We invite you to slip away to a location in Scotland that’s altogether different: the Scottish Borders. South of Edinburgh and north of England, the Borders is rich with gently rolling hills, sweet towns, architectural gems and wonderful artisans. It has a rich history as a center for textile mills and dye houses. It’s also full of majestic houses and castles. Our small group of 10-12 participants will stay in one of those historic homes during our retreat, at Abbotsford, the former home of author Sir Walter Scott. From our private wing of the house, we’ll explore textile and fiber-related venues, meet makers, and enjoy Tangled Galashiels, a community led fiber festival. Textiles & Treasures of the Scottish Borders is a retreat as relaxed and intimate as the surrounding landscape. Ready to live in a grand house and participate in fiber-infused adventures, in an off-the-beaten-track Scottish setting? Join us!

To Register 

A Registration Form and a non-refundable $1000 deposit are required to join the trip. Once you submit your online registration and deposit payment is received, your spot on the tour is secure. See our Terms & Conditions HERE.

Have questions? Please contact us at info@rowantreetravel.com

This tour has officially been announced a "Go!"

Unless otherwise stated, our regular Terms and Conditions apply to this trip and for any cancellations (click here to see our Terms and Conditions).

Tour Activity Level 

We would describe this trip as a Woolly Wander.

Mobility Comfort Level = Mobility Level 2+

Walks of up to a mile over uneven ground, a few stairs in our accommodation but some steep flights in older properties we'll visit. 

Review our Tour Activity and Mobility Comfort Levels here.

Travel Insurance Rowan Tree Travel highly recommends purchasing travel insurance. You may purchase through our preferred partner Arch RoamRight by clicking here or through your own provider.

Arranging Your Flights In order to gather easily for the tour, we provide an arrival and departure "window" at a major transportation hub - typically an international airport at your destination country. Flights scheduled outside the provided windows may result in additional transportation costs and missed tour activities. For this reason, we greatly appreciate your cooperation in booking travel that accommodates our specifications. Please do not purchase airfare until the tour is guaranteed by RTTF to go forward.

Please Note the Following Rowan Tree Travel reserves the right to alter any part of this itinerary in order to address weather conditions, unforeseen circumstances or to improve the participant experience.

Tangled

Welcome to Scotland! 

Participants will meet at our favorite Edinburgh hotel to travel together with Fiber Ambassador Lindsay in our own mini-coach to the Borders.

First stop? A wool festival! Tangled Galashiels celebrates the incredible dyers, spinners and crafters of the Scottish Borders and beyond. We’ll enjoy perusing their work and getting to know the region’s artisans, with time to explore the different venues spread through the town and find a little lunch.

Mid-afternoon we’ll be ready to head to Abbotsford for check in, settling into our rooms and a welcome dinner in the house’s stately dining room. Evenings are for relaxing, knitting or handwork and a wee dram or cuppa. Join the group in the living room or enjoy a quiet stretch of solitude in Abbotsford’s colorful gardens.

Abbotsford

Today we’ll explore our new surroundings, starting with a guided tour of Abbotsford House for a fascinating insight into the life of Sir Walter Scott. Later, a stroll up through the gardens will bring you to Ochiltrees, Abbotsford’s own restaurant, for lunch - It's named after Edie Ochiltree, a character in Scott’s book The Antiquary. 

In the afternoon we’ll welcome Kate Robertson to talk to us about her kiltmaking business. Dinner will be served in the kitchen. Continue your explorations with a walk through the woods or down to the renowned River Tweed. One of the many lovely elements to living here is that we'll have the elegant gardens to ourselves every evening!

Textiles Old and New

We’re incorporating ancient and modern today. We’ll drive to the pretty little town of Selkirk and tour the mill at Lochcarron of Scotland, iconic producers of tartan.

Then we’ll plunge back centuries as we explore Traquair House (Scotland’s oldest inhabited house, but we think it looks pretty darned good for its age). With a guided tour focusing on the textiles and embroideries of this remarkable Borders stronghold, there will be lots to marvel at. We’ll linger longer to spot the peacocks, explore the grounds and craft workshops and, of course, the cafe before heading back to our comfortable home. Dinner will be served in the kitchen. 

