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A power loom weaves dark tartan cloth on its bed, mechanical arms and bobbins visible above the woven fabric in a mill workshop.
Scottish Borders

Lochcarron of Scotland

A working tartan mill at Selkirk, weaving over 700 tartans on site, with a visitor centre and shop and guided tours of the mill.

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Welcome

In Selkirk, Lochcarron of Scotland runs a working tartan mill.

More than 700 tartans are made here, on looms that clatter through the working day, and the firm has been weaving fine cloth in the Borders for nearly 80 years.

The visitor centre is the way in. Its shop is full of highland wear, tartan scarves, blankets and gifts, all made and sewn at the mill, and anyone searching for their clan tartan will be in the right place. For a closer look, guided tours take you round the whole process, from design through to the looms, and the design team can even create a tartan of your own.

The centre opens from Monday to Friday, closing early on Friday afternoons, and there is free parking at the mill. Tours are booked in advance.

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Before you go

Monday to Thursday 9.30am to 4.30pm, Friday 9.30am to 2pm; closed at weekends.

Mill tours are booked ahead.

Where
Waverley Mill, Selkirk, TD7 5DX.
Tartans
Over 700, made on site.
Tours
Guided mill tours.

Opening hours

Their website
Monday
9.30am–4.30pm
Tuesday
9.30am–4.30pm
Wednesday
9.30am–4.30pm
Thursday
9.30am–4.30pm
Friday
9.30am–2pm
Saturday
Closed
Sunday
Closed

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Did you know

Rows of tartan fabric swatches hang from a rack labelled "Lochcarron of Scotland", red, green and yellow checks among the patterns.
Did you know

A tartan of your own.

Lochcarron's designers will create a unique tartan for a family or a person, to be made at the mill.

Large metal bobbins wound with striped thread sit on the floor of a mill beside a wall panel titled "The Weaving Process", cardboard boxes stacked on a mezzanine above.
Did you know

Over 700 tartans.

More than 700 tartans are made on site at Selkirk.

Ben Lerwill

From our guide to The Borders

With a reputation that has seen it weave fabrics for Vivienne Westwood and Ralph Lauren – not to mention Sir Sean Connery – Lochcarron is one of the country’s top names when it comes to kilts and highland dress. The brand originated on the west coast, close to the loch of the same name, but this Selkirk-based visitor centre allows for private appointments for kilt fittings and other made-to-measure items, for both ladies and gents.

Read more
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Where it is

At Waverley Mill on Rogers Road in Selkirk, TD7 5DX, with free parking.

Close bySelkirk.
  1. Modern entrance with vertical "Lochcarron" lettering beside a stone church buildingLochcarron Visitor CentreUnder a mile 2 min by road
  2. The red and cream shopfront of Cameron's on Selkirk's High Street, its sign reading Camerons Oven Fresh Bakery, with Selkirk's Home Bakery painted on the window.Cameron's BakeryA Selkirk baker's that makes the town's own Selkirk Bannock, a round loaf rich with butter and sultanas.Under a mile as the crow flies
  3. Sir Walter Scott's Courtroom on Selkirk's Market Place on a sunny day: the old town hall with its clock tower and tall spire, and Scott's statue on a plinth in front.Sir Walter Scott's CourtroomSelkirk's town hall of 1804, now a museum with Sir Walter Scott's courtroom rebuilt inside.Under a mile as the crow flies
  4. The Haining across its loch on a bright day, the Georgian house and an arcaded range beside it mirrored in the still water among tall trees.The HainingA Palladian mansion of 1794 above its own loch, in 160 acres of parkland and woods.Under a mile as the crow flies
  5. Motorcycle parked outside Three Hills Coffee Co, with a red Coffee Roastery doorThree Hills CoffeeA speciality coffee roastery and cafe on the High Street in Selkirk, roasting its own beans and teaching barista courses.Under a mile 4 min by road
  6. Borders Textile TowerhouseBorders Textile TowerhouseThe story of Border knitwear in Hawick.12 miles 21 min by road
Directions
The Waterwheel Cafe's covered timber veranda at Philiphaugh, with folding tables and chairs along the deck and the cafe's glazed doors on the right.CafeThe Waterwheel Cafe1.4 miles
The Great Tapestry of Scotland's modern pale stone gallery with a zigzag roofline on a sunny street corner in Galashiels.AttractionsThe Great Tapestry of Scotland4.7 miles
Turreted mansion with gardens, hedges and rose beds below a covered walkwayAttractionsAbbotsford, Home of Sir Walter Scott4.8 miles
Inside the Trimontium Museum: Roman cavalry armour, helmets, a painted shield and a silver face-mask helmet in dark cases lit red.AttractionsTrimontium Museum5.7 miles
Stone tower with sash window above a white-framed door and lanternAttractionsOld Gala House5.8 miles
Apple trees in blossom in the orchard at Priorwood Garden, with the red stone ruin of Melrose Abbey beyond the wall.AttractionsPriorwood Garden5.8 miles
The white lattice deck of the Chain Bridge hanging across the River Tweed from its stone tower, with a heron in the shallows below.AttractionsThe Chain Bridge5.8 miles
Gravel path between flowerbeds leads to a wooden door in a stone wallAttractionsHarmony Garden7.2 miles
Gothic tracery and pinnacles of the ruined abbey against a cloudy skyAttractionsMelrose Abbey7.3 miles

Recommend to a friend

Stay nearby

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

A grey stone farmhouse with several chimneys stands against rolling hills, a wildflower meadow in the foreground.The Scullery
  • Sleeps 2
  • In Yarrow
  • 8 miles from Lochcarron of Scotland
Free 13–15 NovThe 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
  • 18 miles from Lochcarron of Scotland
Free 31 Oct – 2 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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