The Area
The Scottish Borders has everything for a successful holiday – lush rolling countryside, rugged coastline, woodlands, high hills, historic towns and villages, castles, abbeys, stately homes, and gardens, excellent choice of accommodation, plus many opportunities for outdoor activities such as cycling, walking, golf and fishing. As a place to live and work, the Scottish Borders offers the relative intimacy of smaller communities together with easy access to Edinburgh.
Travelling on the Borders Railway
The 35-mile Borders Railway connects Edinburgh’s Waverley Station with the Scottish Borders in under an hour, serving stations in Midlothian and three stations in the Scottish Borders – Stow, Galashiels and the terminus, Tweedbank. The line is part of the national rail network and through tickets can be booked to or from any other national rail station in Great Britain. Ticket vending machines are available at all Borders Railway stations for ‘turn up and go’ travel. Edinburgh Waverley has a staffed ticket office and travel centre. Train services are operated by ScotRail and run half-hourly for most of the day, reducing to hourly late evening and on Sundays.
For tickets and timetables visit https://www.scotrail.co.uk/scotland-by-rail/great-scenic-rail-journeys/borders-railway-edinburgh-tweedbank
Bus Connections from the Railway
Alight at Galashiels Station for Galashiels Transport Interchange and buses to other Border towns and tourist attractions. Principal routes are:
X95 Galashiels-Selkirk-Hawick-Langholm-Carlisle
X62 Peebles-Innerleithen-Galashiels-Abbotsford-Melrose
60 Galashiels-Melrose-Earlston-Duns-Berwick
67 Galashiels-Melrose-St Boswells-Kelso- Berwick
68 Galashiels-Melrose-St Boswells-Jedburgh
Services are operated by Borders Buses
For combined bus and rail journey planning also see Traveline Scotland.
Visitor Attractions
Buses from Galashiels Transport Interchange link to Abbotsford House, Melrose Abbey, Priorwood Garden, Trimontium Roman heritage centre, Thirlestane Castle, Kelso Abbey, Floors Castle (2km walk from Kelso town centre), Jedburgh Abbey, Mary Queen of Scots House (Jedburgh) with Dryburgh Abbey just a 2km walk from the bus at Newtown St Boswells. Abbotsford House, and visitor attractions in Melrose are easily walkable by signposted paths from Tweedbank Station.
The Tweedbank area is a hub for several long-distance walking routes including the Southern Upland Way, Borders Abbeys Way and the St Cuthbert’s Way.
Alight at Newtongrange Station for the National Mining Museum Scotland. The stunning Great Tapestry of Scotland is just five minutes’ walk from Galashiels Station and Transport Interchange. Or take the train to Stow where you can hire an e-bike to tour the surrounding countryside from Stow Community eBikes‘ hub at the beautifully restored Stow Station House.
For visitor destinations, activities and events see Visit Scotland and Live Borders.
Galashiels Transport Interchange
Opened in 2015 adjacent to Galashiels Station, the Interchange is the hub for bus services throughout the Scottish Borders. A range of facilities for bus and train passengers are available including comfortable waiting areas, a staffed information point, ticket machines and WCs.
Steam on the Borders Railway
Thanks to lobbying by CBR, the stations at Galashiels and Tweedbank have long platforms allowing special excursion trains to run on the Borders Railway from time to time. In recent years ScotRail have offered ‘Steam Train Experience’ excursions on Sundays throughout August with a steam-hauled tour encompassing the Forth Bridge, the Fife Coast and the Borders Railway.