The Scottish Borders
“The Scottish Borders have never been much of a golf destination. ”
Selkirk might be built on the side of a hill but it offers the most incredible Border views.
I caused a bit of 'stooshie' (a Scottish word for stramash which is another Scottish word for a civil disturbance), when I wrote in Golf Monthly magazine that I had watched a group of hillwalkers walking over Selkirk Golf Club complete with backpacks, billie cans and woolly hats.
It attracted a strong letter of condemnation from the then club secretary insisting that I had given a bad impression of his golf course. But it was true! I did watch hikers scaling the heights of Selkirk!
There was yet another commotion in the same magazine, (different edition) when one of my photographs of nearby St Boswell’s Golf Club showed a member with his trousers tucked into his socks. It was soaking wet underfoot that day and the chap was merely protecting his trouser cuffs. (Plus Fours weren’t such a bad idea!) A ‘correct dress etiquette’ debate raged in the Readers Page for the subsequent three issues!
St Boswells is a picturesque Borders course on the banks of the Teviot.
DOORMAT
This part of Scotland has been attracting disturbances far worse than my little editorial upsets, stemming from the fact that the Scottish Borders acted as a crash barrier between two highly contentious, continually bickering neighbours, Scotland & England!
Between the late 13th century and the Union of the Crowns in the 17th century, the two constantly warring nations turned the Scottish Borders into a virtual no-man’s-land, a lawless state full of cattle thieves and brigands, so much so that the locals had to take matters into their own hands and patrol the perimeter of their town or region. They still do this in several Borders towns during annual celebrations called ‘Common Ridings’!
The Borders today is one of the most peaceful parts of Scotland. It’s especially scenic with rolling hills, glistening rivers and unspoilt villages; a paradigm of tranquillity. In the east, quilted landscapes flow down to meet coastal communities such as Eyemouth, St Abbs or Coldingham. The west side of the region, beyond the town of Peebles, is far more remote and wild.
The bonny lads & lasses of Peebles head out on the ‘Riding of the Marches’, patrolling the town’s perimeter.
PUT OUT TO PASTURE
For this and several other lofty reasons, golf came late to this turbulent corner of the land! Rather than chasing a little while pill around the links, rugby and fly fishing were the Border’s more popular pastimes. Golf was considered for older lads who had past their ‘fly-half’ prime (rugby speak) and were no longer fit enough to bring down a ‘blindside flanker’ (more rugby speak). They, like the sheep, were put out on the sides of the many Border hills - to pasture and to play golf And that’s where I got into trouble for saying some of the Border courses were a bit hilly!
LOW ON LINKS
However, here in the eastern aspect of the Southern Uplands of Scotland, there is an inordinate number of cute little 9-hole courses laced in between the beautiful Tweedsdale & Teviotdale Hills.
However, it’s changing! Over the past few decades, certainly since I’ve been reporting on golf, there have been several excellent 18-hole additions of great beauty and challenge.
The Scottish Borders
Within an hour's drive of Edinburgh is an area of extraordinary beauty set among rugged, rolling hillsides and laced with long, babbling salmon rivers.
The Scottish Borders is not as well known as a golf region but it does offer a splendid portfolio of both holiday & championship courses. If you’re looking for an alternative to the bustling fairways of Edinburgh and East Lothian, combined with an incredibly rich history and stunning scenic beauty, take a trip south to the Scottish Borders!
GOLF
Golf, it has to be said, has not always been the Borders’ ‘main thing’. The rolling terrain and fast-flowing rivers were more suitable for woollen mills, sheep-farming, fly-fishing and rugby. However, alongside such outstanding 18-holers as The Roxburghe, Cardrona, Hawick, Peebles and Eyemouth, there are several zesty 9-hole tracks all adding to the Borders’ rewarding golf stock.
TURBULENT PAST
ABBEY ROAD
The Borders are noted for castles, great houses and medieval abbeys. Jedburgh Abbey was destroyed by invading English armies during the Wars of Independence and later reconstructed. Melrose Abbey suffered similarly but it is mostly intact today and great for photos.
The flamboyant outline of Floors Castle, Scotland’s largest inhabited house was the home of the past (10th) Duke of Roxburgh. The rooms seem more intimate and family-oriented than most inhabited stately homes as the Duke and his family used them when visitors are not present.
SIR WALTER SCOTT
Abbotsford House was the Tweedside mansion of Sir Walter Scott who bought an old farmhouse called ‘Cartleyhole’, or 'Clarty-hole' as it was dubbed in 1811, immediately replacing the name and, in stages, creating the present abode. Scott assembled a large collection of curiosities, items such as a lock of Bonnie Prince Charlie's hair, Flora MacDonald's pocketbook, the Duke of Montrose's sword, Rob Roy's sporran purse and over 9,000 books. It was in Abbotsford that Scott penned most of his famous ‘Waverley Novels’, among the most popular and widely read novels in Europe at the time.
SMAILHOLM TOWER
Smailholm Tower stands 57ft (17m) high on an already elevated outcrop of rock. It is an unusual setting for an extraordinary monolith whose main purpose was to command a wide lookout point over the Tweed Valley and also to withstand attack during the Reiver's raids. The tower was in ruins by 1799 and would have been cleared away if not for the intervention of Scotland's most famous author, Sir Walter Scott. Scott spent his childhood holidays at the adjacent farm with his grandparents and was quite attached to the old stockade. On hearing of its demise, Scott made a deal with the then owner, Scott of Harden, to write a ballad about the tower providing the farmer made sure that it was saved. ‘The Eve of St John’ was the consequence. Smailholm was also mentioned in Sir Walter's book, Marmion. Nearby Dryburgh Abbey is the final resting place of Sir Walter Scott.
SCOTTISH WOOLENS
The trio of Border towns, Hawick, Selkirk and Galashiels are synonymous with the Scottish woollen industry which still thrives with such names as Pringle of Scotland, Johnstons of Elgin, Peter Scott, Scott & Charters and Lyle & Scott. If you want to find the finest Scottish knitwear products, plan a visit to some of the area’s woollen mills and outlets.
ON THE FLY
Scotland is renowned for salmon fishing and the rivers Tweed and Teviot are recognised as exceptional Atlantic salmon rivers. Costs are significant and vary according to the time of the season which extends from the 1st February to the 30th November, the famous Junction Pool where the Tweed meets the Teviot being one of the most expensive. Experienced guides who know the water well can help you make the most of the experience.
BORDER TIPS
I recommend you treat the Scottish Borders as an add-on for at least a two or three-night stay to give you time to get to know this wonderful, unique corner. Mountain biking is popular over flowing hills as is walking through the Tweed Valley Forest Park or down by the coast, a haven for seabirds with awe-inspiring cliffside trails overlooking crystal-clear waters. Borders towns such as Melrose, Hawick, Kelso, Peebles, Jedburgh and Selkirk are all well worth exploring with amazing history, superb restaurants and great accommodation options.
