Selkirk

Explore Ettrick and Yarrow through ancient stones, reiver towers, Tam Lin, James Hogg, Walter Scott and the ballads that shaped the Scottish Borders.

Discover the lost medieval town of Roxburgh near Kelso: its royal streets, castle, people and the Anglo-Scottish wars that led to its disappearance.

The Ettrick hills still bear the name Forest. Follow the native woods, royal hunting grounds, sheep country and riverside trees through the centuries to see what changed.

How prized Borders wool made Roxburgh a royal trading centre and Berwick Scotland’s richest port — and how war broke the commercial world that connected them.

From spinning yarns to etching circuits, the Scottish Borders quietly powered a new era of industry. This blog explores the rise of electronics giants like Bepi, Exacta, and Viasystems in Galashiels and Selkirk—how they transformed rural skill into global tech.

Laidlaw & Fairgrieve was a cornerstone of Galashiels’ textile boom from the 1860s until its closure in 1999. Founded by pioneers William Laidlaw and Thomas Fairgrieve, the mill churned out high-quality woollen and cashmere yarns that helped shape Galashiels and Selkirk.

In the nineteenth century, William Thomson’s Tweed Vineyards at Clovenfords defied the Scottish climate. Beneath acres of glass, his grapes ripened for export across Britain, carried by rail from Galashiels to London.

For centuries, the post connected the scattered farms and towns of the Scottish Borders. From riders and mail coaches to railways and rural vans, the Post Office became the heartbeat of community life.

From medieval markets to online shopping, this sweeping history traces how retail shaped the Scottish Borders – from mercat crosses and family shops to supermarkets, discounters, and e-commerce – with Galashiels standing at the centre of the region’s ever-changing trade.

Long before castles and clans, the Selgovae ruled the Border hills. This Iron Age tribe fought the Romans, survived north of Hadrian’s Wall, and left a legacy that still echoes in the culture of the Anglo-Scottish Borderers and the reiving families who came after them.

Discover how World War II shaped the Scottish Borders: daily life, bombings, heroes, hidden airfields, war factories, and stories from every town.

Discover the remarkable story of the fire service in the Scottish Borders — from volunteer brigades and horse-drawn pumps to modern engines and major rescues. This in-depth history uncovers station origins, heroic incidents, and local firefighting folklore.

The King’s Own Scottish Borderers (KOSB) trace a proud lineage from the upheaval of 1689 through global conflicts to their 2006 merger. ⚔️ From battling Jacobites to storming Normandy, their story is woven into the heart of the Scottish Borders. This in-depth look covers founding tales, commanders, colonial campaigns, world wars, and modern missions—alongsid

Follow the Border Abbey Trail to uncover the stories behind Jedburgh and Melrose Abbeys — once vibrant centres of faith, now hauntingly beautiful ruins. Their stones echo with tales of monastic life, medieval architecture, and the scars of Scotland’s turbulent past.

In 1113, Prince David founded Britain’s first Tironensian monastery in Selkirk — a bold experiment in monastic life. Though later moved to Kelso, its quiet legacy lit the flame of Scotland’s great medieval abbeys.

A 2,000-year-old hill fort near Galashiels, long hidden beneath dense woodland, is revealed as trees are cleared for the first time in over a century. This spring, Rink Fort steps back into the light—ready to share its ancient story.

James Hogg, the Ettrick Shepherd, penned Lock the Door Lariston in the early 1800s as a stirring homage to the Border Ballads. 📜 With echoes of Reiver raids and clan loyalty, the poem captures the fierce magic of Scotland’s storytelling tradition.

Follow the footsteps of William Wallace through the castles, churches, caves, and battlefields of Southern Scotland and the Borders. From Ettrick Forest to St Mary’s Loch, the landscape still echoes with the legacy of Scotland’s Guardian.

Deep in the forests of the Tweed Valley, a search unfolds for a forgotten Border Reiver tower — hidden, weathered, and rich in untold stories. 🌲🏰 Amid solitude and trees, the legacy of Cardrona Tower rises once more.

This summer, Bill Jeffrey is taking on the Southern Upland Way to raise funds for Galashiels’ Christmas lights — bringing festive cheer one step at a time! 🎄🚶‍♂️ Support the cause and follow his journey.

In the heart of the Yarrow Valley stand three mysterious stones, weathered by time and cloaked in legend. 🪨 Are they ancient markers of burial, ritual, or memory — perhaps even the resting place of fallen warriors? Their true meaning remains lost in the mists of the Bronze Age.

Explore Cauldshiels Hill and its ancient hill fort, overlooking a dramatic stand-off with Rink Fort and the mysterious Catrail across the valley. 🛡️ These silent ridgelines echo with the tension of forgotten tribal frontiers.

An exploration of the vast cave system at Grahamslaw in the Scottish Borders reveals carved chambers, tunnels, and secrets lost to time. 🕳️ It’s the kind of place where fact blurs into fiction — perfect for the pilot of a dark Borders-based mystery series.

Investigating the 1388 Battle of Otterburn, a journey traces the footsteps of James Douglas through the Northumbrian hills — right to the site of his final stand. ⚔️ Amid the moorland silence, a rather macabre discovery offers a haunting link to one of Scotland’s most legendary knights.

Driven by the dark legacy of 17th-century religious persecution, a search begins for forgotten mass graves hidden across the Scottish Borders. ⛪ These silent burial sites are grim reminders of the Covenanter martyrs who paid the ultimate price for their faith.

After the 1603 Union of the Crowns, King James VI/I cracked down on the Border Reivers — arresting, exiling, and executing many to create the peaceful “Middle Shires.” ⚖️ It marked the sudden end of centuries of violence and the rise of powerful families like the Dukes of Roxburgh and Buccleuch. Wonder why the Reivers disappeared so fast? Or how raiders beca

Amid the rolling hills of the Scottish Borders, a search uncovers a hidden WWII operations bunker tucked beside the ancient remains of an Iron Age hill fort. 🛡️💣 Layers of defence from two millennia stand side by side in one extraordinary landscape.

The Lowland Clearances quietly transformed the Scottish Borders in the 18th–19th centuries, displacing thousands as traditional villages gave way to industrial farms and estate improvements. Though less famous than their Highland counterpart, their impact was equally profound.

Visiting some modest waterfalls around Galashiels quickly turns into a bigger quest — to track down the wild, dramatic and rarely-seen Wolf Cleuch Falls near Hawick. A hidden gem deep in the Scottish Borders landscape.

In search of a hidden, mystical waterfall deep in the Scottish Borders, this journey also takes in some of the region’s better-known cascades — a blend of secret beauty and familiar power.

Forgotten castles drift through a dream — one hidden beneath Selkirk’s soil, another clinging to Berwickshire’s cliffs. Were they ever real, or just echoes in the Borders mist?

The Allure of the Borders Hills: Exploring Scotland’s Enchanting Landscape More reasons to discover what’s right on our doorstep in the stunning Scottish Borders.

Selkirk’s Common Riding is rich in pride, pageantry, and powerful myths passed down through generations. 🏇 But not all the legends hold up to the light of history.