What's on in Berwickshire

Located in the south east corner of Scotland and along the famous Borders region, Berwickshire’s dramatic landscapes bring tourists from all over the world. With a rolling vista that moves from the Southern Uplands hills all the way to the luscious arable lands of eastern Berwickshire and includes coastline, rivers, streams, lakes, valleys, forests and glens in between, as well as an abundance of wildlife and a vast range of ancient or historic sites, it is easy to see why people flock here all year round.

The plethora of ancient and historic sites has to do with the fact that Berwickshire is part of the famed Borders Region – hundreds, if not thousands of battles have been fought on the dividing lines between these countries, almost from the moment the islands were formed. From the Celts to the Romans, the English to the Scots and from warring families to warring clans everybody has fought for ownership of this gorgeous region. Sometimes this history has left behind fantastic relics. Indeed the town of Berwick upon Tweed itself has been trading as an international port since the 12th century and is packed with features from all its different rulers. There is the red sandstone Berwick Bridge, built in 1634, the Royal Border Bridge built by Robert Stephenson in 1850 and the Royal Tweed Bridge built in 1928. The town itself is considered one of the finest in the North East and the Lonely Planet (when naming the North East as one of the top 30 places in the world to visit) singled out Berwick as ‘the definitive border town.’ Perhaps that is why it also holds the record for the most fought over settlement in European history (swapping rulers 14 different times). To this day it is still a dazzlingly attractive town with well-maintained Georgian buildings, pretty red-roofed houses and massive (and still intact) Elizabethan ramparts.

With numerous other sites scattered around the region, including the fabulous Georgian Mellerstain House with its art collection (including work by Gainsborough, Van Dyck and Aitken), period furniture and gardens by William Adam; and a landscape whose beauty seemingly inspired its inhabitants to such warring passions, it is little wonder that Lonely Planet singled out the area as one of the world’s top destinations.