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The shopfront of Rutherfords Micropub at 38 The Square in Kelso, with its black sign, red awning and tables and chairs on the pavement.
Scottish Borders

Rutherfords Micropub

A small micropub on the Square in Kelso, named CAMRA's Borders Pub of the Year in 2025 and 2026.

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Welcome

There's something lovely about a pub this small, and Rutherfords, on the Square in Kelso, was the very first micropub in Scotland.

It opened in July 2015 in what had been a little shop, and it's a friendly, easy place to stop for a pint, with real ales poured by hand pump. In summer the seats spill out onto the pavement, sheltered by canopies, and it's a lovely spot for watching Kelso go by. Dogs are welcome, too, so bring yours along after a walk by the Tweed. Kelso Abbey is only a few minutes away on foot, so start with a wander round the ruins and finish here as the evening comes in.

Close byDōrAn independent lifestyle and coffee shop on the Woodmarket in Kelso, with well-made homeware, clothes, skincare and pantry things, and good coffee.2 min by roadSee itGreen-fronted Dor shop at number 38, selling lifestyle goods and coffee
Before you go

Usually from noon, from 4pm in winter.

Where
38 The Square, Kelso, TD5 7HL.
Open
Usually from noon to 10pm, and to 11pm on Friday and Saturday. In winter it opens at 4pm (12.30pm on Saturday) and often closes at 9pm, so check before a special trip.
Food
Simple bar snacks.
Parking
Free on the street round the Square.
Phone
07933 887344

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Where it is

38 The Square, Kelso, TD5 7HL.

Close byKelso and the country round it.
  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.Under a mile 2 min by road
  2. 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
  3. 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.2 miles 5 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 11 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 13 min by road
  7. 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.10 miles 17 min by road
Directions
Green-fronted Dor shop at number 38, selling lifestyle goods and coffeeShoppingDōr0.4 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 House0.4 miles
Red dining room with gilt-framed portraits, wall lights and set tablesAttractionsSCHLOSS Roxburghe4.3 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
Linton Kirk on its grassy knoll, a stone church with a small bellcote, among old gravestones under a summer sky.AttractionsLinton Kirk7.1 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 Hotel8.8 miles
Ruined stone tower with rounded turret, framed by trees on grasslandAttractionsGreenknowe Tower8.9 miles
Wrought iron bracket holding an oval sign reading Coldstream MuseumAttractionsColdstream Museum9.0 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 Kitchen9.3 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 the pub, 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 Rutherfords
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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