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The Scottish Borders, south of the countries capital city, Edinburgh, is an area of tranquil villages, bustling textile towns and varied scenery, including a wild coastline running northwards from the border by Berwick- upon Tweed.

Visitors can enjoy a wide range of attractions, including magnificent historic houses, great Border abbeys, telling their tale of Border feuds with England, and working woollen mills and craft workshops.

The adventures of the old time reivers (Border raiders) are still recounted in song and ballad today. Drumlanrig's Tower in Hawick, largest of the Scottish Borders towns, portrays life in former days, while the town of Selkirk claims that its Common Riding is the largest mounted gathering anywhere in Europe.

Sir Walter Scott, the famous Scottish writer, lived at Abbotsford near Melrose. Visit his house to see his collections of memorabilia from Scotland's story. Scott is buried at Dryburgh Abbey, one of four abbeys that once were influential in Borders life. The abbeys themselves were destroyed in 1544 by the invading armies of the English King Henry VIII, when Mary, Queen of Scots was a young child. Today, the ruins remain beautiful and poignant. A major visitor centre at Jedburgh Abbey explains the abbeys' former importance. The monks first developed the skill of working with wool, the forerunner of the textile industry that still thrives in the area today. Lochcarron of Scotland in Galashiels is just one of the many textile mills and shops where visitors can see manufacturing processes and purchase the finished goods.

The Romans also passed this way. They named their main camp Trimontium, as it lay below the triple-peaked Eildon Hills near Melrose. The Trimontium Exhibition in this handsome little town tells the story of the Roman occupation. Melrose also has other features to detain you, including an Abbey and a Teddy Bear museum. This is typical of the area, plenty of interest in towns and countryside, with walking, cycling, riding and golf - including The Roxburghe, the first championship golf course in the Scottish Borders.

Another special characteristic is the choice of grand homes and castles to visit. Just north of the Border, Paxton House is a handsome mansion with a picture gallery which is part of the National Galleries of Scotland. Floors Castle, on the edge of Kelso, is said to be the largest inhabited home in Scotland. Traquair House near Innerleithen is the oldest continually inhabited house in Scotland. Many of these properties have fine gardens, another Scottish Borders characteristic. Other gardens to visit include Dawyck, west of Peebles, an outstation of Edinburgh's Royal Botanical Gardens - and Priorwood, beside Melrose Abbey.