compiled a list of the "must see" Castles, House, Gardens & attractions.

CASTLES

Located in Kelso is the grand Floors Castle, home to the Duke of Roxburghe. Originally built in the 16th century as a Tower House by Robert Ker of Cessford, the house was extended principally in 1721 and in the mid 19th century. Today Floors is the largest inhabited castle in the land.

A 20mn drive north of Kelso will take you to Lauder where the stricking red sandstone Thirstlane Castle stands. The home of the Earl of Lauderdale, the castle was handed over to a charitable trust in the 1970s' and since then renovation have been on-going.

HOUSES

A 15mn drive north of Kelso will take you to the beautiful Mellerstain house, home to the Earl of Haddington and an exquisite exemple of Robert Adam architecture. There is a very nice collection of furniture, paintings & decorative objects on show, not too mention the extensive grounds with a walk around the lake.

Towards the east in Berwickshire, again easily accessed from Ednam House are two houses well worth the visit. Manderston house in Duns, made famous by the channel 4 tv programme "the Edwardian Country House" and also featured as one of the Antiques Roadshow venues. The interiors are splendid and of note is the spectacular Silver Staircase. A few miles away is Paxton House, one of our favourite house as it was designed by the same architects as Ednam House, John & James Adams. There is a terrific collection of paintings and furniture, including original Chippendale pieces.

In the opposite direction towards the west, Abbotsford House the home of Sir Walter Scott in Gala-         shiels. Recently the house has undergone refurbishment to bring it back to its former glory. Amongst the famous novel of Sir Walter Scott are  Ivanhoe, The Lady of the Lake, Rob Roy and The Bride of Lammermoor. 

Heading Towards Peebles in Innerleithen stands Scotland Oldest inhabited House: Traquair.   The oldest continually occupied castle in the UK, Traquair House, home to heirs of Scottish Kings, was built around 1107. It is home to the Traquair House Brewery and stages regular events such as medieval fair; there is also a great maze in the gardens. The famous Bear Gates at the top of the avenue were closed in 1745 and tradition has it that they will only be opened once a Stuart again becomes monarch.     

Whilst in Innerleithen we recommend that you also visit 'St. Ronan’s Wells; an attractive pavilion situated on the hillside overlooking the Leithen valley. Originally constructed by the Earl of Traquair in the 1820s to provide a comfortable retreat for visitors to the spa, it was largely rebuilt and extended in 1896 to accommodate indoor bathing facilities and a bottling plant. The spa was frequented by Sir Walter Scott as a boy and to this day hundreds of visitors come each year to sample the spring water which is still “on tap”.

GARDENS

All the castles and houses mentioned above are set in extensive grounds as you would expect. However, there are a few other little gardening gems to be discovered in the Scottish Borders. As part of the Scotland Garden Scheme, two private gardens are on show not far from Kelso. Bugthrig and Anton's Hill both located in Leitholm, about 20mn from Kelso, open May to September.  Towards Jedburgh, stands Monteviot House Garden which boast a diversity of planting areas, with the particular romantic chinese bridge by the pond. 

Taking a longer drive, you could head towards Peebles and visit Dawick Botanic gardens, part of the Royal Botanic Gardens Edinburgh, or head south to Alnwick.  Alnwick gardens were created only some years ago by the Duke and Duchess of Northumberland; This is certainly gardening on a grand scale. There is a fantastic rose garden to discover, plenty of water features and one of the most impressive tree house. Well worth a visit