219
EAT AND DRINKKELSO
Oscar’s inexpensive
Lively wine bar and restaurant, with
polished wooden floors, serving modern
Mediterranean dishes. Mains include
asparagus and thyme risotto, or home-
made fishcakes, and daily specials such
as sea bass on tomato and basil risotto.
35–37 Horsemarket, TD5 7HE; 01573
224 008; http://www.oscars-kelso.com
The Cobbles Inn moderate
This popular restaurant serves modern
British dishes. The menu might feature
local pork with mustard mash, or
Cheviot hills lamb with potatoes and
pea purée. Leave room for sticky date
pudding with toffee sauce for dessert.
7 Bowmont Street, TD5 7JH; 01573 223
548; http://www.thecobblesinn.co.uk
AROUND ABBOTSFORD
The Waterwheel inexpensive
On the A708 road just beyond Selkirk
on the drive to Traquair House, this
attractive wooden cabin has an outside
deck and lovely countryside views. It
offers good value hot meals, as well as
soups and sandwiches.
Philiphaugh Old Mill, Selkirk, TD7 5LU;
01750 22258; closed Sun, MonDRIVE 21: History and Romance in the Borders
Eat and Drink: inexpensive, under £25; moderate, £25–£50; expensive, over £50Scott, the author of classic tales such
as Ivanhoe. He commissioned the
house himself and it’s full of character,
with suits of armour in the oak-
panelled hall, his battered leather
writing chair in the study and
thousands of books crammed onto
the shelves of his well-used library.
The windows of the house overlook
the Tweed, the river he loved.
ª From car park go left on B6360, then
A7 into Selkirk. Here take A707, then
A708 through dramatic scenery, turning
right onto B709. This is the remote
Borders: there’s not a settlement to be
seen. Follow signs for Traquair House.
8 Traquair House
Innerleithen, Peeblesshire; EH44 6PW
Scotland’s oldest inhabited house,
Traquair (Apr–Oct: open daily; http://www.
traquair.co.uk) dates back to at least
- It is home to the Maxwell-Stuart
family and is steeped in history. With
sloping floors and a fascinating jumble
of rooms, the house boasts relics such
as Mary Queen of Scots’ son’s cradle, as
well as a concealed room with secret
stairs – a means of escape for priests,
when Catholics were persecuted in the
16th to 18th centuries. The family were
loyal supporters of James II and VI and
9 Rosslyn Chapel
Chapel Loan, Roslin; EH25 9PU
Stepping inside Rosslyn Chapel (open
daily; http://www.rosslynchapel.org.uk), it is
hard to decide where to look first,
there are so many extraordinary –
and mysterious – carvings. An angel
plays the bagpipes; pagan “Green
Men” peer down from pillars; there is
even maize, carved here years before
the New World was “discovered”. The
chapel, built for the St Clair family in
1450, is perhaps best known for the
lavishly carved Apprentice Pillar,
thought by some to conceal the Holy
Grail, brought here by the Knights
Templar – a theory popularized in the
book and film The Da Vinci Code.
ª Drive north on B7006, then turn
right onto A701 to central Edinburgh.DAY TRIP OPTIONSEdinburgh and Kelso would make
good bases for families and history-
lovers to explore the area.Ghosts and Coasts
Staying in Edinburgh 1 , walk around
the city, visit the Palace of Holyrood-
house and listen to tales of how
people lived cheek-by-jowl in Mary
King’s Close and the Grassmarket,
before stocking up on picnic suppliesand heading to North Berwick 2 for
the Scottish Seabird Centre and a Seafari
to see the birds up close. Finish the day
relaxing on the beach.Follow the A1, then the A198. Retrace
the route to return.Border Romance
From Kelso 5 , see Kelso Abbey and
Floors Castle. Next, head for the
romantic ruins of Dryburgh Abbey
6 , burial place of Sir Walter Scott,before heading to his former home,
Abbotsford 7. Tour Scott’s home,
evocative of his dashing fictional
tales, with suits of armour and
memorabilia, before visiting Traquair
House 8 , steeped in history and
drama. Drive back through the wild
and beautiful Scottish Border
countryside.
Follow the drive instructions to get to
all the stops, but return via the A72 and
A699, if pressed for time.the Stuart monarchs, and today make
a Jacobite Ale, based on an 18th-
century recipe, in their historic brewery.
ª From Traquair, go left on B709
towards Innerleithen, then take A72
towards Peebles. On the outskirts of the
town pick up A703 going north; at
Leadburn turn right on A6094 to
Rosewell, then descend steeply left on
B7003. Turn right on B7006 and right
again to Rosslyn Chapel.Far left The historic Traquair House, dating
back to the 12th century Left Intricate
stonework exterior of Rosslyn Chapel, RoslinSHOPPINGLook for wool, cashmere and tartans in
the Borders, especially from places that
offer mill tours. Try Locharron Scottish
Cashmere and Wool Centre (Waverley
Mill, Dunsdale Rd, Selkirk, TD7 5DZ;
01750 726 100; http://www.lochcarron.com).
Hawick is a traditional textile-making
town: to get there, take the A698 from
Kelso or A7 from Selkirk. As well as a
museum of textiles, visit Trinity Mills
(Duke St, TD9 9QA; 01450 371 221).