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Stretching east from Musselburgh for some 65 km (40 miles), the coast of East Lothian offers opportunities for beach activities, golf, windsurfing, viewing seabirds and coastal walks. It has a pleasant mixture of beaches, low cliffs, woodland and some farmland. Although the A198 and A1 are adjacent to the coast for only short distances, they give easy access to a series of public car parks (a small charge is made in summer) close to the shore. Among these is Gullane, perhaps the best beach for seaside sports and activities. Yellowcraig, near Dirleton, is a lovely bay, lying about 400 m (440 yds) from the car park. Limetree Walk, near Tyninghame, has the long, east-facing beach of Ravensheugh Sands (a ten-minute walk along a woodland track). Belhaven Bay, just west of Dunbar, is a large beach with walks along the Tyne estuary. Barns Ness, east of Dunbar, offers a geological nature trail and an impressive lighthouse. There is another delightful beach at Seacliff, reached by a private toll road that leaves the A198 about 3 km (2 miles) east of North Berwick.

A charming seaside town, North Berwick has plenty to keep visitors entertained, including boat trips, coastal walks, putting greens and golf courses, plus quirky shops, coffee houses and ice-cream parlours. During the summer regular boat trips leave the picturesque harbour for a breezy tour of nearby islands and Bass Rock, home to Britain’s largest gannet colony. Learn more about the area’s birdlife at the Scottish Seabird Centre, where you can control cameras for live coverage of the birds without disturbing them. After a day of exploring, enjoy fish and chips on the beachfront. For golf, head to North Berwick, The Glen or Muirfield Links.

Scottish Seabird Centre

" ' - # Times vary, see website ∑ seabird.org

For a magnificently snappable stop on a day trip from Edinburgh, Tantallon is hard to beat. Its 15-m (50-ft-) tall and 4-m (12-ft-) thick battered red sandstone walls overlook the North Sea and the Bass Rock, and it’s easy to see why the Red Douglases, among the mightiest families of medieval Scotland, chose it as their seat.

A short bus ride from Edinburgh city centre, Dirleton Castle makes for a fun day out. It’s De Vaux towers, built in the early 13th century, are among the oldest in Scotland and served a succession of aristocratic families, among them the Earl of Gowrie, executed in 1585 for plotting against James VI. Beneath the three-storey keep is a pit wherein languished prisoners of its noble owners. A huge dovecot (pronounced doocot in the Scots vernacular) with space for 1,000 roosts stands in the impressive castle grounds, which are home to the world’s longest herbaceous border.

This attractive county town is about 24 km (15 miles) east of Edinburgh. It was destroyed during the Wars of Independence in the 13th–14th centuries, and again in the 16th century. The agricultural revolution brought prosperity, giving Haddington many historic houses, churches, and other public buildings, and a programme of restoration has helped to retain the town’s character. The River Tyne encloses the town, and there are attractive riverside walks and parkland. (“A Walk Around Haddington” guide is available from most newsagents.)

The parish church of St Mary’s, southeast of the town centre, dates back to 1462 and is one of the largest churches in the area. Parts of the church have been refurbished and rebuilt in later years, having been destroyed in the famous siege of Haddington in 1548.

Experience Southern Scotland

Scotland’s only Concorde is the star of the show at this former military airfield, with a supporting cast that includes civil aircraft and warbirds like the bizarre Weir W-2 auto-gyro, the iconic Spitfire, the supersonic English Electric Lightning and the ominous nuclear bomber, the Avro Vulcan. The Concorde Experience reveals the history of supersonic aviation, and the free Airfield Explorer means that you can easily get around the hangars and outdoor exhibits.

The jagged cliffs of St Abb’s Head, rising 91 m (300 ft) from the North Sea, offer visitors a spectacular view of thousands of seabirds wheeling and diving below. During the May to June breeding season, St Abbs Head National Nature Reserve becomes an important site for more than 50,000 cliff-nesting seabirds, including fulmars, guillemots, kittiwakes and puffins. St Abb’s village has one of the few unspoiled working harbours on Scotland’s east coast. A clifftop trail begins at the visitor centre, where displays include identification boards and a touch table where young visitors can get to grips with wings and feathers.

