Scott's View

Walter Scott (1771-1832) is a renowned Scottish writer, poet and historian who wrote a number of classic novels, including Waverley (1814), Old Mortality (1816) and Rob Roy (1817) amongst many other famous novels and poems. He was born in Edinburgh in 1771, and at just two years old he contracted Polio which affected the way he walked profoundly influencing his childhood, and he was sent to recuperate in the Scottish Borders. He lived with his paternal grandparents on a farm near Smailholm Tower and was taught to read by his aunt Jenny Scott who read Scottish tales and legends to him which feature in his later works. Smailholm Tower also provided the setting for his ballad The Eve of St John and his novel Marmion, a historical romance which concludes with the Battle Of Flodden.

A man of many talents, Walter Scott studied law at the University of Edinburgh in 1783 (aged 12!) but found his true calling in writing. His first novel, Waverley (1814), was published anonymously and became an overnight sensation. It was so popular that his subsequent books were simply billed as being 'by the Author of Waverley'. To further reinforce his influence, 'Waverley' also became the name of Edinburgh Railway Station in 1854, the first and only train station in the world to be named after a novel.

After studying and living in Edinburgh, Walter Scott returned to the borders where he was truly happiest and moved to a country house near Selkirk with his wife in 1804. When the lease on this house ended in 1811, he bought Cartley Hole Farm close to Melrose and renamed it Abbotsford House which became a very grand and beautiful home for his family. Scott's View is just a few miles east of Abbotsford House and Scott would regularly stop to take in the views as he was heading home, his horses allegedly stopping there after a while without command. When he died in 1832 it was reported that his funeral cortege passed by his regular haunt and his horses stopped one last time to allow Scott to appreciate the view.

It is not surprising that Scott loved this view as you can see for miles, with the Eildon Hills looking splendid and dominating the view. The River Tweed runs below the viewpoint and to the North West you can see the Tweed Valley and Melrose - 180 degrees of stunning landscape. There is a plaque there which also explains the other gems you can see and these include Rubers Law and Black Law in the distance. I don't know if Walter Scott was a keen birder, but from this point he would have seen birds of prey such as Buzzards and Red Kites which would have soared over the valley. There are no longer Red Kites here, but the landscape is fairly untouched with trees growing since the last ice age, so maybe one day they will come back to the area. There were certainly plenty of other birds enjoying the peace and when we visited we saw Robins, Goldfinch and baby Chiffchaff.

This is a beautiful place for a short stop with car parking spaces just beside it, and benches to sit and take in the views. A beautiful, peaceful spot with no one else around when we visited.