Selkirkshire

Scotland > South of Scotland > Selkirkshire

One of the ancient counties that now make up the Scottish Borders local authority, Selkirk was once a playground for the rich with the vast hunting areas of Ettrick Forest.

To the north and west lies Peeblesshire, to the east, Roxburghshire and to the south and west Dumfriesshire. The two main towns in the county are the Royal Burgh of Selkirk the county town and Galashiels, both of which were built around the textile milling industry. Galashiels is now the largest commercial and shopping town in the Borders having taken over this mantle from Hawick 12 miles down the A7. Galashiels is the only 'University' town in the Borders having an annexe to the Heriot Watt University.

Selkirk is, though, mainly rural with the major towns very much to the east of the county. To the west lies a very hilly and aforested Ettrick Forest with few major busy roads, rivers like Ettrick, Yarrow and Ale Waters, lochs like St Mary's Loch and Loch of the Lowes and hills like Broad Law, Deer Law and Black Law.

This is great sheep country and country particularly endearing to Sir Walter Scott who was the Sheriff in Selkirk for many years, William Wordsworth and local poet and author James Hogg, otherwise known as the "Ettrick Shepherd".