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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.
Scottish Borders

Roxburgh Castle

The broken walls of a medieval royal castle on a steep ridge between the Tweed and the Teviot, just west of Kelso.

Welcome

Roxburgh Castle was one of the great strongholds of medieval Scotland.

Founded by King David, it appears in the records from the 1120s, and the town that grew up beside it became one of the four principal royal burghs, with a mint of its own. It changed hands again and again between the Scots and the English. One February night before Bannockburn, Sir James Douglas and sixty men crept up to the walls disguised as cattle, climbed in on rope ladders and took it for the Scots. In 1460 James II came with a great army to win it back, and after that siege the castle was destroyed. Parts of its curtain wall still stand to around sixteen feet above the Teviot, and Floors Castle looks straight across the Tweed to the ruins. The best view from the ground is from the Borders Abbeys Way, whose riverside path follows the Teviot below the mound.

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.15 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

The walls are seen from the path below, at no charge.

Getting there
On foot from Kelso along the Borders Abbeys Way: from the abbey, over the Tweed by Rennie's bridge, right along the A699 and over the Teviot bridge; 250 metres on, a stile and steps lead down to the riverside path below the castle.
Parking
The Knowes car park in Kelso, free.
The mound
Steep, overgrown and part of the Roxburghe estate: a sight to look at from the path, not a place to climb.
Protected
A scheduled monument.

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Where it is

Across the Tweed from Kelso, where the Tweed and the Teviot run close together.

Close byKelso and the Tweed valley.
  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.2 miles 3 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.2 miles 4 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.3 miles 9 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.8 miles 14 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.8 miles 17 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.9 miles 16 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.11 miles 18 min by road
Directions
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 House0.9 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 Micropub0.9 miles
Red dining room with gilt-framed portraits, wall lights and set tablesAttractionsSCHLOSS Roxburghe4.6 miles
The main lawn at Mertoun Gardens in early summer, with tall conifers behind and azaleas in flower along the border.AttractionsMertoun Gardens5.9 miles
Linton Kirk on its grassy knoll, a stone church with a small bellcote, among old gravestones under a summer sky.AttractionsLinton Kirk6.0 miles
Cessford Castle, a massive roofless tower of red and grey stone, standing in green grass with farmland beyond under a blue sky.AttractionsCessford Castle6.3 miles
The River Teviot seen from Monteviot Gardens, framed by red and orange azaleas and green trees in early summer.AttractionsMonteviot Gardens6.9 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 Hotel7.8 miles
Stone tower on a hilltop overlooking patchwork farmland and woodlandAttractionsWaterloo Monument8.6 miles

Recommend to a friend

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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A free morning email to see what’s on this week, catch up on what’s happening in Scotland and find somewhere new to go.

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
  • 10 miles from Roxburgh 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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