Exquisite views and local produce in superb pubs with rooms

With that in mind, it is easy to see why walking holidays in Scotland are particularly attractive in the Scottish Borders. Meanwhile, the area’s country house hotels coupled with castles and magnificent abbeys to visit, make it a magnet for peaceful romantic weekends away. You may choose to stay at the likes of Chirnside Hall, a four star manor house offering roaring open fires and views of the Cheviot Hills.

Peppered amongst its magnificent landscapes however, the Scottish Borders are home to a number of beautiful towns and villages as well, each with their own character and exceptionally good food and drink.

For example, Burt’s in Melrose is a charming and well-established hotel near the banks of the River Tweed. The 18th century town house on the pretty high street offers a stylish but low key welcome and in addition to a superb menu of local fare, it also has a whisky menu with more than 90 single malts.

Food is really such a superb part of the experience on a holiday in Scotland. The wealth of restaurants with rooms and gastropubs that the area has to offer is entirely in line with the region’s own sources of superb ingredients.

The Horseshoe restaurant just outside Peebles for example, is dedicated to local produce and a very personal approach to everything it does. The former schoolhouse shows no signs of school dinners; key details at breakfast include local honey and home made jams, while dinner is a showcase of vegetables and herbs from the kitchen garden as well as trout caught nearby. You could even go out and catch your own if you care to fish on your holiday!