Kelso
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KELSO, ten miles or so downstream from Melrose, at the confluence of the Tweed and Teviot, grew up in the shadow of its now-ruined Benedictine abbey (April-Sept Mon-Sat 9.30am-6pm, Sun 2-6pm; Oct-March Mon-Sat 9.30am-4pm, Sun 2-4pm; free), once the richest and most powerful of the Border abbeys. Unfortunately, the English savaged Kelso three times in the first half of the sixteenth century: the last (and by far the worst) assault was part of the "Rough Wooing" led by the Earl of Hertford when the Scots refused to ratify a marriage treaty between Henry VIII's son and the infant Mary, Queen of Scots. Such was the extent of the devastation - compounded by the Reformation - that less survives of Kelso than any of the Border abbeys. Nevertheless, at first sight, it looks pretty impressive, with the heavy Norman west end of the abbey church almost entirely intact. Beyond, little remains, though it is possible to make out the two transepts and towers which gave the abbey the shape of a double cross, unique in Scotland.
Kelso town managed to rebuild itself and is now centred on the Square, an unusually large cobbled expanse presided over by the honey-hued Ionic columns, pediment and oversized clock belltower of the elegant Town Hall. To one side stands the imposing Cross Keys Hotel, with its distinctive rooftop balustrade, with a supporting chorus of three-storey eighteenth- and nineteenth-century pastel buildings on every side. Leaving the Square along Roxburgh Street, take the alley down to the Cobby Riverside Walk, where a brief stroll leads to Floors Castle. En route, but hidden from view by the islet in the middle of the river, is the spot where the Teviot meets the Tweed. This bit of river, known as The Junction, has long been famous for its salmon fishing, with permits - costing thousands - booked years in advance. Permits for fishing other, less expensive reaches of the Tweed and Teviot are available from Tweedside Tackle, 36 Bridge St (tel 01573/225306).
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