Local Area

In and around Kelso

Roxburgh Newtown Farm is just 5 miles west of the picturesque country town of Kelso which sits at the junction of the two main Scottish Borders rivers, the Tweed and the Teviot.

As you travel to Kelso you pass the ruins of the historic Roxburgh Castle and then go over the graceful five-arched bridge which was the model for London’s Waterloo Bridge. Passing by the remains of one of the four great Border Abbeys you enter the town square with its elegant 19th Century Town House.

Kelso boasts a good range of local shops, restaurants, cafes and bars in the streets leading from the cobbled square.

Just outside Kelso is Floors Castle, Scotland’s largest inhabited castle and home of the Duke and Duchess of Roxburghe. Other historic houses nearby include Mellerstain, Manderston, Thirlestane and slightly further afar Traquair and Paxton House.

Barnhill is even more centrally located for exploring the Scottish Borders and beyond. The village of St Boswells sits next to the main A68 road from Northumberland to Edinburgh and 5 miles west of Roxburgh Newtown Farm.

Melrose, birthplace of the game of rugby sevens is just 4 miles from Barnhill. Melrose’s ruined 12th Century abbey is the burial place of the casket containing the heart of Robert the Bruce. The abbey is also the starting point for St Cuthbert’s Way, a 62 miles cross border walking route which passes by Barnhill on its way to the coast and Lindesfarne. The town has a selection of small shops and an excellent range of places to eat.