dishes from the best of the Borders too.