Discover 10 hidden attractions, cool sights, and unusual things to do in Kelso (United Kingdom). Don't miss out on these must-see attractions: Smailholm Tower, Floors Castle, and Kelso Abbey. Also, be sure to include Mellerstain House in your itinerary.
Below, you can find the list of the most amazing places you should visit in Kelso (Scotland).
Table of Contents
Smailholm Tower
15th-century hilltop stone tower. Smailholm Tower is a peel tower at Smailholm, around five miles west of Kelso in the Scottish Borders. Its dramatic situation, atop a crag of Lady Hill, commands wide views over the surrounding countryside. The tower is located at grid reference NT637346, just west of Sandyknowe farm, and is now a Scheduled Ancient Monument in the care of Historic Environment Scotland. In June 2007, it was awarded the maximum "five-star" status as a tourist attraction from VisitScotland, a rating bestowed on only eight other sites in Scotland.[1]
Address: By Sandyknowe Farm, TD5 7PG Kelso
Floors Castle
Building in Scotland. Floors Castle, in Roxburghshire, south-east Scotland, is the seat of the Duke of Roxburghe. Despite its name it is an estate house rather than a fortress. It was built in the 1720s by the architect William Adam for Duke John, possibly incorporating an earlier tower house. In the 19th century it was embellished with turrets and battlements, designed by William Playfair, for The 6th Duke of Roxburghe. Floors has the common 18th-century layout of a main block with two symmetrical service wings. Floors Castle stands by the bank of the River Tweed and overlooks the Cheviot Hills to the south.
Floors Castle is now a category A listed building, and the grounds are listed in the Inventory of Gardens and Designed Landscapes, the national listing of significant gardens in Scotland. It is open to the public.[2]
Address: Roxburgh Estate, TD5 7RN Kelso
Kelso Abbey
Abbey. Kelso Abbey is a ruined Scottish abbey in Kelso, Scotland. It was founded in the 12th century by a community of Tironensian monks first brought to Scotland in the reign of Alexander I. It occupies ground overlooking the confluence of the Tweed and Teviot waters, the site of what was once the Royal Burgh of Roxburgh and the intended southern centre for the developing Scottish kingdom at that time. Kelso thus became the seat of a pre-eminently powerful abbacy in the heart of the Scottish Borders.
In the 14th century, Roxburgh became a focus for periodic attack and occupation by English forces and Kelso's monastic community survived a number of fluctuations in control over the area, restoring the abbey infrastructure after episodes of destruction and ultimately retaining Scottish identity. From 1460 onwards, life for the abbey probably grew more settled, but came once again under attack in the early sixteenth century. By the mid-century, through a combination of turbulent events, the abbey effectively ceased to function and the building fell into ruin.
Although the site of Kelso Abbey has not been fully excavated in modern times, evidence suggests that it was a major building with two crossings. The only remains standing today are the west tower crossing and part of the infirmary. The massive design and solid romanesque style of the tower indicate a very large building of formidable, semi-military construction and appearance, evidence of the importance with which Roxburgh was regarded when the abbacy was at the height of its power.[3]
Mellerstain House
Stately home in Scotland. Mellerstain House is a stately home around 8 miles north of Kelso in the Borders, Scotland. It is currently the home of the 14th Earl of Haddington, and is a historical monument of Scotland.[4]
Kelso Bridge
Bridge in Kelso, Scotland. The Kelso Bridge or Rennie's Bridge is a bridge across the River Tweed at Kelso, in the Scottish Borders.[5]
Roxburgh Castle
Castle in Scotland. Roxburgh Castle is a ruined royal castle that overlooks the junction of the rivers Tweed and Teviot, in the Borders region of Scotland. The town and castle developed into the royal burgh of Roxburgh, which the Scots destroyed along with the castle after capturing it in 1460. Today the ruins stand in the grounds of Floors Castle, the seat of the Duke of Roxburghe, across the river from Kelso.[6]
Borders Abbeys Way
The Borders Abbeys Way is a long-distance footpath in the Scottish Borders area of Scotland. It is a circular walkway and is 109 kilometres in length. The theme of the footpath is the ruined Borders abbeys along its way: Kelso Abbey, Jedburgh Abbey, Melrose Abbey and Dryburgh Abbey. These abbeys were homes to monks, who lived there between the 12th and 16th centuries. The route also passes through the towns of Hawick and Selkirk, and close to Abbotsford House, the home of Sir Walter Scott. Along the Borders Abbeys Way there are several rivers: Jed Water, River Teviot, River Tweed, Ale Water, and Rule Water.
The route was opened in 2006, and is managed and maintained by Scottish Borders Council. It is now designated as one of Scotland's Great Trails by NatureScot. The route links with four of the other Great Trails: the Cross Borders Drove Road, the Romans and Reivers Route, St Cuthbert's Way and the·Southern Upland Way. About 15,000 people use the path every year, of whom over 2,000 complete the entire route.
Two walkers, Jack Low and Garry Cossar, became the first to complete the full trail in under 24 hours in June 2017. The feat was reported in the Southern Reporter, Border Telegraph and Hawick News.[7]
Floors Castle
Forts and castles
Address: Roxburghe Estates, Kelso
LCS Joinery
Address: 2 the knowes, Kelso
Galedin Veterinary- Livestock Services
Address: The Knowes, Kelso