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Cessford Castle, a massive roofless tower of red and grey stone, standing in green grass with farmland beyond under a blue sky.
Scottish Borders

Cessford Castle

The great roofless tower of the Kers of Cessford, raised from the middle of the 1400s in farmland between Jedburgh and Kelso.

Welcome

With the Cheviot Hills all around stands one of the toughest of the Border castles.

This was the stronghold of the Kers, from whom the Dukes of Roxburghe descend. It's a massive L-shaped keep and wing, its walls up to thirteen and a half feet thick, built to hold out even against an army with siege guns. In May 1523 an army came. The English Earl of Surrey brought his guns, and rated Cessford one of the three strongest castles in Scotland. The Kers held on until they agreed terms and were allowed to march out. The English were back in 1545, and the castle stayed the Kers' home until Sir Robert Ker moved out in 1607 for a gentler house. His family later settled at Floors Castle near Kelso, and Cessford was left to stand as you see it today.

A short drive awayWilson's Farm and KitchenA family farm near Morebattle in the Cheviot foothills, cooking set-menu meals on chosen dates from its own beef, lamb and garden.5 min by roadSee itA sharing platter laid on an outdoor table at Wilson's Farm and Kitchen: sourdough, cured meats, salad, cheese and pickles, beside a blue jug of pink and green flowers.
Before you go

Open at any time, all year.

Where
In farmland by the hamlet of Cessford, about two miles west of Morebattle, between Jedburgh and Kelso.
Parking
Very limited, by the roadside: pull in with care.
Visiting
Walk round the outside and read the information boards. The inside is unsafe, so please stay out of the ruin and keep children close.
In the field
Sheep graze round the castle: keep dogs on a lead and leave gates as you find them.

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Where it is

By the hamlet of Cessford, about two miles west of Morebattle, between Jedburgh and Kelso.

Close byJedburgh, Kelso and the Cheviot foothills.
  1. Kelso AbbeyKelso AbbeyThe towering remains of what was one of Scotland's largest and richest abbeys, free to visit in the middle of Kelso.9 miles 17 min by road
  2. Green-fronted Dor shop at number 38, selling lifestyle goods and coffeeDōrAn independent lifestyle and coffee shop on the Woodmarket in Kelso, with well-made homeware, clothes, skincare and pantry things, and good coffee.10 miles 17 min by road
  3. A panelled room in Mary Queen of Scots' House, Jedburgh, with a fireplace, a painting above it and portraits on the walls.Mary Queen of Scots' HouseThe 16th-century house in Jedburgh where Mary Queen of Scots stayed for a month in 1566, now a free museum of her life.10 miles 18 min by road
  4. Jedburgh AbbeyJedburgh AbbeyOne of the four great Border abbeys, a striking mix of Romanesque and early Gothic in the middle of Jedburgh, with a visitor centre and cloister garden.11 miles 19 min by road
  5. Wooden tables outside Simply Scottish eaterie and coffee house, serving beers, wines and spiritsSimply ScottishA coffee house and restaurant on the High Street in Jedburgh, open every day, with Scottish breakfasts, haggis dishes and big slices of cake.11 miles 19 min by road
  6. Aerial view of Fyvie Castle's turreted grounds surrounded by autumn woodland and fieldsFloors CastleThe great castle of the Dukes of Roxburghe at Kelso, begun in the 1720s, with a walled garden and estate walks open all year.11 miles 22 min by road
  7. Jedburgh Castle Jail & MuseumJedburgh Castle Jail & MuseumA free museum in Jedburgh's 1820s jail, built on the site of the old castle, with the town museum in the jailer's house.11 miles 20 min by road
Directions
A sharing platter laid on an outdoor table at Wilson's Farm and Kitchen: sourdough, cured meats, salad, cheese and pickles, beside a blue jug of pink and green flowers.RestaurantsWilson's Farm and Kitchen1.8 miles
Linton Kirk on its grassy knoll, a stone church with a small bellcote, among old gravestones under a summer sky.AttractionsLinton Kirk2.6 miles
The House in the Hill at dusk, its turf roof over walls of local stone and glass, a bedroom lit inside and the hot tub at the corner.JedburghThe House in the HillSleeps 4 · 4.4 miles
The River Teviot seen from Monteviot Gardens, framed by red and orange azaleas and green trees in early summer.AttractionsMonteviot Gardens5.5 miles
The Border Hotel across the green at Kirk Yetholm on a bright spring day, its thatched stone wing with the end of the Pennine Way sign and its black-and-white gables beyond, parasols out at the front.BarsThe Border Hotel6.2 miles
The Capon Tree in winter, a broad bare oak on wooden props in a green field, with its fingerpost sign in front under a blue sky.AttractionsThe Capon Tree6.2 miles
The pale stone front of Ednam House in Kelso, with its pediment and white doorway, across a lawned turning circle on a spring evening.RestaurantsEdnam House6.2 miles
The broken curtain wall of Roxburgh Castle, with an arched opening, along the top of its grassy mound under a deep blue winter sky, a bare tree rising behind it.AttractionsRoxburgh Castle6.3 miles
The shopfront of Rutherfords Micropub at 38 The Square in Kelso, with its black sign, red awning and tables and chairs on the pavement.BarsRutherfords Micropub6.3 miles

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The Daily for 24 October, from Scotland with love. a stone arch bridge crossing a rushing gorge below a moss-covered cliffside building, autumn trees on both banks

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Stay nearby

Places to stay near the castle, and when each is next free.

The House in the Hill at dusk, its turf roof over walls of local stone and glass, a bedroom lit inside and the hot tub at the corner.The House in the Hill
  • Sleeps 4
  • In Jedburgh
  • 3 miles from Cessford Castle
Free 29–31 OctPlaces to stayEvery stay in the Scottish BordersAll our places to stay nearby, to search by date and by who is coming.See them all
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