Kelso

What to do?

• Kelso Abbey, Floors Castle, cobbled town square

• Fishing on the Tweed and the tributaries

• Golf, swimming, walking, cycling, horse riding, tennis

• Fantastic restaurants and pubs

• Edinburgh 1 hour, beach 1/2 hour by car

Kelso was described by Sir Walter Scott as 'The most beautiful, if not the most romantic town in Scotland'.  It has a glorious setting, nestling in the Cheviots, with the River Tweed sweeping round the backs of pretty Georgian cottages and the unusual octagonal parish church.  The 18th century cobbled square and handsome townhouses give Kelso the elegant air of a French market town.  Today the cobbled square has a wonderful collection of shops...cashmere, finest tweeds, pottery, Honor Murray, Tweedside Tackle, Mitchells Butcher and Delicatessen, and a unique assortment of gift shops.

There are reminders of the towns magnificent medieval past in the ruins of its Romanesque Abbey, built for David I in 1128.  It was one of the biggest abbeys in the area before it was razed to the ground in 1545 during Scotlands rough wooing by Henry VIII.  Floors Castle is the largest inhabited castle in Scotland and you can wander through spectacular staterooms filled with priceless European paintings, tapestries and furnishings.

• For action -  new tennis courts, the Tweed cycle way, golf, rugby, racing, horse-riding, curling, ice-skating, fishing, walking, beaches.

• For relaxing - several beauty salons, gardens, historic houses, the Border Abbeys, the quaint Roxy cinema.

• For nourishment - several good pubs including the Queenshead bistro and the Cobbles, and a superb wine bar, Oscars, are all found in Kelso.  Further out of town there is the wonderful Caddy Mans and the Teviot Smokery coffee shop on the Jedburgh Road.  All are very good at making the most of local produce.