The wilds of the Pentland Hills stretch for 26 km (16 miles) southwest of Edinburgh, and offer some of the best hill-walking country in Southern Scotland. Walkers can saunter along the many signposted footpaths, while the more adventurous can climb the 493-m (1,617-ft-) peak of Allermuir. Even more ambitious is the classic scenic route along the ridge from Caerketton to West Kip. Those who would like a helping hand can take the chairlift at Midlothian Snowsports Centre, home to Britain’s largest artificial ski slope, in order to reach the higher ground.

Midlothian Snowsports Centre

⌂ Biggar Rd, Hillend, Midlothian # Mon–Fri 9:30am–9pm; Sat & Sun until 7pm ∑ midlothian.gov.uk

To the east of the A703, in the lee of the Pentland Hills, stands the exquisite and ornate 15th-century Rosslyn Chapel, which famously features in The Da Vinci Code, Dan Brown’s bestselling novel and the 2006 film adaptation of the same name starring Tom Hanks.

The building was originally intended as a church, but after the death of its founder, William Sinclair, it was used as a burial ground for his descendants. It has remained the property of the family since 1446, and the chapel continues to be used as a place of worship to this day.

The delicately wreathed Apprentice Pillar recalls the legend of the talented apprentice carver who was killed by the master stone mason in a fit of jealous rage when he discovered his pupil’s superior skill. Photography and video recording are not permitted within the chapel.

Experience Southern Scotland

Standing on the edge of Linlithgow Loch, amid lovely gardens, the former royal palace of Linlithgow is one of the country’s most-visited ruins. It dates back largely to the building commissioned by James I in 1425, though some sections date from the 14th century. The vast scale of the building is best seen in the 28-m- (94-ft-) long Great Hall, with its huge fireplace and windows. The restored fountain in the courtyard, which can be seen in operation on Sundays in July and August, was a wedding present in 1538 from James V to his wife, Mary of Guise. His daughter, Mary, Queen of Scots, was born at Linlithgow in 1542.

The adjacent Church of St Michael is Scotland’s largest pre-Reformation church and a fine example of the Scottish Decorated style. Consecrated in the 13th century, the church was damaged by the fire of 1424 and largely rebuilt.

At the confluence of the rivers Teviot and Tweed, Kelso has a charming centre, with a cobbled square surrounded by Georgian and Victorian buildings. The focus of the town is the ruin of the 12th-century abbey. This was the oldest and wealthiest of the four Border Abbeys founded by David I, but it suffered from wars with England and was severely damaged in 1545. Floors Castle on the northern edge of Kelso was designed by William Adam in the 1720s, and reworked by William Playfair after 1837. A short drive away is Mellerstain House, a stunning stately home built by the Adam brothers. There are formal gardens, and the grounds include the Borders Sculpture Park which showcases the work of contemporary artists.

Floors Castle

" ' ⌂ Roxburghshire # May–Sep: daily ∑ floorscastle.com

Mellerstain House

" - ⌂ Gordon # May–Sep: Fri–Mon ∑ mellerstain.com

Set on the banks of the River Tweed, this charming Borders town is home to the Tweeddale Museum and Gallery, which houses full- scale plaster casts of part of the Parthenon Frieze, and casts of a frieze depicting the entry of Alexander the Great into Babylon. The walled Kailzie Gardens attract many day-trippers, while Glentress Forest, on the fringes of town, is popular with hikers and mountain bikers.

Tweeddale Museum and Gallery

⌂ Chambers Institution, High St § (01721) 724820 # 10:30am–4pm Mon–Fri; 9:30am–12:30pm Sat

Kailzie Gardens

" ' - = ⌂ Kailzie, Peebles # Times vary, check website;
∑ kailziegardens.com

Glentress Forest

- # Daily
∑ scotland.forestry.gov.uk

Rising squarely from a grassy platform, the massive fortress-palace of Drumlanrig Castle was built from pink sandstone between 1679 and 1691 on the site of a 15th-century Douglas stronghold. The castle’s multi-turreted, formidable exterior conceals a priceless collection of art and Jacobite treasures.

