Scotland - South

The Cheviot Hills, running north-east from the Solway Firth to the mouth of the Tweed, mark the physical border between Scotland and England, with The Cheviot the highest point.  Beyond, to the north, lie the old abbey towns of Melrose, Jedburgh, Selkirk, Dryborough, and Kelso; the beautiful green hills and glens of Dumfries & Galloway;  and the Burns Country and links golf courses of Ayrshire -  with the magnificent granite peaks of Arran beckoning to the west.   These distinctive parts of Scotland are often missed as travellers speed north to Edinburgh, Glasgow,  and the Highlands. 

SCOTTISH BORDERS
Castle and abbey ruins abound in this much fought-over border country, its turbulent past immortalised in the novels of Sir Walter Scott.  Scott`s house at Abbotsford near Melrose is, with its collection of historic relics and old weapons and armour, a fascinating place to visit.   Border towns such as Galashiels are famous around the world for their manufacture of fine woollens, and there are large stores by the roadside to tempt the passing motorist.  The area is also a paradise for the serious walker, fine scenic trails including St Cuthbert`s Way, Borders Abbey Way, and the Southland Upland Way.  For those that love fishing, the River Tweed around Peebles is particularly popular.  Just south of Peebles, at Innerleithen, is Scotland`s oldest continuously inhabited castle, Traquair House, offering the visitor a brewery, a maze, and relics of Mary Queen of Scots and the Jacobites.   On an even grander scale, the 18th-century Floors Castle near Kelso claims to be the largest inhabited house in the country. Melrose, sporting a  pretty market square, is another abbey town worth a visit.  The nearby Eildon Hills offer fine opportunities for scenic walking and cycling.

DUMFRIES & GALLOWAY
The region, well known for its gentle scenery and numerous resident writers and artists, occupies the extreme south-west of Scotland, bordered in the west by the Irish Sea and in the south by the Solway Firth.  Dumfries, the main town, was traditionally known as `Queen of the South` - a name passed on to is modern football team.   The most famous literary giant to live in the town was the national poet,  Robert Burns.   It is home to the Burns Museum and part of the fascinating Burns Trail.  If you visit one of the many pubs in the vicinity you may care to remember what over-indulgence did to Tam O`Shanter.    Among the other sights in the region, Sweetheart Abbey is a delightfully tranquil spot.   The atmospheric Caerlaverock Castle to the south of Dumfries was built to a triangular pattern and worth a visit.   Drumlanrig Castle near Thornhill with its grand avenue leading to the imposing house-front, is  a spectacular place to see.   Among the many small towns, Kirkcudbright, at the mouth of the Dee, is particularly pretty, and boasts a Stewarty Museum featuring the human and natural history of eastern Galloway, a contemporary  Arts Centre in its old Tolbooth building, and some well preserved 17th-century merchants` houses.  Castle Douglas nearby stands next to the attractive Carlingwark Loch with its traces of prehistoric habitation.   The Mull of Galloway, to the east of Luce Bay, is the southernmost point of Scotland and offers some wild cliff scenery.  Now a nature reserve,  the Mull supports a wide variety of plant and animal species.