With the launch of their new tours of the Scottish Borders, Rabbie’s kindly let me hop on two of them in March to sample the very best the area has to offer. With the opening of the Borders Railway, it has become a lot easier to explore the south of Scotland, and Rabbie’s tours combine a trip on the train with a pickup from Galashiels for a relaxed afternoon trip.
The first tour I joined was the all about the food and drink offer of the Borders. In recent years, a number of local craft breweries and restaurants have put the area on the foodie map and I couldn’t wait to discover it for myself. I made my way from Edinburgh to Galashiels on a typical Scottish February afternoon where I met tour guide Audrey and the four other passengers and off we went on our tour o’ the Borders.
Our first stop was at Born in the Borders. While I hadn’t heard of them until that day, I now know they’re a household name in the area – combining a small brewery, food and drink shop stocked with local produce as well as a café serving freshly prepared dishes and heavenly cakes. It was the perfect lunch stop and, as I didn’t have to worry about getting home, the perfect opportunity to sample their cider.
With it being early in the year and the sky being rather grey and ominous, Audrey suggested we swap Scott’s view for a taster and tour at Teviot Water Gardens and Smokery. It was such a good call, not only because it started to rain in that moment but also because I love smoked fish; it’s one of the things I always indulge in when i visit family back in Germany.
Afterwards, we headed to the historic Royal Burgh of Jedburgh, a traditional Borders market town with links to Mary Queen of Scots and home to the first Borders abbey we would see on the trip. While some settled in the local pub for warmth and comfort (it was February after all), I set off for a look around the town. The remains of this 12th century Augustinian abbey are a truly imposing sight, towering over the centre of town, and of all Borders abbeys I have seen is probably the best preserved. From here it was a short stroll to Mary Queen of Scots’ house and Jedburgh Castle Jail – sadly all already closed for the day. As it started to get dark, Jedburgh Abbey and the market square were lit up beautifully. With a final look, I returned to the bus and we got on the road for our evening stop in Kelso.
When planning the trip, I had hoped to catch a glimpse of a few sights on route but had completely forgotten how quickly darkness falls at this time of year. As we arrived into Kelso, I quickly abandoned all plans of a walk by the Tweed and instead set my sights on Scotland’s first and only micropub, Rutherford’s, for a slice of game pie and a pint of craft beer. If you’re looking for a more substantial dinner, The Cobbles next door is hands down the best place in the Borders to go.
All fed and happy, we headed back to Galashiels. With three of the group joining the tour the next day as well, Audrey kindly dropped us off at our accommodation and made sure we had all the info we needed for our Sunday tour. I had booked into Craigielea B&B, a cozy Victorian townhouse overlooking Galashiels market square and just a short stroll from the train station.
On Sunday morning, I joined Rabbie’s driver guide Mack for The Sir Walter Scott Tour. The Borders are well known for their ballads and myths and inspired many writers, the best known one being Sir Walter Scott. Born in Edinburgh, he spent a lot of time in the Border recovering from polio, living with his grandparents who inspired his fascination with local lore. Today, he is best known for practically inventing the historical novel, writing well known novels such as Waverley, Rob Roy and Ivanhoe and we would spend the day following in his footsteps, visiting the places that inspired him.
Our first stop for the day was at Abbotsford, Scott’s gothic baronial home on the banks of the Tweed. Built on the proceeds of his incredibly successful literary career, the house looks like a castle on the outside and is somewhere between over the top theatre decor and personal museum on the inside. Scott collected everything connected to themes that inspired him: Mary Queen of Scots, Napoleon, Bonnie Prince Charlie and the Jacobites – from weapons to oatcake crumbs form Culloden, the variety was astounding. The most breathtaking part however, was the massive library, housing almost 9,000 books and Mack’s tour really brought the place to life.
After lunch in the visitor centre on site, we headed on to Selkirk, where Scott had worked as sheriff depute. This is where we ran into problems – the Borders being, as I said before, more remote, everything was closed on a Sunday. The courthouse was closed, as were the local shops and after a short walk around the town centre, Mack had come up with some alternatives for the rest of the tour.
We headed past the three peaks of the Eildon Hills and to Smailholm Tower, the 15th century keep where Scott had spent his childhood. The tower boasts incredible views over the surrounding area and it is easy to imagine a young Walter Scott being inspired by the landscape.
From here, the tour took us to what was supposed to be the final stop – Scott’s view. The story goes that Scott passed this viewpoint on his travels and would stop his horses for a moment to admire the scenery with the Tweed below and the Eildons in the distance. When he died, his funeral procession passed by this same spot and his horses stopped for one last time.
Mack didn’t want to end the story there, so he took us all the way to Dryburgh, Scott’s final resting place. Though we arrived just after last admission for the day, he managed to get us 20 minutes for a look around. Just as we got off the bus, the sun broke through for the first time on that weekend, too, which made the atmosphere truly magical.
Ending the tour on this high point, we headed back to Galashiels, with a quick photo stop at Leaderfoot Viaduct en route. With the sky slowly clearing up, the train ride back up to Edinburgh was all the more enjoyable: the stretch between Galashiels and Gorebridge showcases the rolling hills of the area beautifully and I look forward to returning to the area to explore it further.
What I especially enjoyed about Rabbie’s was the flexibility of the guides. If there is anything on route you really want to see or a stop doesn’t work out, they’re quick to work out if a detour will work or suggest an alternative. They can really read the group’s interest and do their best to work with it, which has made every trip I’ve been on with them really fun.
In line with that, passengers who want to spend more time in the Borders can request to be dropped off in Melrose and make their own way back to Tweedbank or Galashiels railway station. With frequent train services to Edinburgh, it makes for an easy and enjoyable day out from the capital that I would definitely recommend.
Have you explored the Scottish Borders yet? What’s your favourite hidden gem?
See you around,
German in Scotland | Weekend Adventurer
