St Cuthbert's Way

Melrose to Harestanes/Jedburgh

The walk starts in the historic market town of Melrose, and soon climbs steeply up the distinctive twin peaks of the Eldon Hills, giving great views over the Tweed Valley and surrounding border countryside. The route descends through the village of Bowden then on to the ruins of Dryburgh Abbey, sited on a meander in the River Tweed, and site of Sir Walter Scott’s grave. From here, the route follows the banks of the River Tweed for a while before heading off along the ancient Roman Road of Dere Street to the village of Harestanes, on the River Teviot. Jedburgh, an historic market town, lies 2 miles south, where the 12th Century Abbey is well worth a visit, and is the site of your overnight stop.

Harestanes/Jedburgh to Kirk Yetholm

The route briefly returns to the roman road before taking to an intricate network of paths and tracks through rolling farmland en route for the small village of Morebattle. On the way you will pass the ruined Cessford Castle, built in the 15th century by the Ker Clan. After Morebattle the route takes to the foothills of the Cheviot Hills. After crossing Kale Water (rivers are often referred to as ‘Waters’ in Scotland) there is a steep climb up Wideopen Hill, with excellent views in all directions. The route descends to Kirk Yetholm via the banks of Bowmont Water.

Kirk Yetholm to Wooler

The most challenging day on the route as you continue across the lower slopes of the wild and remote Cheviot range, and cross the border into England. There are many ascents and descents, and more great views, before descending to the small market town of Wooler.

Wooler to Lindisfarne/Holy Island

Today the route crosses moorland, agricultural land, and woodland before reaching the coast. The route visits St Cuthbert’s Cave, an impressive sandstone cave where the monk’s body was hidden from the Vikings. There are great views along the coastline, including the famous Bamburgh Castle, as well as Lindisfarne itself. You will descend to the coast, then cross the tidal causeway to Holy Island. The causeway is under water for 5 hours at high tide so you need to consult the tide tables. This is a unique walk as the causeway crosses the sands, with the ruined Lindisfarne Abbey and castle growing ever closer. A fitting end to a memorable walk!

Moderate

The route tends to follow valleys, skirting the bigger hills. There are a couple of longer days, making it a good route for those with previous experience.

Terrain: Riversides, rolling hills, and moorlands.

What’s it like underfoot? Generally good paths and tracks, although a few sections can get a bit boggy.

How Much Up & Down? Most days involve descents of 200-500m metres, although no section is very steep for very long.

Signposting: Pretty good.

Navigation: Pretty straightforward – good signposting, and generally well defined tracks. There are a couple of remoter sections so you need to keep your wits about you.

Weather: You may be lucky enough to encounter warm, dry weather over the whole route and enjoy dry paths and tremendous views, but you must be prepared because the weather can change quickly. Good clothing and waterproofs essential!

Good accommodation and friendly hosts are an essential part of any holiday. We understand this and go out of our way to find the best. We put a great deal of effort into hand picking our accommodation and matching it to individual customer requirements. As well as visiting the accommodation ourselves, we ask all our customers to complete a short evaluation on each night’s accommodation, which then gives us an insight into the day-to-day operation and lets us spot any potential issues before they become a problem.

We use a variety of accommodation. Over the course of your trip you might stay in a village inn, a bed and breakfast in a converted barn, a Victorian guest house, or on a working farm. In selecting the accommodation we look for helpful, friendly hosts with good quality, characterful accommodation close to the trail. Occasionally we may use a chain hotel.

We always try to arrange en suite accommodation, i.e. rooms with their own bathrooms for each night of your stay. However, in some of the more remote locations accommodation is limited and occasionally we may have to book rooms with shared bathrooms for one or two nights of your holiday, (especially if the booking is made at short notice), but we will always let you know if this is likely to be the case.

We are happy to book single rooms on our holidays but cannot normally book more than two for any one group. Single room bookings include a supplement.

General travel information on the St Cuthbert’s Way area will be in your holiday pack including train and bus timetables where available.

Detailed instructions on getting to your first night’s accommodation by car, or on foot from the nearest train or bus station, will also be included in the holiday pack on individual accommodation maps.

To view train times please visit trainline where you can also purchase tickets in advance. For information on bus timetables please visit traveline

If you require car parking whilst walking this route we can assist you.

Getting There:
By Air: The nearest International Airports are Edinburgh and Newcastle. An airport shuttle bus operates to Edinburgh city centre (journey time 25 minutes) and Newcastle International Airport has its own Metro station (you will need some change for the ticket machine. Journey time 20 minutes).
By Public Transport: The nearest railway station to Melrose is Tweedbank from where there is a connecting bus to Melrose, 8A/9 (8 min).
By Road: Melrose is situated approximately 55 miles north of the Scottish border. If you travel to Galashiels, Melrose is 4 miles from here. When traveling from the south you can take the M6 followed by the A7.

Returning from Lindisfarne:
By Public Transport: We recommend taking a taxi to Berwick upon Tweed. You can take a bus, but the timetable is unpredictable due to the tide over the causeway. Once in Berwick upon Tweed you can travel by train on the east coast mainline.
By Road: After crossing the causeway from Lindisfarne, travel on the A1 – north for Scotland or for all destinations south via Newcastle.

To return to the start at Melrose: The easiest option is to take a taxi from Lindisfarne to Melrose. We can arrange this for you, please contact us for costs. Journey time: 1hour 30 mins.

Melrose

The picturesque town of Melrose is a great place to explore ahead of your St Cuthbert's Way walk. There a host of fascinating places to see, including the magnificent Melrose Abbey. The Romans occupied this area arriving circa AD80, building a prominent fort named Trimontium, ‘Place of the Three Hills’. You can learn all about this and Roman life in Scotland in the Trimontium Museum.

There are two National Trust for Scotland gardens to visit. Priorwood features an apple orchard as well as a dried flower garden while Harmony Gardens is a stunning walled garden looking over to the Eildon hills. Melrose also boasts a fine selection of independent book, crafts and delicious food shops.

Just a few miles out of town on the banks of the Tweed stands Abbotsford House the former home of novelist, poet, playwright, and historian Sir Walter Scott.

Lindisfarne

The Holy Island of Lindisfarne is an excellent place for a rest day. Because the Island is only accessible across its tidal causeway, you may be restricted by the tide times and not have sufficient time to visit all that it has to offer before your departure. As well as its historic attractions of the Castle and Priory, Holy Island is situated at the heart of the Lindisfarne National Nature Reserve. Please check the Lindisfarne Castle website for current opening times.