The Borders

The Scottish Borders is perfectly positioned as perhaps the easiest destination in Scotland to reach. Let the scenery make its impression on you, from rolling hills to open countryside. The region is defined as much by the landscape as it is by its spellbinding abbeys, awe-inspiring stately homes and castles. It’s really no surprise that these lands inspired the works of literary greats like Sir Walter Scott and John Buchan. With numerous picturesque villages, visiting the Borders is like stepping into a world of the past, where fairies still tip toe through the dells.

The Borders is historically a place of conflict, with border disputes stretching back to Roman times. The Romans built the famous Roman Wall but that didn’t stop the almost constant warfare between England and Scotland which persisted for centuries. The Borderers took to Reivering, raiding English villages for sheep and cattle, as far south as Yorkshire.

And the English raided right back leaving the Border regions to the mercy of banditry for many years, until James the 1st rounded up the Border Reivers and deported or executed them in the 1600s, solving the problem once and for all.

The Reivers still colour the Borders region and created a people with a unique sense of freedom, natural intelligence and a love of horses. Many towns and villages in the Borders still have a Common Riding in the summer months when the people ride out on horseback and celebrate their heritage.