Tours from the Scottish Borders
Meet theBorderlandsproperly.
Small-group journeys through the history, landscapes and family stories of the Scottish Borders — led by local guide Mark Nicol. Come with a surname, a century, a castle, or simply the feeling that there must be more to the view.
The right pace
A tour should feel like a story unfolding.
The Scottish Borders is not a backdrop to rush through. It is a living borderland of towers, churches, old roads, family names and wide views. The most memorable details are often the ones that do not fit on a standard itinerary: a name on a gravestone, the line of an old road, or the reason a tower stands exactly where it does.
These tours leave room for those connections. Mark brings the historical thread, but the day is shaped by the questions you bring with you.
Meet your guide, Mark Nicol
Your guide
Mark Nicol
Historian · film-maker · Borderlands storyteller
Meet Mark
A lifelong passion for the Borders, shared one story at a time.
Mark Nicol is the guide and film-maker behind Discover Scottish Borders. He knows the region through a lifetime of exploring it, and brings together the history, folklore, family names and landscapes that make the Borderlands so compelling.
In 2012, he began developing Discover Scottish Borders to document the places and stories he was uncovering. What began as personal exploration has grown into an independent history, heritage and storytelling platform — a website, blog, video archive and social-media presence — with 300 researched videos presented by Mark in his free time and on his days off.
2012
Discover Scottish Borders begins
300
Researched videos
2018
Thistle Award finalist
Choose your way in
Day tours with a point of view.
Each route begins with a subject, but it becomes a real day when the places start speaking to one another. Browse the current themes, then contact Mark to talk through dates, pace and what you most want to see.
Border reiversArmstrong Tour
Follow the Armstrong story from Newcastleton to the towers, graves and memorials that still hold its memory.
Family historyPringle Tour
Explore the places connected to one of the Borders’ enduring families, with the stories placed firmly in the landscape.
Medieval BordersScottish Wars of Independence
See the Border country through the people, strongholds and turning points that shaped Scotland’s struggle for independence.
Peels & strongholdsForgotten Castles
Visit spectacular and overlooked Border castles, and hear what their ruins reveal about life on the frontier.
A story-led day
Armstrong country
Follow the thread
The best days connect the map to the people.
On the Armstrong Tour, the route becomes the story: Newcastleton, Mangerton Tower, the Milnholm Cross, Kinmont Willie’s grave and the places where Border history still feels close. It is a day of names, loyalties and landscape — with enough time to ask what the familiar stories leave out.
Small groups, with time to stop and look
Stories shaped around your interests
A local guide who knows the Borderlands personally
“We were treated to a wide variety of delightful adventures. I would highly recommend this tour to anyone looking for a gentle, yet deep introduction to these special lands.”
Ellen · California
Read more reviews
Start with a conversation
Tell Mark what you want to discover — and what you already know.
A short message is enough to begin. Share your dates, group size and the thread you would like to follow; Mark will help turn it into a day.