Selkirk
Selkirk | |||
Location Map ( geo) | |||
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County | |||
Selkirkshire | |||
Highway Authority | |||
Scottish Borders | |||
Transport Scotland Roads | |||
A7 | |||
Places related to the A7 | |||
Places related to the A699 | |||
Places related to the A708 | |||
The pretty town of Selkirk climbs the hillside on the south bank of the Ettrick Water, just upstream from its confluence with the Tweed. The town centre spreads out from the market place high above the river, with many fine old buildings providing homes for a range of shops and services. Below, lying along the river bank, is a sizeable industrial area, in part filling the former railway land, but one of the reasons why the railway came to Selkirk was because of the mills that lined the river. A few of these survive, but the town has diversified greatly in recent years.
The main road, which winds right through the town centre, is the A7, the historic main route south from Edinburgh to Carlisle. Despite the arrival of alternative routes, such as the motorways, it is still common to see large articulated lorries slowly negotiate the tight bends and steep gradients of Selkirk, a town which would surely have received a bypass if only the surrounding geography was somewhat easier to negotiate. At the market place, the A707 terminates on the A7, after its short journey south down the Tweed valley from the A72 near Clovernfords.
On the western edge of Selkirk, the A708 forks off the A707, and heads west, following the Yarrow Water to the watershed, and then descending alongside the Moffat Water to Moffat itself. This has to be one of the finest drives in southern Scotland, and is well worth a detour if you have the time to spare. The B7009 starts nearer the centre of the town, and follows the Ettrick Water, another fine drive and the hills surrounding these roads are popular with walkers. A few miles out from Selkirk, the short B7039 connects these two routes.
To the south of town, the A699 heads east from the A7, to St Boswells and then Kelso, where it turns slightly northwards and continues to the North Sea coast at Berwick upon Tweed. The only other classified road in Selkirk is the B7014, which runs through the industrial area along the river and provides a useful link between the A7 and A707 / A708, avoiding the town centre.
Routes
Route | To | Notes |
Galashiels, Edinburgh | ||
Hawick, Carlisle | ||
St Boswells, Kelso | ||
Peebles (A72) | ||
Moffat | ||
Ettrick Bridge, Langholm | ||
Dunsdale Road | ||
Galashiels, Edinburgh | ||
Hawick |