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Linton Kirk on its grassy knoll, a stone church with a small bellcote, among old gravestones under a summer sky.
Scottish Borders

Linton Kirk

A twelfth-century parish church near Morebattle, restored in 1912 to something close to its Norman form.

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Welcome

There's something magical about Linton Kirk, standing on its own knoll of sand a mile north of Morebattle and looking out over the valley.

A minister is on record here as early as 1127. Above the porch is a weathered Norman carving of a mounted knight driving his lance at two beasts, and there is nothing else like it in Scotland. The story goes that a Somerville killed the Linton Worm, a dragon-like monster, with a lance through its throat. Another tale says two sisters sifted all the sand for the mound to save their brother's life. Inside, the Norman font turned up in the village smiddy in 1850, where it appears to have held water for cooling irons.

A short drive awayThe Border HotelKirk Yetholm's village inn, at the head of the green below the Cheviot Hills, a mile inside Scotland.9 min by roadSee itThe 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.
Before you go

Open during daylight hours.

Where
Linton, about a mile north of Morebattle and seven miles from Kelso, TD5 8AE.
Look for
The window by Douglas Strachan, unveiled in 1914, with fragments of old glass found at Holyrood Palace; the bell of 1697; and outside, the sundial of 1699 on the south-west corner.

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Where it is

Linton, about a mile north of Morebattle, TD5 8AE.

Close byMorebattle, Yetholm and Kelso.
  1. 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.Wilson'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.2 miles 5 min by road
  2. Cessford Castle, a massive roofless tower of red and grey stone, standing in green grass with farmland beyond under a blue sky.Cessford CastleThe great roofless tower of the Kers of Cessford, raised from the middle of the 1400s in farmland between Jedburgh and Kelso.4 miles 8 min by road
  3. Kelso AbbeyKelso AbbeyThe towering remains of what was one of Scotland's largest and richest abbeys, free to visit in the middle of Kelso.7 miles 11 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.8 miles 12 min by road
  5. 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.8 miles 16 min by road
  6. The River Teviot seen from Monteviot Gardens, framed by red and orange azaleas and green trees in early summer.Monteviot GardensGardens round Monteviot House near Jedburgh, the home of the Kerr family and the Marquis of Lothian for almost four centuries.11 miles 17 min by road
Directions
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 Hotel5.1 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 House6.5 miles
Green-fronted Dor shop at number 38, selling lifestyle goods and coffeeShoppingDōr6.6 miles
Red dining room with gilt-framed portraits, wall lights and set tablesAttractionsSCHLOSS Roxburghe7.0 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 Micropub7.2 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 · 7.8 miles
Stone tower on a hilltop overlooking patchwork farmland and woodlandAttractionsWaterloo Monument11 miles
Path lined with flowerbeds leads towards a turreted stone tower houseAttractionsMary Queen of Scots Visitor Centre12 miles
A panelled room in Mary Queen of Scots' House, Jedburgh, with a fireplace, a painting above it and portraits on the walls.AttractionsMary Queen of Scots' House12 miles

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The Daily for 25 October, from Scotland with love. bare tree stumps standing in an autumn loch, forested hills reflected in the still water

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Stay nearby

Places to stay near the kirk, 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
  • 5 miles from Linton Kirk
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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