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The pale stone front of Ednam House in Kelso, with its pediment and white doorway, across a lawned turning circle on a spring evening.
Scottish Borders

Ednam House

A Georgian mansion on the banks of the Tweed in Kelso, now a hotel with a restaurant, a bar and three acres of riverside gardens.

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Welcome

Ednam House was built in 1761 for James Dickson, who ran away from Kelso as a boy, made his fortune in Cuba and called his new home Havannah House when he came back.

Step inside and look up: the drawing room ceiling shows Apollo in his chariot chasing Aurora across a cloudy sky, with the four elements in its corners. The dining room at the back has a lovely view of the Tweed, and the house looks out over the Junction Pool, a stretch of the river that salmon anglers know well. In the evenings there's a menu of classic British favourites, from steak to fish and chips. There are light lunches too, and an afternoon tea of sandwiches, cakes and warm scones with clotted cream, and on Sundays a roast. It's a lovely, unhurried place to while away an afternoon in the middle of Kelso.

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.14 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

Book ahead for Sunday lunch and afternoon tea, by phone or email.

Dinner
Every evening, in the bar or the Teviot room.
Lunch
Light lunches Friday to Monday, 12pm to 3pm; Sunday roast 12pm to 3pm.
Afternoon tea
Friday to Monday, until 4pm, £23 a person.
Dogs
Welcome in the bar, the lounge and the gardens, but not in the restaurant.
Access
Steps to the front door, with a ramp through the ballroom; the Riverside Restaurant is up a flight of stairs.
Parking
Free, at the hotel.
Phone
01573 224168

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Where it is

Bridge Street, Kelso, TD5 7HS, a short walk from the abbey.

Close byKelso and the Tweed valley.
  1. 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.Under a mile 1 min by road
  2. Kelso AbbeyKelso AbbeyThe towering remains of what was one of Scotland's largest and richest abbeys, free to visit in the middle of Kelso.Under a mile 1 min by road
  3. 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.1 mile 6 min by road
  4. Hume CastleHume CastleA battlemented folly of the 1770s on the site of the Homes' medieval stronghold, crowning a hilltop near Greenlaw with views over the Borders.6 miles 12 min by road
  5. Stone tower of Smailholm Tower rises above ruined walls and rolling Borders hillsSmailholm TowerA remarkably complete 15th-century tower house on a crag near Kelso, home to Walter Scott's ancestors, with wide views over the Borders.7 miles 14 min by road
  6. Thatched cottage with box hedges and blue poppies in a gardenMellerstain HouseA Robert Adam house near Kelso, open for guided tours from May to September, with gardens, parkland walks and a courtyard cafe.8 miles 14 min by road
  7. 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.12 miles 20 min by road
Directions
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 MicropubA step away
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 Castle0.9 miles
Red dining room with gilt-framed portraits, wall lights and set tablesAttractionsSCHLOSS Roxburghe3.7 miles
Linton Kirk on its grassy knoll, a stone church with a small bellcote, among old gravestones under a summer sky.AttractionsLinton Kirk5.5 miles
Cessford Castle, a massive roofless tower of red and grey stone, standing in green grass with farmland beyond under a blue sky.AttractionsCessford Castle6.2 miles
The main lawn at Mertoun Gardens in early summer, with tall conifers behind and azaleas in flower along the border.AttractionsMertoun Gardens6.8 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 Hotel7.1 miles
The River Teviot seen from Monteviot Gardens, framed by red and orange azaleas and green trees in early summer.AttractionsMonteviot Gardens7.5 miles
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 Kitchen8.7 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 Ednam House, 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
  • 10 miles from Ednam House
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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