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Voykit pocket guide · United Kingdom
Selkirk
Give Selkirk half a day: the courtroom, Halliwell's House and a walk by the loch. Sleep in Galashiels or Melrose unless you want the hills.
Selkirk is a small market town on the A7 with a compact centre and two free museums, both open April to October only. The real draw is Ettrick Forest and the hill walks around it, which need a car. Most travellers pass through on the X95 bus or stop for two hours between Galashiels and Hawick.
- Country
- United Kingdom
- Best months
- May–Sep
- Avoid
- Nov–Mar (museums shut, short days)
- Stay
- 1 night
Checked 2026-09. Prices, hours and rules change; anything marked (check) is not confirmed.
Essentials
- Currency
- GBP
- Money
- Currency is the pound sterling (GBP, £). Cards and contactless work almost everywhere; some places are card-only.
- Daily spend
- Budget £45–70 excl. bed · Mid £70–110 excl. bed · High £110+ excl. bed (estimate; check)
- SIM and data
- EE, Vodafone (merged with Three in 2025) and O2 run the networks; prepaid SIMs sell in supermarkets, phone shops and airport vending machines, no registration needed.
- Emergency
- Police, fire, ambulance 999 · Police non-urgent 101 · NHS non-urgent 111
- Plugs
- Types G · 230 V · 50 Hz · Three-pin Type G only; European, US and Australian plugs need an adapter. Bathrooms have two-pin shaver sockets only.
- Tipping
- Restaurant with table service: 10–12.5% if no service charge is on the bill; check before adding more.; Pub or bar: Not expected; 'and one for yourself' offers the bartender a drink.; Taxi: Round up or 10%.; Hotel porter: £1–2 per bag.; Tour guide: £5–10 per person for a day tour; free walking tours expect £10–15.
- Water
- Tap water is safe everywhere. Free refills are common; restaurants will bring tap water if you ask.
- Toilets
- Public toilets are scarce and some charge 50p–£1 or are card-only. Stations, museums, department stores and pubs (if you buy a drink) are the fallback.
What things cost
| Item | Price |
|---|---|
| Coffee | £3–4.50 |
| Fish and chips takeaway | £9–13 |
| Pub main course | £12–18 |
| Selkirk Bannock, small loaf | £3–5 |
| 5 km taxi3.1 mi taxi | £8–12 |
| Bowhill grounds entry, adult | £6 |
| Museum entry (Courtroom, Halliwell's House) | Free, donation welcome |
Desk estimates, checked 2026-09; check locally.
Get in
By air
- EDI · Edinburgh
- Train to Galashiels, then bus 73 or X95 to Selkirk; about 2 h door to door
- NCL · Newcastle
- A68 to Jedburgh then A699; about 2 h by car
Typical fares
- X95 Edinburgh → Selkirk
- about £12, 1 h 40 min (check)
- Bus 73 Galashiels → Selkirk
- about £3, 20 min (check)
- Taxi Selkirk → Galashiels
- £20–28 (check)
Get around
The centre is walkable in 10 minutes. For the Ettrick hills, Bowhill, Newark Castle or Aikwood Tower you need a car or a taxi; there is no local bus into the forest.
See and do
Known for
- Sir Walter Scott's Courtroom
- Halliwell's House Museum
- Selkirk Bannock
- Ettrick Forest walks
- Common Riding
Day trips
| Where | How | Time |
|---|---|---|
| Galashiels | Bus 73 or X95 from Market Place | About 25 min |
| Melrose | Bus to Galashiels, then bus or 20-min walk to Melrose | About 1 h |
| Hawick | X95 south along the A7 | About 30 min |
| Jedburgh | Car via A699 and A68 | About 45 min |
| Peebles | Car via A707 and A72 | About 50 min |
| Kelso | Car via A699 | About 50 min |
Sleep
- Market Place and town centre
- The County Hotel and the bus stop are both here; walk to everything.
- Yarrow Terrace / A707
- The Glen Hotel, dog-friendly, 10 min walk from the centre.
- Linglie Road / A707–A708 junction
- The Philipburn, the upscale option, on the edge of town with parking.
Phrase card
| English | Say or show |
|---|---|
| Thank you | Thank you |
| Excuse me | Excuse me |
| How much is it? | How much is it? |
| Can I pay by card? | Can I pay by card? |
| Where is the toilet? | Where is the toilet? |
| One ticket to Selkirk, please | One ticket to Selkirk, please |
Etiquette, safety and scams
Etiquette
- Greeting: Handshake at first meeting; 'hi' and first names quickly; avoid: Cheek kisses with strangers
- Conversation: Weather is a safe opener; understatement and self-deprecating humour; avoid: Asking about salary or class
- Queues: Join at the back; avoid: Pushing onto buses or trains before others get off
- Apologies: 'Sorry' is said constantly, even when not at fault; avoid: Taking it as an admission of blame
- Pubs: Buy rounds in a group; wait at the bar without waving money; avoid: Clicking fingers at staff
- Nations: Call Scots Scottish and Welsh Welsh; avoid: Calling the whole UK 'England'
Scams and watch-outs
- Both town museums close from November to March: check dates before a winter trip.
- Bowhill House is only shown on guided tours in August and a few other dates; the grounds open June–August.
- The A7 closes for hours when the Tour de France passes on 2 July 2027: check local media.
A quiet, low-crime town; the real risks are single-track roads with passing places, weather that turns on the hills, and no 5G coverage.
One and two days
No timed day plan for Selkirk yet. Suggested stay: 1 night. Build a day from the list below, mornings for the big sight.
- Sir Walter Scott's Courtroom
- Halliwell's House Museum
- Selkirk Bannock
- Ettrick Forest walks
- Common Riding
Sources
Written by Voykit; facts cross-checked against these sources, last desk check 2026-09. Prices, hours and rules change: check on the day.
- Live Borders — Halliwell's House Museum: www.liveborders.org.uk/culture/museums/our-museums/halliwells-house-museum/
- Live Borders — Sir Walter Scott's Courtroom: www.liveborders.org.uk/culture/museums/our-museums/sir-walter-scotts-courtroom/
- Bowhill House and Estate: www.bowhillhouse.co.uk
- Borders Buses — X95 timetable: www.bordersbuses.co.uk/services
- Selkirk Distillers: www.selkirkdistillers.com/
- Wikivoyage: Selkirk, revision 5334594 (CC BY-SA 4.0): en.wikivoyage.org/w/index.php?oldid=5334594
Pocket card
Cut along the border and keep it in your wallet. Show the local-script lines to a driver.
Selkirk
To this address, please
To this address, please
My hotel (write the name and address in the local script)
No embassies in Selkirk; the US consulate-general is in Edinburgh, and most other missions are in London or Edinburgh.
English is the everyday language here; no phrasebook needed.
Voykit · checked 2026-09
Printed from Voykit (/selkirk). Written by Voykit; checked 2026-09. Estimates only: confirm prices, hours and entry rules on the day.