Hanging on the walls of oak-panelled rooms are paintings by Thomas Gainsborough, Sir Joshua Reynolds, Alan Ramsay and Rembrandt, whose Old Lady Reading takes pride of place. The emblem of a crowned, winged heart recalls the famous Douglas ancestor “The Good Sir James”. Legend has it he bore Robert the Bruce’s heart on crusade against the Moors in Spain.

Scotland’s oldest continuously inhabited house has deep roots in Scottish religious and political history stretching back over 900 years. Evolving from a fortified tower to a 17th-century mansion, the house was a Catholic Stuart stronghold for 500 years. Mary, Queen of Scots was among the many monarchs to have stayed here. Her crucifix is kept in the house and her bed is covered by a counter-pane that she made herself. Family letters and engraved Jacobite drinking glasses are among the relics recalling the period of the Highland rebellions. Following a vow made by the fifth Earl, Traquair’s Bear Gates (the “Steekit Yetts”), which closed after Bonnie Prince Charlie’s visit in 1745, will not reopen until a Stuart reascends the throne. A secret stairway leads to the Priest’s Room, which, with its clerical vestments that could be disguised as bedspreads, attests to the problems faced by Catholic families until Catholicism was legalized in 1829.

One wing of the house now contains the Traquair House Brewery, which dates back to the 18th century and still uses the original equipment and 200-year-old oak barrels. Its award-winning ales can be sampled in the 1745 Cottage Restaurant.

The grounds are home to the impressive Traquair Maze. Planted in 1981 with over 1,500 Leylandi Cyprus trees, it is now the largest hedged maze in Scotland. An annual Easter Egg hunt is held here on Easter Sunday.

Experience Southern Scotland

The town is home to the mock-medieval Jedburgh Castle, Jail and Museum. Built in the 1820s and once the local jail, it now serves as a museum, and has some good displays on the area’s history and what life was like in a 19th-century prison.

Built around 1500, Mary, Queen of Scots’ House is so called due to a visit by the queen in 1566. The house was converted into a museum in the 1930s, and in 1987 (on the 400th anniversary of Mary’s execution) it became a centre dedicated to telling her life story. Exhibits include a copy of her death mask.

Jedburgh Abbey is one of the great quartet of 12th-century Border Abbeys, along with Dryburgh, Kelso and Melrose. The abbey church has some interesting features including a rose window.

Jedburgh Castle, Jail and Museum

" § (01835) 864750 # Mar–Oct: daily

Mary, Queen of Scots’ House

" § (01835) 863331 # Mar–Nov: daily

Jedburgh Abbey

" = § (01835) 863925 # Daily

The three peaks of the Eildon Hills dominate the central Borders landscape. Mid Hill is the tallest at 422 m (1,385 ft), while North Hill once had a Bronze Age hill fort dating from before 500 BC, and later it became home to a major Roman military complex strategically placed between Hadrian’s Wall and the Antonine Wall to guard the crossing of the River Tweed at Newstead in the 2nd century AD. In summer, guided walks through Melrose’s medieval centre to key historic sights depart from the Trimontium Museum of Roman Scotland. The centre contains aerial photography of the Trimontium site, fascinating ancient artifacts and Roman treasures. The most celebrated name hereabouts is Sir Walter Scott, who had a particular affection for these hills. A panorama of the Eildon Hills called Scott’s View lies just east of Melrose, near Dryburgh Abbey. This is the best location to see the hills as they rise above the Tweed.

Trimontium Museum of Roman Scotland

' ⌂ The Ormiston, Market Square, Melrose # Apr–Oct: 10:30am–4:30pm Mon–Sat ∑ trimontium.co.uk

The rose-pink ruins of this beautiful Border Abbey bear witness to the devastation of successive English invasions. Built by David I in 1136 for Cistercian monks, and also to replace a 7th-century monastery, Melrose was repeatedly ransacked by English armies, most notably in 1322 and 1385. The final blow came in 1545, when Henry VIII of England implemented his destructive Scottish policy known as the “Rough Wooing”. This resulted from the failure of the Scots to ratify a marriage treaty between Henry VIII’s son and the infant Mary, Queen of Scots. What remains of the abbey are the outlines of cloisters, the kitchen, monastic buildings and the shell of the church. The south exterior wall includes a gargoyle shaped like a pig playing the bagpipes and several other animated figures.

