This is a circular walk in the heart of the Scottish Borders, full of attractive countryside passing by four 12th Century Abbeys and through several Border Towns.

"The scenery is top notch, wonderful. The actual route is first class in terms of variety. I would say that no two days are the same."

The Way is 64.5 miles / 103 km in length (as measured by Walking Support) and is divided into five sections of roughly equal distances. This can be undertaken in either a clockwise or anti-clockwise direction starting and finishing at any of the Border towns..

The above map can be printed off as a PDF file by clicking on the image. This map can be used by individuals but is protected under © Copyright against use in other publications or websites without the express permission of I-Net Support. (© 2009)

The route was developed and completed in 2005 by Scottish Borders Council (SBC) and continues to be maintained by their Countryside Ranger Service. SBC have on the council website a dedicated page relating to the Way with downloadable brochures that deal with each of the five sections, a Borders Abbeys Way (BAW) introduction and full route map with areas of interest. The BAW single web page can be accessed by clicking here.

On this website all the information runs as if the walk was started at Kelso and undertaken in a clockwise direction. This is not in any sense a preferred sequence, walkers should select a start point that best suits their travelling needs and their preferences in terms of starting and end day distances.
Since the opening of the Borders Railway in 2015 there is an additional option of starting and ending the Way at the Tweedbank railway station. For information on this click on this link.

Now access the "Abbeys Walk" button to get fuller details on all sections of the route.