Selby's Hill

The walk up Selby's Hill from Coldstream takes about forty minutes, give or take depending on fitness and how often you stop to catch your breath. It's a proper climb - nothing technical, but the gradient doesn't let up much, and the path itself gets boggy in patches after rain. Worth doing though. From the top you get views across the Borders that stretch for miles: rolling farmland, the Cheviot Hills off to the south, and on a clear day you can see well into England. The summit's modest - just a bump with decent vistas - but it's exactly the kind of walk that justifies a Borders holiday. Most people spend an hour up there including the ascent, then another forty minutes down. Families with older kids will manage fine, though younger children might find the climb tedious. It's free, obviously, and you can start from Coldstream itself, which saves mucking about finding a car park. The town's right at the edge, so parking near the high street and heading out works perfectly. If you're staying at Coldstream Holiday Park just down the road, this makes an excellent half-day excursion before lunch. Go midweek in good weather if you can - it's not a secret, but nor is it rammed. The real appeal isn't the summit views alone, but the fact the walk feels properly rural without being stuffy about it.