KELSO TOWN TRAIL
Kelso is a picturesque old Borders town situated at the junction of the rivers Teviot and Tweed. The cobbled square is the largest in Scotland, surrounded by elegant Georgian and Victorian buildings.
Take a walk round the town
and see Kelso Abbey, destroyed in 1545, then take the path along the banks of the Tweed. At the bridge, designed by John Rennie in 1800, you will see the old Toll House and on the opposite side there is a groove along the stones where disgruntled toll payers wore down their coins before paying.
In Bridge Street you will see Ednam House Hotel, a Georgian mansion formerly the home of a Kelso laddie, James Dickson, who ran away to London and made his fortune trading in tobacco. The drawing room has an elaborate rococo ceiling and views to the gardens and the Junction Pool.
In Roxburgh Street, outside the supermarket, there is a horseshoe set in the cobbles which was supposedly cast by Bonnie Prince Charlie's horse during the '45 Jacobite Rebellion. Waverley Lodge, at the Knowes, is where Sir Walter Scott stayed in 1783 and his statue, with his dog, is on the gable end.
The lovely Old Parish Church, octagonal in shape, sits in a tree-shaded cemetery and was described in an 1837 town guide as "a mis-shapen pile".
MELLERSTAIN HOUSE www.mellerstain.com This fine Robert Adam house, set in acres of grounds with woodland walks, is on the A6089 from Kelso to Gordon. Completed in the late 18th century, it has beautiful plasterwork ceilings, especially the library, which must be one of Adam's grandest rooms.
Besides furniture and paintings, there are 18th-century dresses and elaborately embroidered men's coats displayed in the bedrooms.
Mellerstain is very much a lived-in home and you can wander round four floors of rooms, from the butler's pantry, which looks as if he has just popped out, up to the gallery on the top floor which has views over the gardens and lake, the quirky folly called Hundy Mundy and the Cheviot Hills.
Mellerstain is the home of the Earl of Haddington and is well worth a visit.
THE HIRSEL AND DUNDOCK WOODS, ten minutes' drive from Kelso on the A698 to Coldstream: The Hirsel is a country park with a lake and woodland walks with plenty to see at any time of the year. However, it is especially beautiful when the rhododendrons and azaleas are in flower in Dundock Wood.
Planted by the Douglas-Home family, it is a pleasure to stroll through the huge bushes when the blossoms are a riot of colour.
A walk through the woods at this time of year, with the birds singing and perhaps a glimpse of a red squirrel, fairly lifts the spirits. As well as the variety of water birds on the lake, there is a pedigree herd of Highland cattle to admire.
Finish your walk at the Homestead where there are several craft workshops, a museum of country life and a play area for children. By then you will be ready to sit down in the tea shop and sample the home baking on offer.
THE TEVIOT SMOKERY, Kirkbank House, Eckford, teviotgamefaresmokery.co.uk. The present house is Victorian, on the site of an 18th-century coaching inn, but according to local legend, Mary, Queen of Scots drank at the well in the courtyard when she travelled along this road.
Lady John Scott, who wrote the music of Annie Laurie, often stayed here. There is a water garden of pools and waterfalls down a steep bank to the River Teviot below and a tranquil walk along the riverside. Nuthatches, kingfishers, spotted woodpeckers and otters can be seen here.
The Smokery has a gift shop with a delicatessen and a restaurant where they make the best cheese scones you will find anywhere.
Nearby is Kalemouth Bridge, built in 1830 by Captain Samuel Brown, and one of the first suspension bridges in the world. Next door to the Smokery is Eckford Church with its old Morte House, where graves could be watched overnight in case bodysnatchers appeared.
SMAILHOLM: St Cuthbert was born here and Captain Cook's parents were married in the church. Smailholm Tower, a 15th-century Borders tower house, stands on the horizon and can be seen from many miles away. Drive through Sandyknowe Farm, where Sir Walter Scott used to visit his grandfather, and you will find the car park.
However, as there is no proper path you will have to walk across the grass, so wear sensible shoes! Historic Scotland has displayed the tower's centuries of history in a way that is interesting to both adults and children. Admire the three-dimensional embroideries, made by local artist Anne Carrick, depicting scenes from Scott's "Minstrelsy of the Scottish Border". They are beautifully made and unique. The climb to the top of the tower is worth the effort as the views over the Borders countryside are spectacular.
You can see why the tower was built on this spot and imagine the reiving horsemen approaching across the hills.
While in Smailholm, be sure to pop in to the Pottery and see the hand-thrown plates and bowls, some painted with naked ladies!
