65 Best Sights in The Borders and the Southwest, Scotland

Located in a historic house on the town´s attractive Wilton Lodge Park, the Hawick Museum is a comprehensive look at local history, with changing art exhibitions in its two first floor galleries. The War Room tells the story of local men who fought in World War I as well as memorabilia from the POW camps in the area and copies of a newspaper produced by German prisoners in the town. A moving metal sculpture outside the museum commemorates the battle of Passchendaele. One of Hawick's favorite sons, Jimmy Guthrie, a world champion motorcyclist, has his own exhibition that draws motorcycle enthusiasts from around the world.

To appreciate the famous 20-mile ride of Mary, Queen of Scots, in 1566—she rushed to the side of her wounded lover, the Earl of Bothwell—travel southwest from Jedburgh to this, the most complete remaining example of the bare and grim medieval border castles. Restored in the early 19th century, it was built in the 13th century to guard what was at the time one of the important routes from England into Scotland. Local folklore maintains that the 14th-century Lord Soulis, a descendant of the original owner and notorious for diabolical excess, was captured by the local populace, who wrapped him in lead and boiled him in a cauldron—a much better story than the reality, which is that he died in Dumbarton Jail.

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.

The little community of Kirkbean is the backdrop for the bright-green landscape of the Arbigland Estate; in a cottage here, now the John Paul Jones Museum, John Paul (1747–92), the son of an estate gardener, was born. He eventually left Scotland, added "Jones" to his name, and became the founder of the U.S. Navy. The cottage where he was born is furnished as it would have been when he was a boy. There is an informative video, which you watch in a reconstruction of his captain's cabin. Jones returned to raid the coastline of his native country in 1778, an exploit recounted in an adjoining visitor center.

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.

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.

You can take an informative guided tour of this world-renowned working textile mill and also purchase some of the best woollen goods on offer, from knitwear to tartans and tweeds. The shop also sells Scottish jewelry.

One of the four major sites belonging to the Edinburgh-based National Botanic Gardens of Scotland, the spectacular Logan Botanic Garden is a must-see for garden lovers. Displayed here are plants that enjoy the prevailing mild climate, especially tree ferns, cabbage palms, and other Southern Hemisphere exotica. There are free guided walks every second Tuesday of the month at 10:30 am; at other times there is a free audio guide.

Conspicuous in the center of town are the stone walls of MacLellan's Castle, a once-elaborate castellated mansion dating from the 16th century. You can walk around the interior, still atmospheric even though the rooms are bare. The "Lairds Lug," behind the fireplace, allowed the laird (lord) to listen in to what his guests were saying about him. You can also get a glimpse of life below stairs in the kitchen vaults beneath the main staircase. The mansion has lovely views over the town.

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.

One fine example of the Borders area's ornate country homes is Mellerstain House, begun in the 1720s and finished in the 1770s by Robert Adam (1728–92); it is considered one of his finest creations. Sumptuous plasterwork covers almost all interior surfaces, and there are outstanding examples of 18th-century furnishings, porcelain and china, paintings, and embroidery. The beautiful terraced gardens (open an hour before the house itself) are as renowned as the house.

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.

Writer J. M. Barrie was a regular visitor to the Gordon family's grand Edwardian home at Moat Brae. The stories he told their children would eventually go on to become the tale of Peter Pan, and the house's garden was the inspiration for Neverland. Today the garden has a replica of Captain Hook's ship, where kids can play. After coming perilously close to demolition, the house was saved and restored to its original state over several years, and the on-site center has been conceived as a National Storytelling Centre rather than simply a historical museum. It's meant to be a place where today's children can exercise their own imaginations. In the children's bedroom, Tinker Bell flies around the walls, and you can try to catch her.

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.

The Lochnell Mine was abandoned in 1861, after 150 years of operation, and the mine and miners' homes now form part of this museum re-creating their lives. The isolated village of Wanlockhead, where the mine is located, has not changed a great deal since then—there was little alternative employment for the miners and their families. In the visitor center, housed in the old smithy, there are tableaux depicting the work of the miners and explanations of the nature of the ore from which the lead was taken. A visit consists of a tour of the miners' library, followed by a walk through the long gallery of the mine itself as well as some of the miners' houses. Hard hats are included, but it is still wise to keep your head down. The nearby Leadhills and Wanlockhead Narrow Gauge Railway runs on weekends throughout the summer and costs £7.50 for a round-trip ticket. There is also a pleasant tearoom and shop in the visitor center.

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.

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.

The National Trust for Scotland's Priorwood Garden, next to Melrose Abbey, specializes in flowers for drying, and dried flowers are on sale in the shop. Next to the gardens is an orchard with some old apple varieties and other fruit trees. The walled Harmony Garden, belonging to the lovely Georgian house at its heart, sits nearby opposite the abbey.

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.

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.

Try your hand at printing the way it used to be done: painstakingly setting each letter by hand. Robert Smail's print shop, founded in 1866 to produce materials for nearby factories, boat tickets, theater posters, and the local newspaper, is still a working print shop as well as a museum. Two great waterwheels once powered the presses, and they are still running. The guided tour, which includes making your own bookmark, takes 90 minutes.

This is possibly the most photographed rural view in the south of Scotland. (It's almost as iconic as Eilean Donan Castle, far to the north.) The sinuous curve of the River Tweed and the gentle landscape unfolding to the triple peaks of the Eildons and then rolling out into the shadows beyond are certainly worth seeking out.

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.

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.

The Isle of Whithorn (a fishing village on the mainland) holds the ruins of the 14th-century St. Ninian's Chapel, where pilgrims who came by sea prayed before traveling inland to Whithorn Priory. Some people claim that this, and not Whithorn Priory, is the site of the Candida Casa, a 4th-century church. The structure seems to have been erected on top of a much older chapel built around 1100. It's 4 miles south of Whithorn.

Stuffed with all manner of local paraphernalia, the delightfully old-fashioned Stewartry Museum allows you to putter and absorb as much or as little as takes your interest in the display cases. Stewartry is the former name of Kirkcudbright.

British sculptor Andy Goldsworthy's extraordinary piece of public landscape art enriches the great natural amphitheater at Cairnhead in the southern uplands of Dumfries and Galloway. His three red-sandstone arches stand 13 feet high and mark out the area, "striding" across the landscape and symbolizing all those who have left the area and migrated in search of work or better lives.

At the center of the village of New Abbey are the impressive red-tinted, roofless remains of Sweetheart Abbey, founded in 1273 by the Lady of Galloway Devorgilla (1210-90), who, it is said, kept her dead husband's heart in a tiny casket she carried everywhere. After she died, she was laid to rest in the Abbey with the casket resting on her breast. The couple's son John Balliol (1249–1315) was the puppet king installed in Scotland by Edward of England when the latter claimed sovereignty over Scotland. After John's appointment the Scots gave him a scathing nickname that would stay with him for the rest of his life: Toom Tabard (Empty Shirt). Currently the  abbey is closed for restoration, but you can still view it from afar.

In Kelso´s main square, you'll find this small museum that is both a history of salmon fishing in the area and of the River Tweed itself, exploring the significance of fishing on the local economy and its decline. Historic maps and collections of fishing gear show the evolution of life (and fishing) on the river. There are even replicas of the biggest fish reportedly ever caught and the disputes each one provoked.

These three identical cairns, 9 feet high and 6 feet around at the base, are the end point of a fairly strenuous 11-mile walk that begins 4 miles north of Selkirk on the A707. The view from the Three Brethren is spectacular and embraces the whole of the Borders. Park at the car park at Philipburn on the A707, 4 miles from Selkirk. The path is signposted from there.