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The Capon Tree in winter, a broad bare oak on wooden props in a green field, with its fingerpost sign in front under a blue sky.
Scottish Borders

The Capon Tree

An ancient sessile oak, one of the last of the old Jed Forest, beside the A68 about a mile south of Jedburgh.

Welcome

Just outside Jedburgh stands a tree the whole town holds dear.

The Capon Tree is a sessile oak thought to be somewhere between 500 and 1,000 years old, its great trunk hollowed out with age and its spreading limbs now resting on props. The Tree Council names it one of Great Britain's 50 greatest trees. Local tradition has it that Jedburgh men met under its branches in the 1500s before riding south on raids into England. The town has never forgotten it. Every July, on Festival Day, the Jethart Callant and his riders call at the tree on the way home from Ferniehirst Castle, and he leaves with a sprig of its oak in his buttonhole. Come in summer, when the whole crown is green, or in winter, when you can see every twist of its bare branches. Give yourself time to walk round it slowly.

A short drive awaySimply ScottishA coffee house and restaurant on the High Street in Jedburgh, open every day, with Scottish breakfasts, haggis dishes and big slices of cake.4 min by roadSee itWooden tables outside Simply Scottish eaterie and coffee house, serving beers, wines and spirits
Before you go

Open at any time, all year.

Where
Beside the A68 about a mile south of the middle of Jedburgh.
Getting there
There is no parking beside the tree. Park in Jedburgh, where the Canongate car park is free, and walk out along the footpath beside the A68, about half an hour each way. Take care where the path crosses the road.
A longer walk
The council's Inchbonny, Kersheugh and Ferniehirst walk passes more of the old oaks and comes out onto the A68 by the Capon Tree.

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Where it is

Beside the A68 about a mile south of the middle of Jedburgh.

Close byJedburgh and Teviotdale.
  1. 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.1 mile 3 min by road
  2. The deep green shopfront of Heron & Willow on the Canongate in Jedburgh, its two windows filled with books under painted willow leaves.Heron & WillowA family-run bookshop on the Canongate in Jedburgh since 2023, with Scottish history, a children's nook and new vinyl and record players.1 mile 3 min by road
  3. A panelled room in Mary Queen of Scots' House, Jedburgh, with a fireplace, a painting above it and portraits on the walls.Mary Queen of Scots' HouseThe 16th-century house in Jedburgh where Mary Queen of Scots stayed for a month in 1566, now a free museum of her life.2 miles 3 min by road
  4. Jedburgh Castle Jail & MuseumJedburgh Castle Jail & MuseumA free museum in Jedburgh's 1820s jail, built on the site of the old castle, with the town museum in the jailer's house.2 miles 4 min by road
  5. Stone tower overlooking patchwork farmland and a winding river valleyFatlips CastleA small 16th-century peel tower of the Turnbulls on top of Minto Crags above Teviotdale, restored from ruin between 2011 and 2013.8 miles 14 min by road
  6. Dryburgh AbbeyDryburgh AbbeyA remarkably complete medieval ruin by the Tweed, with some of the best Gothic church architecture in Scotland and the grave of Sir Walter Scott.14 miles 23 min by road
Directions
Path lined with flowerbeds leads towards a turreted stone tower houseAttractionsMary Queen of Scots Visitor Centre1.5 miles
Wooden tables outside Simply Scottish eaterie and coffee house, serving beers, wines and spiritsRestaurantsSimply Scottish1.8 miles
The River Teviot seen from Monteviot Gardens, framed by red and orange azaleas and green trees in early summer.AttractionsMonteviot Gardens3.6 miles
Cessford Castle, a massive roofless tower of red and grey stone, standing in green grass with farmland beyond under a blue sky.AttractionsCessford Castle6.2 miles
Stone tower on a hilltop overlooking patchwork farmland and woodlandAttractionsWaterloo Monument6.6 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 · 7.2 miles
The England border stone at Carter Bar on its tarmac lay-by, green hills behind under a blue summer sky.AttractionsCarter Bar8.0 miles
The main lawn at Mertoun Gardens in early summer, with tall conifers behind and azaleas in flower along the border.AttractionsMertoun Gardens8.4 miles
Linton Kirk on its grassy knoll, a stone church with a small bellcote, among old gravestones under a summer sky.AttractionsLinton Kirk8.9 miles

Recommend to a friend

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 tree, 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 the Capon Tree
Free 29–31 OctA grey stone farmhouse with several chimneys stands against rolling hills, a wildflower meadow in the foreground.The Scullery
  • Sleeps 2
  • In Yarrow
  • 19 miles from the Capon Tree
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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