The Scottish Borders region includes about 1,800 square miles of land, stretching below Edinburgh and The Lothians, from the moors in the west, to the Berwickshire coast in the east. It’s a landscape as spectacular as it has been contested. Bloody battles have been fought here, but the Scottish kings have also built some impressive monuments to their wealth and power in the region. Some of the best places to stay in the Borders are the old manor houses and strongholds built to fortify and rule the area, and we'e uncovered a couple of country house hotels, as well as foodie-friendly pubs-with-rooms, and a couple of great options for walkers and other sports lovers.
Keen walkers will know the Scottish Borders as the northern end of the Pennine Way, the long distance walking trail which follows part of Hadrian's Wall from Edale to Kirk Yetholm, and there are plenty of stretches of Way available to day-trippers. Some of our hotel recommendations are close to the route, and will provide hearty fare and a good place to rest up. The Borders also has its fair share of dramatic peaks and thundering waterfalls. There are also plenty of mountain biking trails which will lead you through heathered moorlands. The River Tweed is well known for its fishing, and a couple of our picks have hotel ghillies who can help make sure your fishing trip is a success.
But the scale of the Borders landscape means that one of the best ways to experience it is on a road trip — possibly via the abbey towns of Melrose, Kelso and Jedburgh. Those with a literary bent might be interested in taking a pilgrimage to Galashiels, near Abbotsford, the home of Sir Walter Scott, or visit Wigtown for its annual book festival. You may even want to drive as far as the coast, to Eyemouth Harbour, a fully working functional harbour where visitors can grab a bite to eat and watch the boats and seals go by.
This region is becoming increasingly well known to visitors, so we recommend getting organised and booking early to guarantee your room in the best places to stay in the Borders.