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A distinctive three-peaked hill rises above farmland and hedgerows stretching into the distance.
Scottish Borders

Scott’s View

Sir Walter Scott's favourite view, from Bemersyde Hill over the Tweed valley to the three peaks of the Eildon Hills.

Welcome

High on Bemersyde Hill, a few miles east of Melrose, the road widens and the whole Tweed valley opens out below.

The river winds through the fields in the foreground, and beyond it rise the three peaks of the Eildon Hills. This was one of Sir Walter Scott's favourite views.

Scott lived at Abbotsford, a few miles to the west, and he stopped here so often that, the story goes, his horses learned to pull up without being told. When he died in 1832, his funeral procession passed this way to Dryburgh Abbey, and the horses are said to have halted here one last time, as if to let their master take a final look.

There is room to park beside the road, and the view is lovely at any hour, but it is at its best in the low light of evening.

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The Daily for 31 October, from Scotland with love. A ring of standing stones set among mist and autumn birch
A short drive awayWallace StatueA giant Wallace nearby.3 min by roadSee itThe giant red sandstone statue of William Wallace with sword and shield on a tall plinth against a blue sky.
Before you go

Open at any hour, with parking on the widened road.

Where
The B6356 on Bemersyde Hill.
View
The Eildon Hills and the Tweed.
Parking
On the widened road.

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Where it is

On the B6356 high on Bemersyde Hill, about three miles east of Melrose, where the road is widened for parking.

Close byThe Tweed.
  1. Leaderfoot ViaductLeaderfoot ViaductA soaring nineteen-arch railway viaduct of 1865 over the Tweed near Melrose, 130 feet high and restored in the 1990s.2 miles 3 min by road
  2. Dryburgh AbbeyDryburgh AbbeyWhere Scott is buried.2 miles 5 min by road
  3. The main lawn at Mertoun Gardens in early summer, with tall conifers behind and azaleas in flower along the border.Mertoun GardensTwenty-six acres of gardens round Mertoun House by the Tweed near St Boswells, cared for by a charitable trust since 1984.2 miles as the crow flies
  4. Apple trees in blossom in the orchard at Priorwood Garden, with the red stone ruin of Melrose Abbey beyond the wall.Priorwood GardenA walled garden in the ancient precinct of Melrose Abbey, cared for by the National Trust for Scotland.3 miles as the crow flies
  5. Inside the Trimontium Museum: Roman cavalry armour, helmets, a painted shield and a silver face-mask helmet in dark cases lit red.Trimontium MuseumA museum on Melrose's Market Square telling the story of Trimontium, the Roman fort a mile and a half east at Newstead.3 miles as the crow flies
Directions
The giant red sandstone statue of William Wallace with sword and shield on a tall plinth against a blue sky.AttractionsWallace Statue1.1 miles
The Rhymer's Stone, a small upright memorial stone on a cobbled base in front of bushes.AttractionsRhymer’s Stone1.8 miles as the crow flies
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 Bridge3.0 miles
Whitewashed dining room with black chairs, wine racks and pendant lightsRestaurantsThe Hoebridge4.0 miles
Café interior with wooden tables, chalkboard menu and a "Deli & Home" signShoppingThe Mainstreet Trading Company4.1 miles
Burts Hotel in Melrose, a white-painted 18th-century inn with black window surrounds and red window boxes.RestaurantsBurts Hotel4.9 miles
Gravel path between flowerbeds leads to a wooden door in a stone wallAttractionsHarmony Garden5.0 miles
Empty bar stools face shelves of spirits behind a panelled counterRestaurantsBuccleuch Arms5.1 miles
Gothic tracery and pinnacles of the ruined abbey against a cloudy skyAttractionsMelrose Abbey5.2 miles

Recommend to a friend

Stay nearby

Places to stay near the view, 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
  • 13 miles from Scott's View
Free 31 Oct – 2 NovA grey stone farmhouse with several chimneys stands against rolling hills, a wildflower meadow in the foreground.The Scullery
  • Sleeps 2
  • In Yarrow
  • 16 miles from Scott's View
Free 13–15 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 and more in the Scottish Borders.

ArticleSir Walter Scott’s ScotlandArticle20 Places to Visit in the Scottish BordersArticleHills, Forests and Valleys of Southern Scotland
More in the Scottish Borders
Find out more

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