Kelso - Floors Castle and Roxburgh Castle

A Journey Through History Around the Loveliest of Border Towns

The junction of the River Tweed and River Teviot has long been a meeting of routes. The trade which this generated gave rise to a series of towns, including Kelso, with its cobbled square surrounded by Georgian buildings. Sadly, this has also been a place of battle and siege, leading to the destruction of the once-thriving medieval town of Roxburgh and its adjacent castle. On one side of the river valley stands Floors Castle — originally designed by Sir John Vanbrugh in 1721 for the 1st Duke of Roxburghe, completed by William Adam, and later remodelled (1839–49) in a bold castellated style with a profusion of battlements, towers, and pepperpot turrets by WH Playfair.

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Start Point

Floors Castle

Grid Ref: NT 70730 346147

Total Distance

3.3 miles (5.3 km)

Total Climbing

50 metres

Estimated Time

2 hours

Difficulty Grade

Easy

Trail Navigation Files:

💾 Download GPX Route Google Earth (KMZ) 📖 About Kelso

Ordnance Survey Explorer Map (1:25,000)

Essential paper map for exploring Kelso, Coldstream and Lower Tweed Valley:

339 Kelso, Coldstream and Lower Tweed Valley →

The Walk Report

The original settlement of Kelso was established by the monks of Kelso Abbey. Wester Kelso (located within the grounds of Floors Castle) was where James Francis Edward Stuart (the Old Pretender) was proclaimed King by the Jacobites in 1715. Today, Kelso is a bustling town with Georgian and Victorian buildings around its market square and the 1803 Tweed Bridge built by John Rennie.

In the 13th century, the Royal Burgh of Roxburgh was one of Scotland's largest and most important towns, trading alongside its formidable castle. Constant warfare during the 14th century led to the town's decline, leaving no surface traces today.

Roxburgh Castle is the most impressive medieval castle site in the Scottish Borders — an 80-foot-high glacial kame mound dominating the junction of the Tweed and Teviot. Recaptured by the Scots in 1460 with the loss of James II (killed by the bursting of one of his own siege guns), the fortress was later rebuilt for artillery by the English before being demolished under the Treaty of Boulogne.

Acknowledgment: Text derived from the Out and Out Series; Discovering the Countryside on Foot. Pictures courtesy of Wikipedia.

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Kelso - Floors Castle and Roxburgh Castle

Ordnance Survey Explorer Map (1:25,000)

The Walk Report

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