Kelso – the booming Borders market town

The Scottish Borders is home to a swathe of Borders market towns. I had never spent much time in and around Kelso so jumped at the chance to head down through the rolling hills. And I was instantly glad I did with as warm and as positive a welcome as I’ve had in any Scottish town this year. Kelso really has it all, from swathes of history and first rate visitor attractions, through to artisan gelatarias and sourdough bakers. Here are seven reasons you should visit Kelso too . . .

1. Scotland starts here

No mere backwater, Kelso is pivotal to Scottish history. The settlement here – Roxburgh – by the confluence of the Tweed and Teviot rivers was once one of Scotland’s four most important. You can visit the ruins of Roxburgh Castle, which hark back to the days when England tried to snatch the local lands from Scotland during the Wars of Independence. Kelso then is a place of kings and queens, with King David I instigating the building of the town’s epic abbey, the grandest of the Borders abbeys quartet. You can admire the abbey’s façade and also explore the historic market square and surrounding streets. Look out for the horseshoe imprint, said to have been first left by Bonnie Prince Charlie on his journey south in 1745. Kelso Bridge is remarkable too, a doppelganger for Waterloo Bridge and the old London Bridge from the same architect, John Rennie. There is a real pride about heritage and history In Kelso that comes to the fore during the brilliant annual Civic Week.

2. Thriving independent businesses

I was massively impressed by the wave of bright family-run independent businesses thriving in Kelso. I met Claire Mole, once a professional rally driver, now running a cool wee gift shop in Kelso called The Mole House. She strives to “dig up different” with the knickknacks and bespoke items she unearths. Steve and Claire Fletcher at Seasons have moved from being a gift shop to a coffee shop and not just that, also recently starting to sell vinyl to the public too. Lesley Rosher at lovely The Crafty Creative offers everything from jigsaws to craft kits. “We are very passionate in Kelso about our family-run, independent shops,” she explained.

3. It’s a foodie paradise

Borders produce is world-class and there are great places to eat and shop in Kelso, not least at the farmer’s market. Becattelli sees owner Luca Becattelli make the most of the likes of fresh Borders strawberries to conjure up delicious gelato. It’s all about award-winning cakes at The Dessert Diva, whose Jill Scott reached the semi-final of a competition run by TV’s This Morning with her signature lemon meringue cheesecake, a thing of rare beauty and taste. Yum! Cristina Wood is behind Naked Sourdough, who create superb pastries alongside their quick selling sourdough breads, such as jalapeño and cheddar. Customers come from far and wide – including London! For Scott Hunter it’s “all about local, local, local” in his remarkable deli, butcher and restaurant, Scott’s of Kelso. Then there is Sook Jai Coffee Shop. This culinary breath of fresh air perfectly recreates the owner’s native Thai dishes, such as chicken satay, green curry, plus a coconut-tinged massaman curry.

4. So much to do

There really is and that is why so many people are choosing to come and live in a town that is on the serious up. Beyond the sights, food, drink and shopping they’ve got everything from their own cricket club, through to a mountain bike and a skateboarding park. Then there is the dynamic Kelso Wheelers & Breezers cycling club and the Borders Ice Rink. The latter is brilliantly Kelso. They realised they did not just need to open in winter for curling and ice skating, but could fling open their ice-free rink in the summer months for roller skating. It’s been a huge success and visitors are very much welcome.

5. Floored by Floors Castle

This A-List attraction is worth coming to Kelso for alone. Floors Castle is no fusty old retreat, with the bright, young Duke of Roxburghe at the helm. They really open up to the public and stage events like a 1980s music festival in summer. You can tour the grand castle – I love the disarming portrait of the Duke with his daughter as you enter – and also the grounds on walking and cycling trails. I love The Terrace Café by the walled garden. They have a delicious sweep of light lunches and superb baking too. The scones . . .

6. Kelso is seriously family-friendly

I heard time and time again that families are very welcome in Kelso during my first day. When my own two daughters came to join me I saw it in action. They loved Kelso and were as warmly welcomed as I had been all over town. It’s not always easy to satisfy children of all ages, but there are parks and wee kid-friendly shops for really wee ones; walks for older kids and then TikTok-able venues all over that kept my demanding teen very happy indeed. She had protested about being dragged down here away from her pals for the weekend, but ended up messaging them to say they must all come back down to Kelso together!

7. New Roxburghe takes it to another level

I spent the weekend wrapped in the charms of Kelso and its surrounds. Our accommodation has been a real game-changer for Kelso. The SCHLOSS Roxburghe, part of Destination by Hyatt, is simply sublime. They’ve spent a fortune transforming this old country house hotel into one of Scotland’s finest abodes. We loved the heated outdoor swimming pool, with its hot tubs and saunas too. The massage treatment I had was spot on too – I liked that you got to choose from a range of oils at the beginning. We also as a family tried our hands at clay pigeon shooting and archery – great fun! And we dined here too – with two lovely meals at the State Room and slightly fancier Charlie’s. At the latter I feasted on steak tartare followed by perfectly cooked halibut laced with saffron and mussels. All in all the perfect place to stay for a break in and around Kelso.

• This blog comes in conjunction with Visit Kelso (www.visitkelso.com). All views and opinions expressed are independent and are our own.