Hawick
Hawick is a small town in the Scottish Borders, midway along the historic route from Carlisle to Edinburgh. It's pronounced hoick, one syllable, like the act of kicking a rugby ball high into the air. Several townsfolk have proved adept at doing so but Hawick's best-loved contributor to rugby, Bill McLaren (1923-2010), found fame as a commentator after illness ended his playing career. The town was also the birthplace in 1940 of the yachtsman Chay Blyth.
Hawick grew up as a textile town on the River Teviot, which flows northeast to join the Tweed. From linen it moved on to knitware, first practical tweeds then high-end cashmere and merino. Whilst this enabled it to survive the 20th century decline of the UK textile industry, changing market conditions have also affected the luxury sector, the town losing major employers such as Pringle. Other Border towns have been boosted by the re-opening of the railway, becoming commuter towns for Edinburgh, but Hawick is too far out to benefit. The main reason to come is to explore the hills and forests above the town.
Get in
Hawick is on the A7, 43 miles north of Carlisle and 50 miles south of Edinburgh. From eastern & southern England the quickest route is A1 to Newcastle, A696 / A68 to the Scottish border on windy Carter Bar, then A6088 through Bonchester Bridge to Hawick.
First Borders Bus X95 runs hourly, daily from Edinburgh along A7 via Galashiels and Selkirk, taking two hours. It's quicker to take the train from Edinburgh to Galashiels then change to the X95, which runs every 30 mins between Galashiels, Selkirk and Hawick. This bus continues south along A7 via Mosspaul, Langholm, Canonbie and Longtown to Carlisle, taking 80 mins: hourly M-Sat but only every 3 hours Sunday.
The "Waverley Railway" used to run through Hawick to join the main line at Carlisle but was axed in 1969. The northern part was restored in 2015, linking Edinburgh, Galashiels and Tweedbank; there are no plans to restore the southern part.
Get around
The town is small and walkable. A7 now runs west of the river, and the historic route along High Street has become a one-way north to south B-road. And A7 is no longer the main route to Edinburgh: from northwest England you stay on A74(M) far to the west. This means that Hawick still has quite a lot of local traffic but no longer suffers from through-traffic.
See
- Borders Textile Towerhouse, 1 Tower Knowe TD9 9EN, ☏ +44 1450 377615. Apr-Oct M-Sa 10:00-16:30, Su 12:00-15:00; Nov-Mar M-Sa 10:00-16:00. Small museum within the Drumlanrig Tower tells the story of the region’s textile heritage. Free.
- 1 Hawick Museum, Wilton Lodge Park TD9 7JL. Apr-Sep M-F 10:00-12:00 & 13:00-17:00, Sa Su 14:00-17:00; Oct-Mar M-F 12:00-15:00, Su 13:00-15:00. Art gallery and museum in Wilton Lodge, an 18th century mansion house. The museum has town history and an exhibition on motorcycling champions Jimmie Guthrie and Steve Hislop. Free.
- 2 Hawick Mote is the scrappy remnant of a Norman motte-and-bailey fortification.
Do
- Watch Rugby Union at Hawick RUFC, who play in the Premiership, the top tier of Scottish rugby. Their home ground is Mansfield Park, Hawick TD8 8AW, on the north bank of the river. The Hawick Sevens tournament is played here - the next is probably 7 Aug 2021 but tbc.
- Hike in the surrounding hills and lonely forests of Ettrick. Walk Highlands suggest a dozen trails, including the Southern Upland Way.
- Hawick Common Riding is the ancient custom of "beating the bounds". There are civic parades and mass "ride-outs" of hundreds of riders cross-country. It's traditionally held around the Friday that follows the first Monday in June. The next is expected to be 10-12 June 2021 but tbc.
Buy
- Sainsbury's is on the main road west of the river, with a filling station. There's a Spar on Dickson St, 200 yards north.
Eat
- The Bourtree, 22 Bourtree Place TD9 9HL. Daily 08:00-00:00, food until 22:00. JD Wetherspoon's pub with meals, in the former Conservative Club built in 1897.
- 1 Damascus Drum, 2 Silver St TD9 0AD, ☏ +44 7707 856123. M-Sa 10:00-17:00. Peaceful cafe and bookshop in quiet alley just off main road.
- Along the main strip between those two are Sanghatpur Gate, Le 2016, Brodie's and Adam's Kitchen, with Santa Marina on riverside and Gino's just over the bridge.
Drink
- As well as The Bourtree there are Drumlanrig Bar and Stag's Head at the south end of town.
Sleep
- 1 The Bank Guest House, 12 High St TD9 9EH, ☏ +44 1450 363760. There are still two banks in Hawick but this former RBS is now a B&B. Clean comfy place, and Donna is a great host. B&B double £70.
- 2 Elm House, 17 North Bridge St TD9 9BD, ☏ +44 1450 372866, enquiries@elmhousehawick.com. Clean welcoming place in town centre. Two twin rooms in ground floor annex are suitable for those with limited mobility or dogs. B&B double £80.
- 3 Balcary House Hotel, Buccleuch Rd TD9 0EH, ☏ +44 1450 372858. Pleasant mid-range Victorian hotel with 9 bedrooms. B&B double from £90.
- 4 Mansfield House Hotel, Weensland Rd TD9 8LB (A698 near jcn A6088), ☏ +44 1450 360400. 19th C building, now a hotel with 15 bedrooms. On hillside east of river, dog-friendly. B&B double £100.
Connect
Decent mobile signal in town, but don't be relying on it in the hills and forests south and west.
Go next
- Follow the rivers Teviot and Tweed downstream to see the abbeys at Jedburgh, Dryburgh, Melrose and Kelso.
- A wild scenic route south is along B6399 to Newcastleton then down into lowland country towards Carlisle.
- The big attraction to the north is Edinburgh.
| Routes through Hawick |
| Edinburgh ← Selkirk ← | N  S |
→ Carlisle |