| Many people pass through the Scottish Borders on a trip to Scotland but next time, stop and have a look around. |
| It's a gentle area, full of interesting little market towns and twisting roads through gentle countryside. |
| Much of the history of towns like Galashiels, Hawick and Jedburgh is linked to the textile industry, although this is much in decline and those textile firms who are left are finding life difficult. |
| Peebles is an impressive looking town and worth a day on its own, exploring the shops,and walking down by the River Tweed. |
| Visitors will find lots of links to the writer Sir Walter Scott in this part of the country - his home at Abbotsford, just outside Melrose, is a treasure trove of important Scottish aretfacts, including Bonnie Prince Charlie's drinking bowl and Rob Roy's sword. |
| One good way to explore the Borders is by visiting some of the medieval abbeys - like Melrose and Jedburgh. |
| There are also some beautiful houses in the Borders, notably Traquair- near Melrose, which is thought to be the oldest lived in house in Scotland, and Floors Castle. |
| For bird lovers there's a special treat on the east coast - St Abb's Head - a National Nature Reserve set high on the cliffs overlooking the North Sea and home to guillemots, razorbills, puffins and many other birds. |
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