An embalmed heart, found here in 1920, is probably that of Robert the Bruce, the abbey’s chief benefactor, who had decreed that his heart be taken on a crusade to the Holy Land. It was returned here after its bearer, Sir James Douglas, was killed in Spain.

By the beautiful Falls of Clyde, the village of New Lanark was founded in 1785 by the industrial entrepreneur David Dale. Ideally located for its water-driven mills, the village became the largest producer of cotton in Britain by 1800. Dale and his successor son-in-law, Robert Owen, were philanthropists whose reforms demonstrated that commercial success need not undermine the wellbeing of the workforce. Cotton manufacturing continued here until the late 1960s.

The New Lanark Visitor Centre has exhibits illustrating the World Heritage Site’s significance as a window on to the realities of working life in an industrial town during the early 19th century. A passport available here gives admission to many of the town’s historical buildings.

24 km (15 miles) north, the town of Blantyre has a memorial to the Clyde Valley’s most famous son, the explorer David Livingstone.

New Lanark Visitor Centre

" ' - § (01555) 661345 # Daily

This wonderful Palladian villa is off the beaten track, but worth a detour. Sitting in sweeping parkland, the grand symmetrical villa was built for the fifth Earl of Dumfries, William Crichton Dalrymple. Designed to lure a prospective wife, it was decorated in fashionable Rococo style between 1756 and 1760. Among the treasures is a priceless collection of Chippendale furniture.

Robert Burns (1759–96), Scotland’s most beloved writer, left behind a remarkable body of work ranging from satirical poetry to tender love songs. His status as national bard remains unchallenged, and an official Burns Heritage Trail takes visitors on a tour of various sights in southwest Scotland where he lived.

In Dumfries, the Robert Burns Centre focuses on his years in the town, while Burns House, his home from 1793 to 1796, contains memorabilia. His Greek-style mausoleum is in St Michael’s Churchyard.

At Ellisland Farm there are displays of some of Burns’s family possessions. In Mauchline, 18 km (11 miles) east of Ayr, is the Burns House and Museum housed in another former residence.

Alloway is the real centre of the Burns Trail. Here the Robert Burns Birthplace Museum is set in beautiful rolling countryside. It comprises Burns Cottage, the poet’s birthplace, which houses a collection of memorabilia and manuscripts, while the ruins of Alloway Kirk and the 13th-century Brig o’ Doon have the best period atmosphere.

Robert Burns Centre

" « ⌂ Mill Rd, Dumfries # Times vary, check website; ∑ nts.org.uk

Burns House

⌂ Burns St, Dumfries § (01387) 255297 # Apr–Sep: 10am–5pm Mon–Sat, 2–5pm Sun; Oct–Mar: 10am–1pm & 2–5pm Tue–Sat

Ellisland Farm

" ' ⌂ Holywood Rd, Auldgirth # Apr–Sep: 10am–1pm & 2–5pm Mon–Sat, 2–5pm Sun; Oct–Mar: 2–5pm Tue–Sat ∑ ellislandfarm.co.uk

Burns House and Museum

" ⌂ Castle St, Mauchline § (01290) 550045 # 10:30am–6pm Tue & Wed, 1:30–8pm Thu, 10:30am–4pm Fri & Sat

Robert Burns Birthplace Museum

" - « ⌂ Alloway # 10am–5:30pm daily (cottage: 11am–5pm)
∑ burnsmuseum.org.uk

Experience Southern Scotland

This impressive, three-sided, red stone structure, with its distinctive moat, is southwest Scotland’s finest example of a medieval castle. Built in around 1270 some 14 km (9 miles) south of Dumfries, Caerlaverock came to prom-inence in 1300, during the Wars of Independence, when it was besieged by Edward I, king of England, setting a precedent for more than three centuries of strife. Chronicles of Edward’s adventures describe the castle much as it stands today, despite being partially razed and rebuilt due to clashes with the English during the 14th and 16th centuries. It remained the stronghold of the Maxwell family, and their crest and motto remain over the door. It was the struggle between Robert Maxwell, a supporter of Charles I, and a Covenanter army that caused the castle’s ruin in 1640.

