Region guide

Family days out in Scottish Borders

Rolling hills, ruined abbeys and river valleys close to the English border.

The Borders are quieter than most of Scotland's family-day-out map, which is part of the appeal — ruined abbeys at Melrose and Dryburgh, and the Eildon Hills rising straight out of the town, without the queues you'd get further north.

It's an easy add-on if you're travelling up from England, and close enough to Edinburgh for a day trip that doesn't feel like a big commitment.

30 places · 15 free · 9 good in the rain · 20 dog friendly

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Kailzie Gardens

Beautiful country gardens in Peebles with walking trails, pond wildlife, and seasonal events.

Abbotsford House

Historic home of Sir Walter Scott with gardens, museum exhibits, and scenic walks along the River Tweed.

Paid entryGood in the rain

Scottish Seabird Centre

Interactive marine and seabird exhibits, live cameras, and educational activities for families.

Paid entryGood in the rain

Ruined abbey said to hold the buried heart of Robert the Bruce.

One of the great Border abbeys, founded in the 12th century and still striking as a ruin.

Glentress Forest

7stanes mountain bike centre near Peebles with family-friendly trails and a play area.

Bowhill House and Country Park

Borders estate with adventure playground, woodland trails and a Victorian house.

Said to be the oldest continuously inhabited house in Scotland, with a maze and brewery.

Paid entryGood in the rain

The Hirsel Country Park

Estate parkland near Coldstream with a lake, walled garden and waymarked walks.

Sandy harbour-town beach with rockpools and a museum telling the story of the 1881 fishing disaster.

Scotland's largest inhabited castle, overlooking the River Tweed at Kelso.

Paid entryGood in the rain

Mellerstain House

One of Scotland's great Georgian houses near Gordon, built by architects William and Robert Adam.

Paid entryGood in the rain

Manderston House

Lavish Edwardian country house near Duns with 56 acres of formal and informal gardens.

Paid entryGood in the rain

Georgian house near the English border with parkland, a play area and a nationally important art collection.

Paid entryGood in the rain

Jim Clark Motorsport Museum

Duns museum celebrating the double Formula 1 champion, with race cars and a driving simulator.

Paid entryGood in the rain

Ruins of one of the four great Border abbeys, founded in the 12th century.

Atmospheric ruined abbey by the River Tweed near St Boswells, burial place of Sir Walter Scott.

Smailholm Tower

Compact 15th-century tower house on a rocky knoll near Kelso, with far-reaching Border views.

Neidpath Castle

Medieval tower house above the Tweed just outside Peebles.

Robert Smail's Printing Works

Working Victorian letterpress print shop in Innerleithen, preserved as it was over a century ago.

Paid entryGood in the rain

Harestanes Countryside Visitor Centre

Countryside centre near Jedburgh with waymarked woodland walks and a walled garden.

St Abb's Head National Nature Reserve

Dramatic sea cliffs and a lighthouse on the Berwickshire coast, alive with nesting seabirds in summer.

Sandy Berwickshire beach popular with families and, further out, surfers.

Famous viewpoint over the Tweed valley, said to be Sir Walter Scott's favourite spot.

Wilton Lodge Park

Riverside park in Hawick with play areas, walled garden and a local museum.

18th-century estate in Selkirk with a lake, woodland and parkland, opened to the public as a free green space.

Riverside park in Peebles beside the River Tweed, with play areas and an outdoor swimming pool.

Cardrona Forest

Forest near Peebles with waymarked walking and mountain biking trails through mixed woodland.

Scenic loch in the Scottish Borders, with free lochside walks, watersports and views across the Yarrow Valley.

Duns Castle Grounds

Estate grounds around Duns Castle, with free woodland and loch walks in the Scottish Borders.