When I decided to take a spontaneous road trip up to the Highlands in Scotland, I knew that the route would take me through the Scottish Borders. I’ve been wanting to come here for years, and there’s one big reason for that: the Border Abbeys! There are four main, magnificent sets of abbey ruins, all located in Scotland near to the England-Scotland border. There isn’t much information online about visiting all of them together, but it’s certainly possible to see all four abbeys in a morning (with a car).

I visited the Border Abbeys from York, on my way driving up to Loch Lomond. We started in Jedburgh, and made our way across to Melrose before driving north. Here’s everything you need to know about visiting Jedburgh, Kelso, Dryburgh, and Melrose Abbeys in the Scottish Borders!

Jedburgh Abbey

The first stop of the day was Jedburgh Abbey, and what a beautiful place! The abbey was originally founded in the 12^th century, and was built in a unique mixture of both Romanesque and Early Gothic styles. It faced devastation and destruction for hundreds of years by various English military leaders. The abbey was disestablished in 1560 with the coming of the Scottish Reformation. Today, Jedburgh Abbey has a beautiful, roofless nave.

Like most of the Border Abbeys, Jedburgh Abbey is owned and operated today by Historic Scotland. There is an admission charge (£6 for an adult), a small visitor center, free toilets, and opening times vary depending on the season. There is free parking in the car park across from the abbey, and also free street parking around town. It’s a 20-25-minute drive to the next stop, Kelso Abbey.

Kelso Abbey

Kelso Abbey is definitely the smallest and least spectacular of the Border Abbeys. However, I do think it merits a visit as part of the group! Kelso Abbey was one of the largest and wealthiest religious houses in Scotland. Like Jedburgh, it was founded in the 12^th century. The community was originally established at Selkirk in 1113, but moved to Kelso in 1128. Kelso Abbey sustained major damage from attacks from the English during the 16^th century. It was disestablished under the Scottish Reformation.

Today, not much survives of this abbey. The only surviving features are the west tower and the transept. There is also a large graveyard on the grounds. Kelso Abbey is free to visit, and has the same opening times as the other abbeys (although this isn’t based on tickets, they do lock the gates). There’s free parking on the street near the abbey, and free street parking in Kelso itself. It’s another 20-minute drive to the next stop, Dryburgh Abbey.

Dryburgh Abbey

Dryburgh Abbey was one of the most surprising of the abbeys I visited in the Scottish Borders! The sprawling abbey grounds have a wealth of interesting features still remaining. It actually reminded me a lot of my beautiful Fountain’s Abbey in Yorkshire! One of the best surprises was that Dryburgh was home to a few famous burials. Both the author Sir Walter Scott, and Field-Marshal Douglas Haig are buried in Dryburgh Abbey! The chapter house was also a major highlight, as it still has remaining bits of the medieval wall paintings. There is a lot to see here—parts of the church, the cloisters, dormitories, and even part of the gate house.

Dryburgh Abbey was founded in 1150, and faced periods of destruction from English troops. It was destroyed in 1544, but briefly survived the Scottish Reformation. It wasn’t disestablished until 1581.

Dryburgh Abbey is also run by Historic Scotland, and there is an admission charge (£6 for adults). There is plenty of free parking at the gates of the abbey, and they also have free toilets on site. Opening times depend on the season. It’s less than 10 minutes driving to the next stop.

Wallace Monument

While there’s a much more famous monument to William Wallace in Stirling, there one in the Scottish Borders as well! The Wallace Monument in Bemersyde is just up the road from Dryburgh on the way to Scott’s View, and certainly worth a stop. There’s a small car park off the B6356 road. The statue is about a 10-minute walk from the parking lot through the woods. It was built in 1814, and shows William Wallace looking out over the River Tweed.

Scott’s View

One of my favorite stops on my trip to the Scottish Borders: the view from Scott’s View. It’s supposedly one of the favorite views of the famous Scottish author, Sir Walter Scott (he pops up a lot around here!). The three peaks of the Eildon Hills stand out against the skyline. If you’re in the area, you simply can’t miss this spot. There’s plenty of parking for free off the B6356 road. It’s a 10-minute drive to the next stop, Melrose Abbey.

Melrose Abbey

This abbey was by far the busiest of the four Border Abbeys, although that might be because I visited it around noon. Melrose is one of the bigger abbeys, and certainly worth a visit. The abbey was founded in 1136, and underwent a main rebuilding in the 1380s. It faced attacks from the English over the years, like the other abbeys. The heart of Robert the Bruce was supposedly found at Melrose Abbey in the 1900s.

One of the highlights of the abbey was the carvings on the outer wall of the abbey. The most unique one is of a pig playing the bagpipes! You can also climb up a staircase for really nice roof views of the abbey ruins and surrounding area. Melrose Abbey is really stunning, and probably the most famous out of all the Border Abbeys.

Like the others, Melrose Abbey is run by Historic Scotland, and there is an admission charge (£6 for adults). Unfortunately, they don’t have free parking at the abbey. The main car park (across the street from the abbey) costs a reasonable £0.50 for 1 hour, and £1 for 1-4 hours. There’s free parking on various side streets.

Admission

As an English Heritage member, I get free entry (reciprocal) to Historic Scotland sites. This kicks in after you’ve been a member for more than a year, although as English Heritage cards don’t get scanned, I’m not sure how they’ll know if you’ve been a member for a year or not! If you’re considering visiting all the Border Abbeys and a few other big sites in Scotland, consider getting a Historic Scotland membership. If you’ll visit Edinburgh Castle and the three Border Abbeys with admission charges, you’d only need to go to one other site in a year to balance out the costs of a membership. I’ve been so pleased with my English Heritage membership, so the Historic Scotland version is something to look into when in this area (for more information, check out their website here).

Getting Around

It’s definitely possible to see all four of the main Border Abbeys in Scotland in a day by car. As I wasn’t paying admission charges, I only spent about half an hour at each abbey. It took me about 4 hours to see everything in this post by driving. If you don’t have a car, you can still visit most of the sites by public transportation. My guess is that, taking bus times into account, you’d need a weekend in order to see them all.

Border Buses run services between Jedburgh, Kelso, and Melrose. You can still get to Dryburgh Abbey, but keep in mind it’ll be about a 30-minute walk from the stop at Newtown or St. Boswell’s to the abbey. For more information and timetables, visit the Border Buses website here.

Where I Stayed

I stayed at this Airbnb just outside Jedburgh for the first night, and absolutely loved it (new to Airbnb?! Sign up here and get £25 or US Dollars equivalent off your stay!). The place was massive, the shower was so luxurious, and it was a perfect blend of quiet and rural. Martin was really laid back and helpful with directions—it’s a bit of a maze to get to the place! I’d definitely recommend it, as it made the perfect starting point for my Border Abbeys quest!

I absolutely loved visiting the Border Abbeys in Scotland. They are all magnificent buildings, with so much history. And stopping to see the Wallace Monument and Scott’s View on the way was even better! The Scottish Borders is a fascinating region with so much history, and I hope this helps anyone planning a trip and visiting the Border Abbeys!

Have you ever been to any of the Border Abbeys in Scotland? Share your experience in the comments below!

You might like my other posts on my Scotland road trip:

Scottish Highlands Road Trip: What To See In Glencoe

Seeing The Hogwarts Express At The Glenfinnan Viaduct In Scotland

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