Hawick

This attractive town lies on the River Teviot where it joins the Slitrig Water, 12 miles south of Selkirk. It is the largest of the Border towns and one of Scotland's leading textile centres, internationally famous for its knitwear and the Cashmere Trail. Hawick has distinctive sandstone buildings with slate roofs, which makes the town so visually appealing. The turrets on the Town Hall are a real joy to behold, and complement other charming buildings found along the magnificent high street and the winding lanes, which display beautiful flower baskets in summer, for which the town has often won national floral awards. Visitors to Hawick enjoy free parking.


The town dates back to a settlement founded by the Angles in the 600s. It suffered significantly in the cross-border wars between England and Scotland in the 14th, 15th and 16th centuries and in 1513 most of the town's men were killed at the Battle of Flodden. The following year the town was threatened by English troops, who were fought off by the boys of the town. This event is commemorated by a fine statue of a horse and rider at the end of the High Street, and in June every year, the town proudly celebrates both the capture of an English Flag in 1514 by the youth of Hawick and the ancient custom of riding the marches or boundaries of the common land. The statue becomes the centrepiece for this symbolic festival, which has been running unbroken ever since 1703, with the exception of the World War years. The Hawick Common-Riding is the first of the Border festivals.


It's no' in steeds, it's no' in speeds,
It's something in the heart abiding;
The kindly customs, words and deeds,
It's these that make the Common-Riding.


The textile business has dominated Hawick over the last few hundred years, beginning with hosiery in the 17th century and developing into the production of carpets and other woollen goods. Names famous today were established in the 19th century, and the various factory shops offer the discerning visitor a good deal.