Those interested in discovering the Scottish border country should base themselves in Kelso, and look no further than the Roxburghe Country House Hotel as the ideal holiday retreat.

The Borders, the area south of Edinburgh where Scotland meets England in sometimes wild, always beautiful countryside is a destination full of surprises. The Roxburghe Hotel and Golf Course, owned and run by the Duke and Duchess of Roxburghe, is set in the middle of gently rolling woodland alongside the banks of the River Teviot.

In addition to its 22 bedrooms and world-standard cuisine (using many local ingredients) the hotel is also the base for the Roxburghe Championship Golf Course, a recently opened club of which Scottish professional golfer Colin Montgomerie said: "It's a perfect course for professionals and amateurs".

Waking up in the morning, having spent a night in tasteful luxury, it’s easy to imagine oneself as Lord of the Manor, the master of all that you survey. And what you can survey (and walk around… and play golf on… and fish in… and ride across…) is a unique-to-newcomer’s-eyes mixture of wild hills, dark forests and clear rivers.

Out and about on the Borders’ roads (for recent Land Rover activities) there’s little traffic; the local sheep are definitely in the majority round here. With the high driving position of the Range Rover Sport and Discovery, though, you have the perfect car for this countryside.

Travelling to Roxburghe is easy: it’s an hour or so from Edinburgh by car, and the same from Newcastle upon Tyne, down South in England. And although the hotel is owned by a Duke, you don’t have to be a member of the British aristocracy to stay here – rooms start at a very reasonable £105.00 per person Bed & Breakfast per night.

For further information, visit www.roxburghe-hotel.com.

Text & photos: Mathias Paulokat