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A ruined abbey's crenellated tower and porch rise above corner turrets, seen from directly below.
Scottish Borders

Kelso Abbey

The towering remains of what was one of Scotland's largest and richest abbeys, free to visit in the middle of Kelso.

Welcome

In the middle of Kelso rise the towering remains of what was once one of the largest and richest abbeys in Scotland.

King David the First brought monks to the Borders, and after a first settlement at Selkirk they moved here in 1128.

Only part of the great church survives, but what is left is one of the most spectacular pieces of medieval architecture in Scotland. What remains still climbs in tiers of round arches to a tall tower with turrets at its corners, and a broken arch stands on its own on the lawn, a hint of how vast the building once was.

Kelso Abbey is free to visit and open every day from April to October. It takes little time to see, so it fits easily into a wander round Kelso's cobbled square, and the other great Border abbeys at Jedburgh, Dryburgh and Melrose are all within a dozen miles.

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Before you go

Open every day, 9.30am to 5pm, from April to October; closed from November to March.

Free.

Where
Kelso town centre, TD5 7JD.
Admission
Free.
Monks arrived
1128.

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Did you know

A ruined abbey's tall tower rises above a deep archway, round-arched windows tiered beneath it and ivy climbing one corner.
Did you know

From Selkirk to Kelso.

The monks first settled at Selkirk, at the invitation of King David the First, before moving to Kelso in 1128.

A ruined abbey wall with tiered Romanesque arcading rises above a broken archway, gravestones scattered across the lawn in front.
Did you know

A wealthy house.

Kelso was one of the largest and wealthiest religious houses in Scotland.

Ben Lerwill

From our guide to The Borders

Dedicated on 3 May 1128, Kelso’s splendid abbey was once the grandest and wealthiest in the Borders. Today it stands as the most heavily ruined of the region’s four gigantic abbeys – thanks in part to the cannons of Henry VIII’s armies – but makes up for this with thick helpings of medieval atmosphere.

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Where it is

In the middle of Kelso, TD5 7JD.

Close byKelso.
  1. The pale stone front of Ednam House in Kelso, with its pediment and white doorway, across a lawned turning circle on a spring evening.Ednam HouseA Georgian mansion on the banks of the Tweed in Kelso, now a hotel with a restaurant, a bar and three acres of riverside gardens.Under a mile as the crow flies
  2. The shopfront of Rutherfords Micropub at 38 The Square in Kelso, with its black sign, red awning and tables and chairs on the pavement.Rutherfords MicropubA small micropub on the Square in Kelso, named CAMRA's Borders Pub of the Year in 2025 and 2026.Under a mile as the crow flies
  3. Green-fronted Dor shop at number 38, selling lifestyle goods and coffeeDōrUnder a mile 1 min by road
  4. 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.Roxburgh CastleThe broken walls of a medieval royal castle on a steep ridge between the Tweed and the Teviot, just west of Kelso.Under a mile as the crow flies
  5. SCHLOSS RoxburgheSCHLOSS RoxburgheA country resort near Kelso.4 miles 9 min by road
  6. Jedburgh AbbeyJedburgh AbbeyThe abbey in Jedburgh.12 miles 20 min by road
Directions
Aerial view of Fyvie Castle's turreted grounds surrounded by autumn woodland and fieldsAttractionsFloors Castle1.4 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
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 Kitchen5.8 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
Ruined stone castle atop a grassy hill overlooking patchwork farmlandAttractionsHume Castle6.3 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
Stone tower of Smailholm Tower rises above ruined walls and rolling Borders hillsAttractionsSmailholm Tower7.0 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 Hotel7.0 miles
The River Teviot seen from Monteviot Gardens, framed by red and orange azaleas and green trees in early summer.AttractionsMonteviot Gardens7.5 miles

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Stay nearby

Places to stay near the abbey, 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
  • 9 miles from Kelso Abbey
Free 22–24 NovPlaces 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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Read on

What we have written about it, the collections it is in and more in the Scottish Borders.

From the magazineA Month Close to Home: Cupar Histories and a Roxburgh RuinFrom the magazineA Pilgrimage to the Borders AbbeysFrom the magazineDiscovering the Nooks and Crannies of the BordersCollectionAbbeys in Scotland Worth the Detour
More in the Scottish Borders

Find out more

For further reading, before you go. The details on this page were checked on .