Hawick

The Borders towns hold many gems. We’re off first to the abbey town of Jedburgh where Mary Queen of Scots spent a month in 1566. Queen Mary's House is a listed sixteenth century building in Jedburgh open to the public as a museum to her. There is some doubt whether the tragic Queen stayed in this particular building but we can dream! 

Then on to the mill town of Hawick, famous for cashmere and originally home to many long lived woolen producers. We’ll have a tour of Johnston’s cashmere mill, and probably quietly fondle the lush garments in the store on our way to lunch in their cafe. 

Next stop in Hawick is the Borders Textile Towerhouse, where the story of Borders knitwear and tweed is told inside a restored 16th century stone tower, Hawick’s oldest building. We’ll wend our way home with heads (and hands?) full of wool and enjoy a cosy kitchen dinner.

Fiber and Floors

We’re off to visit with our friends at The Border Mill in the morning. It’s one of the few mini-mills in Scotland. The folks here produce beautifully spun and dyed yarn in a variety of fibers, for themselves and many small flock owners throughout Scotland. We dare you to leave without a skein or two (or ten) in your hands…

From there it’s a short drive to the pretty town of Kelso. First we’ll partake of a little lunch at Floors Castle, home for over 300 years to the Dukes of Roxburghe and still their family home. A gentle guided tour of the Victorian walled garden and glasshouses will follow, and there will be time to explore the grounds and Kelso itself before you choose somewhere for dinner in the town.

The Great Tapestry

No Borders textile tour would be complete without visiting The Great Tapestry of Scotland. We can tour the museum and learn the history, process and techniques involved in creating the panels. A fascinating visit to a potted history of Scotland in stitched form, in its purpose-built gallery.

After lunch in Melrose, we’ll visit a very special place with a therapeutic twist on craft work. ‘At Birkhill’ is an animal assisted activity and crafting center with a mission to improve mental health in the region. It offers workshops, internships and a variety of horticultural opportunities and is home to alpacas, rare breed Castlemilk Moorit sheep, goats, birds, a natural dye garden and more! During our visit, we’ll hear about the work being done there as well as enjoying a bespoke workshop. 

Tonight’s dinner is on your own: we can make time for tasty purchases en route to Abbotsford.

Over the Border

We’re venturing into England today, to meet Alice at Whistlebare, home to the sweetest angora goats and shaggy Wensleydale sheep. Whistlebare produces soft lustrous yarns by blending the fiber from both flocks and dyeing it in-house to create glorious shades. Her studio will have you weak at the knees (and she’ll ship goods home for you!)

There's time to explore Berwick-upon-Tweed. It’s famous for the Elizabethan era town walls, stately bridges, and a long history of changing ownership by Scotland and England (multiple times). Stop in at Jennie’s Wool Studio, a Rowan Tree favorite, and see what she’s been up to. Take time to find lunch, pick up last-minute gifts or enjoy people watching in this friendly coastal town until our agreed upon meet up time.

Once back at Abbotsford, you can fit in a last wander round the gardens (and the dreaded packing) before our final grand dinner served in the dining room. Our driver John is a man of many parts and will entertain us thereafter in the sitting room. Drams at the ready to round off a glorious wooly week! 

Departure Day

This morning, we’ll gather promptly, grab an early morning coffee and breakfast-in-a-bag then climb aboard the wee coach to Edinburgh airport in good time for onward flights.  

So many characters to remember, so many stories, so many yarns to take home!

Lindsay Roberts, aka  “The Border Tart”, is a stitcher, a printer, a maker and a lover of words. Inspired by color and pattern and passionate about Indian artisans and textiles, she values most highly all things made by hand. She’s a proponent of mindful stitching and hand work of all kinds. In her words, “Making with your own hands brings pleasure, calms the heart rate and imbues each piece with love.” Peruse her small edition stitching kits and other essentials here. You’ll also find her images, thoughts and adventures on Instagram at @bordertart. We’re so pleased to collaborate with this wonderful Scottish artisan and teacher.