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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 (3.1 mi) taxi3.1 mi (5 km) 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)
Show 7 more sections and the pocket cardHideGet around, See and do, Sleep, Phrase card, Etiquette, safety and scams, One and two days, Sources, Pocket card
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.