A giant menacing tower, this 14th-century Black Douglas stronghold on an island in the River Dee commands the most complete medieval riverside harbour in Scotland. Douglas’s struggles against the early Stuart kings resulted in his surrender here after a two-month siege in 1455. Threave was dismantled after Protestant Covenanters defeated its Catholic defenders in 1640. Only the shell of the kitchen, great hall and domestic levels remain.

The earliest site of continuous Christian worship in Scotland, Whithorn (meaning white house) takes its name from the white chapel built by St Ninian in 397. Though only ruins remain, a guided tour of the archaeological dig reveals evidence of Northumbrian, Viking and Scottish settlements ranging from the 5th to the 19th centuries. The Whithorn Story provides audio-visual information on the excavations, and contains fascinating ancient carved stone artifacts.

The Whithorn Story

" ' - = ⌂ 45–47 George St # Easter–Oct: 10:30am–5pm daily
∑ whithorn.com

As might be expected of a waterway that leads from Glasgow, a former economic powerhouse of the British Empire to the Irish Sea and the Atlantic, the Firth of Clyde has many reminders of its industrial past.

Greenock, some 40 km (25 miles) west of Glasgow, was once a shipbuilding centre. Few come here for the town’s beauty, but the McLean Museum and Art Gallery, with its exhibits and information on the engineer James Watt, a native of Greenock, is worth a visit. Princes Pier is a departure point for cruises on the Clyde.

Dumbarton, 24 km (15 miles) from Glasgow on the northern bank, dates from the 5th century AD. Its ancient castle perches on a rock overlooking the rest of the town.

The Firth itself is L-shaped, heading northwest as it opens up beyond the Erskine Bridge. On reaching Gourock, just west of Greenock, the Firth branches south to more open water. Kip Marina at nearby Inverkip is a major yachting centre, while many towns on the Ayrshire coast have served as holiday resorts for Glasgow since Victorian times.

Largs, site of the clash between Scots and Vikings in 1263, has a multimedia centre about Vikings in Scotland, as well as a modern monument to the 1263 battle. From here, a ferry service is offered to Great Cumbrae Island, which lies just off the coast. The main town on the island is Millport, which is built around a picturesque bay.

The western side of the Firth of Clyde is much less developed, and is bordered by the Cowal Peninsula with its hills and lochs. The only town of note in this wild country is Dunoon. Also once a Victorian holiday resort, it still relies on tourism for its income. For many years there was a strong American influence in Dunoon due to the US nuclear submarine base at Holy Loch, but that is now closed.

McLean Museum and Art Gallery

⌂ 15 Kelly St, Greenock § (01475) 715624 ¢ Until May 2019 for renovation.

This is the wildest stretch of country in Southern Scotland, with many points of historical interest as well as great beauty. The park extends to 670 sq km (260 sq miles) just north of Newton Stewart. The principal focal point is Loch Trool. By Caldons Wood, west of the loch, the Martyrs’ Monument marks the spot where six Covenanters were killed at prayer in 1685. Bruce’s Stone, above the north shore, commemorates an occasion in 1307 when Robert the Bruce routed English forces. To the north of Loch Trool are several hills; Bennan stands at 562 m (1,844 ft) and Benyellary at 719 m (2,359 ft), while Merrick, at 843 m (2,766 ft), is the tallest mountain in Southern Scotland. The area is great for mountain biking and is home to the famous 7stanes route. It is also the UK’s first Dark Sky park, with information panels mapping the night sky.

In the extreme southwest, this peninsula is almost separated from the mainland by Loch Ryan and Luce Bay. At the Logan Botanic Garden, subtropical species thrive.Stranraer is 10 km (6 miles) from Cairnryan, the ferry port for Northern Ireland. Nearby Portpatrick is prettier, with a ruined 17th-century church and the remains of 16th-century Dunskey Castle.

Logan Botanic Garden

" ' - ⌂ Near Port Logan, Stranraer # Mar–mid-Nov: 10am–5pm daily ∑ rbg.org.uk

Experience Southern Scotland