Once one of the richest abbeys in southern Scotland, Kelso Abbey was built by the Tironensians, an order founded in Picardy and brought to the Borders around 1113 by David I. English raids in the 16th century reduced it to ruins, though what little remains today is some of the finest surviving Romanesque architecture in Scotland.
Kelso Abbey
Lonely Planet's must-see attractions
24.75 MILES
One of Scotland's great country houses, Traquair House has a powerful, ethereal beauty, and exploring it is like time travel. Odd, sloping floors and a…
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13.7 MILES
Just outside Melrose, this is where to discover the life and works of Sir Walter Scott, to whom we arguably owe both the modern novel and our mind's-eye…
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27.54 MILES
The 'guardhouse of the bloodiest valley in Britain', Hermitage Castle embodies the brutal history of the Scottish Borders. Desolate but proud with its…
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16.97 MILES
Paxton House, 6 miles west of Berwick-upon-Tweed, is beside the River Tweed and surrounded by parkland and gardens. It was built in 1758 by Patrick Home…
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11.19 MILES
Perhaps the most interesting of the Border abbeys, red-sandstone Melrose was repeatedly destroyed by the English in the 14th century. The remaining broken…
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8.62 MILES
This is the most beautiful and complete of the Border abbeys, partly because the neighbouring town of Dryburgh no longer exists (another victim of the…
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9.62 MILES
Dominating the town skyline, this was the first of the great Border abbeys to be passed into state care, and it shows – audio and visual presentations…
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26.26 MILES
For the best views of the Northumberland International Dark Sky Park, attend a stargazing session at this state-of-the-art, 2008-built observatory. Its…
Nearby attractions
1.21 MILES
Grandiose Floors Castle is Scotland's largest inhabited mansion, home to the Duke of Roxburghe, and overlooks the Tweed about a mile west of Kelso. Built…
5.65 MILES
Perched on a rocky knoll above a small lake, this narrow stone tower provides one of the most evocative sights in the Borders and keeps its bloody history…
6.01 MILES
Finished in 1778, this is considered to be Scotland's finest Robert Adam–designed mansion. It is huge and famous for its classic elegance, ornate…
7.99 MILES
The proud history of the Coldstream Guards is covered here. Formed as part of Oliver Cromwell's New Model Army in 1650, they played a significant part in…
8.04 MILES
Pop into this army surplus store on the main road to see the small but atmospheric basement collection of WWII memorabilia.
8.62 MILES
This is the most beautiful and complete of the Border abbeys, partly because the neighbouring town of Dryburgh no longer exists (another victim of the…
7. Mary, Queen of Scots' Visitor Centre
9.46 MILES
Mary stayed at this beautiful 16th-century tower house in 1566 after her famous ride to visit the injured Earl of Bothwell, her future husband, at…
9.62 MILES
Dominating the town skyline, this was the first of the great Border abbeys to be passed into state care, and it shows – audio and visual presentations…