Beautiful Scottish Borders Tour

The Beautiful Scottish Borders

The south eastern corner of Scotland is often missed off the tourist map as people head north to the better known areas such as the Highlands.

Traquair House, Innerleithen, Scottish Borders

Traquair House

Lammermuir-Hills, Scottish Borders
Lammermuir Hills
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Day 1

Set off heading south towards Innerleithen. Enroute you pass Glentress Forest one of the best mountain biking spots in the world – there are bikes available for hire and some great walks if you fancy getting active. A little further down the road are walks of a different type (a personal favourite of ours) – hook up with the friendly alpacas at Velvet Hall and take your new furry friend for a walk in the woods! Just outside Innerleithen you might like to visit Traquair House, home to the Maxwell Stuart family and the oldest continually inhabited house in Scotland. Here you can also sample the local ales brewed onsite.

Carry on south as the road follows the meanders of the River Tweed by Galashiels to Melrose, home to the beautiful pink sandstone Melrose Abbey which dates from the 12th century. The gothic abbey is covered in some intricately carved sculptures – see if you can find the pig playing the bagpipes!

Overnight in the Melrose area

Day 2

Just outside Melrose is Abbotsford, built in the 19th century as a home for the author Sir Walter Scott. This is a stunning house, with beautiful formal gardens – well worth a visit. From Abbotsford it’s a short hop to Scott’s View. From this vantage point you have an incredible view over open countryside and the River Tweed to the three peaks of the Eildon Hills. Sir Walter Scott loved this view so much it is said that at his death, the horses pulling his funeral carriage stopped here unbidden on the way to his burial at nearby Dryburgh Abbey. Dryburgh is one of the four 12th century Border Abbeys (the others are at Jedburgh and Kelso, as well as Melrose mentioned above).

From Dryburgh head west to Kelso, home to the annual Ram Sales which are a major part of the calendar for all Scottish sheep farmers! Floors Castle with its fairy-tale architecture overlooks the town. Home to the Duke of Roxburghe, it’s reputed to have 365 windows – one for every day of the year.

Continue east to Duns where you will find the new Jim Clark Motorsport Museum. Widely considered to be the best Formula One racing driver of all time, Clark won two World Championships in 1963 and 1965. The museum tells his story and is full of fascinating objects connected to the great man himself, including two of his iconic Lotus racing cars.

From Duns you make your way to the coast. You leave the rolling hills behind and the landscape here starts to flatten out as you cross the Merse, the low lying rich arable farmland which covers this part of the region. You reach the North Sea coast at Eyemouth where you can see seals in the harbour and sample the excellent local fish and chips.

Overnight in the Eyemouth area

Floors-Castle-Scottish-Borders-motorhome-hire
Floors Castle, Kelso
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RIB -Boat-Trip-visit-in-a-campervan-from-Zoom
RIB Trip
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Day 3

You might start the day with an exhilarating RIB trip out onto the waters of the North Sea to explore the Berwickshire coast, or head along the coast to St Abb’s for a crab sandwich and a walk along the cliff tops. St Abb’s might be more familiar to you as Thor’s town of New Asgard in Avengers: Endgame! Or try Gunsgreen House in Eyemouth, built in the 18th century for notorious local smuggler John Nisbet.

Follow the coast north to Dunbar with its working harbour and walks on the beautiful sandy beach at Belhaven Bay, and from there to North Berwick. A handsome seaside town, here you can visit the Scottish Seabird Centre or take a look at Tantallon Castle, an impressive fortress situated on a cliff top just outside town.

Overnight in the North Berwick area

Day 4

Head inland from North Berwick to visit the National Museum of Flight, home to all sorts of magnificent flying machines including the opportunity to climb aboard Concorde! Continue on to Pencaitland, home of the Glenkinchie Malt Whisky Distillery.

Take a tour of the distillery to learn how Scotland’s national drink is made and of course, sample a dram of Whiskey or two in the bar afterwards (take away samples are always available for drivers!).

From Pencaitland it’s a short drive to the village of Roslin, where you can visit historic Rosslyn Chapel. Known as “the Bible in stone” this beautiful 15th century chapel is covered in detailed carvings, and full of legends of Templar knights and the Holy Grail, as popularised in the Da Vinci Code novel by Dan Brown.

Stay overnight in the Roslin or Peebles area.

Glenkinchie-Distillery-Tours-campervan-hire-Scotland
Glenkinchie Malt Whisky
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Zoom Motohome Hire - Peebles, Scottish Borders
Peebles - River Tweed
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Day 5

Leaving Roslin you drive south over the Lammermuir Hills back to Peebles in time for your vehicle return.

 

 

Please bear in mind our motorhomes are ready for collection in the afternoon, so you may have to stay your first night in the area of where the first day of the tour starts.

Your hire vehicle is due back in the morning after your last nights hire so we suggest you stay somewhere along your route home or locally to avoid a very early start and a long drive back!

“Know Before You Go!”

Opening hours: There are lots of suggestions for places to visit on the following pages and while we absolutely want you to make the most of your trip, it is important to note that many visitor attractions and places of interest now require you to book in advance. This is because they may have restricted opening hours or may be closed temporarily due to Covid-19.

In addition many places of interest in Scotland have seasonal opening hours and close during the winter months. Please follow the links to the places of interest and suggested routes to check in advance of your visit and avoid disappointment on the day!