Living in Selkirk

Ask a Souter (local) what makes Selkirk special and you'll be there a while - this hilltop market town on the Ettrick Water doesn't do modesty. It's one of the oldest royal burghs in Scotland, home turf to Sir Walter Scott, a rugby-daft community that takes its Common Riding more seriously than most towns take their birthdays, and - somehow, brilliantly - still a proper working town rather than a museum piece. Tucked into the folds of the Scottish Borders, Selkirk trades sea views for a rolling green amphitheatre of hills, forests and river valleys, and residents wouldn't swap it for the world.

Is Selkirk a good place to live?

With a population hovering around 5,600, Selkirk is small enough that people actually know each other's names, and big enough to have everything a household needs... bakeries, butchers, a proper high street, and a sense of civic pride that peaks every June during the Common Riding, when the whole town turns out on horseback to trace its ancient boundaries.

It's a town nicknamed after cobblers (Souters, for the shoemaking trade that once defined it), and that same maker's grit shows up in the woollen mills that still operate here today.

Families are drawn by the outdoor-first lifestyle... hills, forests and riverbanks on the doorstep rather than a twenty-minute drive away. Retirees like the pace and the community spirit. And commuters have cottoned on to the fact that Selkirk offers a genuinely affordable alternative to Edinburgh living, without giving up a fast way into the city.

Property here ranges from handsome stone townhouses and Victorian villas near the centre to characterful cottages and spacious rural homes scattered across the surrounding countryside... there's a house here for pretty much every stage of life.

What is the transport in Selkirk like?

Selkirk sits inland, but the A7 and A708 keep it firmly connected to the rest of the Borders and beyond, and the town has good bus links plus a nearby railway gateway into Edinburgh.

Selkirk by rail

Selkirk itself lost its railway decades ago, but the town more than made up for it in 2015 when the Borders Railway reopened at Tweedbank, just a short hop away. From there, ScotRail runs regular direct services into Edinburgh Waverley, with the journey taking under an hour. Buses connect Selkirk to Tweedbank station in minutes, making the whole journey smoother than you'd expect for a Borders town.

Selkirk by bus

Borders Buses is the workhorse here. The X95 runs along the A7 corridor, linking Selkirk with Galashiels and onward to Edinburgh in one direction, and Hawick, Langholm and Carlisle in the other. Service 73 connects Selkirk directly with Galashiels, while routes such as the 51 and 60 open up onward travel toward Melrose, Earlston, Lauder, Kelso and Berwick-upon-Tweed. If you fancy a scenic detour, the A708 road from Moffat threads past St Mary's Loch and the Yarrow Water on its way into town.

Selkirk by car

For drivers, the A7 is Selkirk's spine, running from Edinburgh in the north down through Galashiels, Selkirk and Hawick to Carlisle in the south... a proper cross-border artery. The A708 heads west toward Moffat and the Lake District, while smaller roads fan out to Ettrick, Yarrow and the villages tucked into the surrounding hills.

What are the schools in Selkirk like?

Selkirk has a cluster of well-regarded primary schools feeding into one popular secondary. Knowepark Primary and Philiphaugh Community School both sit right in the heart of town, with Kirkhope Primary, St Joseph's Primary and Yarrow Primary serving the surrounding villages and valleys. All feed into Selkirk High School, a comprehensive on Hillside Terrace educated under the motto "Trusty and Leal”.

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What are the best things to do in Selkirk

Start where the locals start: Market Place, the beating heart of the town, overlooked by the statue of Sir Walter Scott, who served here as Sheriff-Substitute and immortalised the region in his writing. Just around the corner, Halliwell's House Museum tells Selkirk's story for free, while Sir Walter Scott's Courtroom lets you stand exactly where he once dispensed justice.

For the great outdoors, lace up for the Three Brethren... a trio of stone cairns on the hills above town marking the meeting point of three ancient estates, and a properly rewarding climb for the view alone. The Ettrick Water and Yarrow Water thread gentler walking routes through the valleys, and both St Cuthbert's Way and the Southern Upland Way pass close by for anyone chasing a longer trail.

History fans should make time for Bowhill House, a grand stately home with gardens, woodland walks and an adventure playground for the kids, while wool and tartan enthusiasts can tour the Lochcarron Mill and watch fabric being woven exactly as it has been for generations.

Rugby runs deep in Selkirk's blood... Philiphaugh is home to Selkirk RFC, one of the great names of Borders rugby, and a Saturday afternoon match here is as much a community occasion as a sporting one. The Selkirk Common Riding will show you the town at its most spectacular: hundreds of riders following ancient boundary routes, flags cast in memory of Flodden, and an atmosphere no calendar photo could do justice to.

Types of property in Selkirk

Selkirk's housing stock tells the story of a working town that's grown gracefully. Expect handsome stone-built terraces and townhouses close to the centre, larger Victorian and Edwardian villas on the hillier streets, and a good supply of bungalows and family homes on the town's edges. Head out into the surrounding countryside and the options open up further, with farmhouses, converted steadings and rural cottages offering space, privacy and views that estate agents in bigger cities can only dream of listing.

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