The Borders and the Southwest
We’ve compiled the best of the best in The Borders and the Southwest - browse our top choices for the top things to see or do during your stay.
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1. Galloway Forest Park
The expansive facilities in Galloway Forest Park are evidence of the growing enthusiasm for active vacations in Scotland; it offers chances for cycling, walking, kayaking on the rivers, bird-watching, and mountain-biking. You can walk or bicycle along the paths through moorland and forests, by lochs and over hills—all contained within the 300 square miles of the forest. The Forestry Commission, which manages the forest, has three visitor centers at Glen Trool, Kirroughtree, and Clatteringshaws and also offers exhibits about the region's wildlife, a reconstructed Iron Age dwelling, and 7stanes mountain-biking centers. The forest is designated as a Dark Sky Park; the low light pollution here ensures exceptional stargazing.
A712, Newton Stewart, Dumfries and Galloway, DG7 3UP, Scotland01671-402420Sight Details
Rate Includes: Free -
2. Borders Textile Towerhouse
In the former Drumlanrig Tower, this museum includes a good exhibition about the textile industry, once the lifeblood of the Borders. Plenty of interactive elements make it interesting for children as well. One room commemorates the demonstrations by textile workers who were demanding the right to vote in the 1880s. On the upper floor are up-to-the-minute fabrics that define the 21st century. Check out the shop, too.
1 Tower Knowe, Hawick, The Scottish Borders, TD9 9BZ, Scotland01450-377615Sight Details
Rate Includes: Free, Closed Tues., Wed., Sun., and Nov.--Mar. -
3. Burns Mausoleum
When he died in 1796, Robert Burns was buried in a modest grave in St. Michael's Churchyard. English poet William Wordsworth, visiting a few years later, was horrified by the small gravestone and raised money to build the much grander monument that stands there today.
87 St. Michael's St., DG1 2LJ, Scotland01387-253849Sight Details
Rate Includes: Free -
4. Dumfries Museum and Camera Obscura
A camera obscura is essentially a huge reflecting mirror that projects an extraordinarily clear panoramic view of the surrounding countryside onto an internal wall. The one at the Dumfries Museum, which claims to be the oldest in the world, is housed in the old Windmill Tower, built in 1836. The museum itself covers the culture and daily life of the people living in the Dumfries and Galloway region from the earliest times.
Rotchell Rd., DG2 7SW, Scotland01387-253374Sight Details
Rate Includes: Museum free; Camera Obscura £4, Closed Sun. and Mon. -
5. Glen Trool
With high purple-and-green hilltops shorn rock-bare by glaciers, and with a dark, winding loch and thickets of birch trees sounding with birdcalls, Glen Trool's setting almost looks more highland than the real Highlands. Note Bruce's Stone, just above the parking lot, marking the site where in 1307 Scotland's champion Robert the Bruce (King Robert I, 1274–1329) won his first victory in the Scottish Wars of Independence. A little road off the A714 leads through increasingly wild woodland scenery to a parking lot. The visitor center is open daily. Only after you have climbed for a few minutes onto a heathery knoll does the full, rugged panorama become apparent. Driving is really the only way to get to Glen Trool, which is part of Galloway Forest Park. From Glasgow take the A77 (about 2¼ hours). From Edinburgh take the A702 (about three hours).
Off A714, Bargrennan, Dumfries and Galloway, DG8 6SY, Scotland01671-840302Sight Details
Rate Includes: Free -
Recommended Fodor’s Video
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6. Globe Inn
Poet Robert Burns spent quite a lot of time at the Globe Inn, where he frequently fell asleep in the tack room beside the stables; today it's still an active pub where you can eat and drink. Burns later graduated to the upstairs bedroom where he slept with Anna Park, and scratched some lines of poetry on the window. The room is preserved (or at least partly re-created), and there are now organized tours of the room that leave from the pub three times a day, Tuesday through Saturday. Just beware, if you choose to sit in Burns's chair in the bar, tradition has it that you have to buy a round for the whole pub.
56 High St., DG1 2JA, Scotland01387-323010Sight Details
Rate Includes: Tours £10, Closed Sun. and Mon. -
7. Halliwell's House Museum
Tucked off the main square, Halliwell's House Museum was once an ironmonger's shop, which is now re-created downstairs. Upstairs, an exhibit tells the town's story, illustrates the working lives of its inhabitants, and provides useful background information on the Common Ridings.
Market Pl., Selkirk, The Scottish Borders, TD7 4BL, Scotland01750-726456Sight Details
Rate Includes: Free, Closed Nov.--Mar. -
8. Harestanes Countryside Visitor Centre
Housed in a former farmhouse 4 miles north of Jedburgh, this visitor center portrays life in the Scottish Borders through art exhibitions and natural history displays. Crafts such as woodworking and tile making are taught here, and finished projects are often on display. Outside are meandering paths, quiet roads for bike rides, and the biggest children's play area in the Borders. There's plenty for children, including a fascinating puzzle gallery full of sturdy wooden games. It is also on one of the best-known walking routes in the Borders, the St. Cuthbert's Path.
Junction of A68 and B6400, TD8 6UQ, Scotland01835-830306Sight Details
Rate Includes: Free, Closed Nov.--Mar. -
9. Jedburgh Castle Jail and Museum
This building might look like a castle, but it's actually a prison that sits where a castle once stood. Named for the prison reformer John Howard, who campaigned for improved prison conditions, today you can inspect prison cells, rooms with period furnishings, and costumed figures. The audio guide, which recounts the history of the prison and the town, is useful. In what was once the prison governor's house, you'll now find an exhibition about the town of Jedburgh. While admission is free, tickets for entry are timed so booking ahead is essential.
