All our cottages are dog friendly and have paths from them that connect into a multitude of long distance footpaths that include St Cuthberts Way, Southern Upland Way, Five Abbeys Way and many other local walks.

Most guests start by exploring the three miles of riverside and woodland walks on the Estate before stopping off at the Old Melrose Tearoom for a cup of tea and scrumptious piece of cake or even a toastie and warming bowl of soup if it happens to be lunchtime. The Tearooms then make a great starting point for longer walks and a favourite is the circular walk to Melrose over the Eildons and then back along the river via Newstead and Leaderfoot. A day can easily be spent roaming around on the Eildon Hills interspersed with a bit of sightseeing in Melrose and a tasty meal in one of the Pubs or restaurants.

Being centrally located in the Scottish Borders everything is on our doorstep and another favourite walk is up the Leader valley to Earlston with a stop off at the top of Black Hill which offers a panoramic view of the area. It is possible to walk up one side of the river and back down on the other side. Guests will also often head downstream and follow the river to St Boswells where they can browse in the Mainstreet Book shop and have a light lunch in their café or buy some cheese and nibbles from their deli or alternately sit in the garden of the Buccleuch Arms and enjoy a pub lunch.

Scott’s View offers an amazing view of the Eildon hills and the River Tweed as it performs a large meander around the Old Melrose Estate. The view is so much more rewarding if you have walked there and this can be done by crossing the River Tweed at Leaderfoot before climbing up to the viewpoint and then returning back to Old Melrose via the Wallace Statue at Bemersyde and the suspension bridge at Dryburgh Abbey.

The Scottish Borders Council’s website has a map showing all the footpaths within the Borders which is a great starting point for anyone wanting to plan their own walk. Local paths groups such as  www.walkmelrose.org.uk and www.earlstonpathsgroup.co.uk also have lots of useful information.