Castlegate, TD8 6QD, Scotland01835-864750Sight Details
Rate Includes: Free, Closed Tues.–Thurs. and Nov.–Mar. -
10. Kelso Abbey
The least intact ruin of the four great abbeys, Kelso Abbey is just a bleak fragment of what was once the largest of the group. It was here in 1460 that the nine-year-old James III was crowned king of Scotland. On a main invasion route, the abbey was burned three times in the 1540s alone, on the last occasion by the English Earl of Hertford's forces in 1545, when the 100 men and 12 monks of the garrison were butchered and the structure all but destroyed. The abbey itself is currently not considered structurally sound enough for visitors, but you can admire it from afar.
Bridge St., TD5 7JD, Scotland0131-668–8600Sight Details
Rate Includes: Closed Thurs. and Fri. in Oct.–Mar. -
11. Kirkcudbright Tolbooth and Art Gallery
In a 17th-century tolbooth (a combination town hall–courthouse–prison), this exhibition space and gallery describes how the town attracted famous artists, among them E. A. Hornel, Jessie King, and Charles Oppenheimer. Some of their paintings are on display, as are works by contemporary artists. There is also a shop on the ground floor.
High St., DG6 4JL, Scotland01557-331556Sight Details
Rate Includes: Free, Closed Sun. Oct.--Apr. -
12. Mary, Queen of Scots Visitor Centre
This bastel (from the French bastille) was the fortified town house in which, as the story goes, Mary stayed before embarking on her famous 20-mile ride to Hermitage Castle to visit her wounded lover, the Earl of Bothwell (circa 1535–78) in 1566. Displays relate the tale and other episodes in her life, including her questionable choices of lovers and husbands and her own reflections on her life. Still, Mary's death mask suggests that she was serene at the end. There are tapestries and furniture of the period, and the house's ornamental garden has pear trees leading down to the river.
Queen St., TD8 6EN, Scotland01835-863331Sight Details
Rate Includes: Free, Closed Dec.--Feb. -
13. Mill on the Fleet
This converted mill is a reminder that this tranquil town was for more than a hundred years the center of the region's cotton industry. You can learn more inside, where arts and crafts are also on display. The tearoom serves light lunches and delicious home-baked goods. The building also houses the town's tourist information center.
High St., Gatehouse of Fleet, Dumfries and Galloway, DG7 2HS, Scotland01557-814099Sight Details
Rate Includes: Free, Closed Nov.‒Mar. -
14. Mull of Galloway
If you wish to visit the southern tip of the Rhinns of Galloway, called the Mull of Galloway, follow the B7065/B7041 until you run out of land. The cliffs and seascapes here are rugged, and there's a lighthouse and the Mull of Galloway bird reserve.
Dumfries and Galloway, ScotlandSight Details
Rate Includes: Reserve closed Nov.--mid-Mar -
15. Peebles War Memorial
The exotic, almost Moorish mosaics of the Peebles War Memorial are unique in Scotland, although most towns have a memorial to honor those killed in service. It's a remarkable tribute to the 225 Peebleans killed in World War II.
High St., Peebles, The Scottish Borders, EH45 8AG, ScotlandSight Details
Rate Includes: Free -
16. Philiphaugh Salmon Viewing Centre
On the site of a famous battle in 1645 in which the Scottish Covenanters drove off the pro-English armies under the Earl of Montrose, the Philiphaugh Salmon Viewing Centre is devoted to more peaceful pursuits: watching salmon. Its viewing platforms and underwater cameras allow you to follow the life cycle of the salmon. There are also country walks and cycling routes to follow, and an on-site restaurant, the Water Wheel, good for lunch or afternoon tea. The website has a self-guided audio tour of the battlefield.
A708, Selkirk, The Scottish Borders, TD7 5LX, Scotland01750-21766Sight Details
Rate Includes: Free -
17. Robert Burns Centre
Not surprisingly, Dumfries has its own Robert Burns Centre, housed in a sturdy 18th-century former mill overlooking the River Nith. The extensive yet compact exhibition commemorates Burns's last years in Dumfries. The center has an audiovisual program; it also houses Dumfries's only cinema. Tours of the center are available, but should be booked in advance.
Mill Rd., DG2 7BE, Scotland01387-264808Sight Details
Rate Includes: Free, Closed Sun. and Mon. -
18. Robert Burns House
Poet Robert Burns (1759–96) lived here, on what was then called Mill Street, for the last three years of his life, when his salary from the customs service allowed him to improve his living standards. Many distinguished writers of the day visited him here, including William Wordsworth. The house contains some of his writings and letters, a few pieces of furniture, and some family memorabilia.
Burns St., DG1 2PS, Scotland01387-255297Sight Details
Rate Includes: Free, Closed Sun. and Mon. -
19. Sir Walter Scott's Courtroom
The historic courtroom where Sir Walter Scott presided as sheriff from 1804 to 1832 contains a display examining his life, writings, and time on the bench. It uses models to re-create the atmosphere of a 19th-century Scottish court and includes an audiovisual presentation. A statue of the famous writer overlooks the comings and goings outside the court.
Market Sq., TD7 4BT, Scotland01750-720761Sight Details
Rate Includes: Free, Closed Nov.--Feb. -
20. Southern Upland Way
The village of Portpatrick is the starting point for Scotland's longest official long-distance footpath, the Southern Upland Way, which runs a switchback course for 212 miles to Cockburnspath, on the east side of the Borders. The path begins on the cliffs just north of the town and follows the coastline for 1½ miles before turning inland.
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