Scottish Borders Accommodation

Discount Cashmere Woollen Mills Hawick, Border Reivers Hawick

The first of the largest of the Scottish Borders towns you'll arrive at on the A7 main route up to Edinburgh, Hawick is a popular stopover base close to the English border. Hawick today (much like Gretna Green) is particularly renowned for its budget woollen mill outlets where bargains galore are to be had in knitwear and fabrics. Behind this superb choice of woollen mill outlets is an internationally acclaimed history of fine quality knitwear producion in the Hawick and general southern Scottish Borders area. Quality knitwear names such as Peter Scott are still operating here in Hawick.

Hawick, being so close to the English Border, has seen a turbulent history. In the 16th century cross Border warfare was rife in the area and in March annually Hawick reflects on its Border Reivers history during the Hawick Reiver's Festival. Hawick's town museum and restored Drumlanrig's Tower in the heart of Hawick town also digs into Border Reivers history in the area, and legendary Border Rider families such as the Armstrongs, Turnbulls and the Scotts.

Hawick Discount Cashmere, Woollen Mills Scotland UK

Nowhere more than Hawick in the Scottish Borders does cashmere and knitwear feature prominently in the town's history. The 18th century was the beginning of Hawick's boom as a woollen trade centre, with Baillie Hardie of Hawick introducing a four narrow 16 and a half inch knitting frame to the town in 1771. This was used for the manufacture of full hose stockings, and by 1815 at least 500 of these knitting frames were being used here.

Hawick early on became renowned for its quality knitwear, particularly cashmere and the town has still some of the biggest names in quality knitwear based here. Visit both Peter Scott and Hawick Cashmere to view the production process, as well as visiting on-site factory shops.

During the peak summer months guided walks, aptly named 'From Tweed to Twinsets' are organised around the town, devling into Hawick's knitwear and woollen manufacturing history. For information on these guided walks (usually on Thursdays) contact Hawick Tourist Information Centre based in Drumlanrig's Tower on 0870 6080404.

Hawick's knitwear history is set to be explored in even more depth in exciting new exhibition spaces at both the Heritage Hub and former weaving mill complex at Tower Mill. Checkout the latest news on the 'Heart of Hawick' regeneration project weblink right. Hawick is most defintely set to be both historical and cultural hub for the Scottish Borders.

Hawick Border Reivers Festival, Hawick Museum, Dumlanrig's Tower Visitor Centre & Heart of Hawick

Hawick is seeing some exciting developments in recent times, with the 'Heart of Hawick project' pumping around ten million pounds into restoration projects such as former weaving mill Tower Mill and Heritage Hub. The 'Heart of Hawick' regeneration project has also included substantial regeneration work within the town centre as well as the new footbridge/cyclebridge over the River Teviot and restoration of Drumlanrig's Tower. Full details on the project are via the Scottish Borders council weblink right, with a 'Heart of Hawick' website to be launched shortly.

Drumlanrig's Tower Visitor Centre, now newly restored, was once a stronghold for Border Riding families Douglas and Scott. The exhbiition is where to head to find out more on the turbulent Border Reivers period in Hawick's history, via period rooms, costume figures and audiovisual displays here. Drumlanrig's Tower has seen various uses as medieval tower, town house, coaching inn then in the 1930s a hotel. Also on-site is an exhibition on the great achievements of Steven Hislop - Hizzy, the motorcycling champion from Hawick.

Hawick's festival of Fire and Steel - Hawick Reivers Festival (held annually around the 20th to 25th March - see the Hawick Reivers Festival website right for the latest details on forthcoming festivals), mixes celebrations involving fireworks displays and exhbiitions with a forthright exploration into the extreme violence during the Border riding family clashings. After centuries of conflict between Scotland and England prior to the 16th century, the Scottish Borders areas were pretty much left to their own devices for a century resulting in violent feuds, land and cattle snatching, murder and mayhem between clan families like the Turnbulls and Armstrongs. These Border Riding families were ruthless, and their allegiences were to their own kinsmen. All else was fair game.

Hermitage Castle Near Hawick

Hermitage Castle, one of the top five historic attractions included in the Scottish Borders Explorer Pass, is situated 5.5 miles north east of Newcastleton, off the B6399 (tel. 01387 376222, see Historic Scotland's weblink right for details).

Beautifully set in open moorland in a desolate but stunning Borders spot adjacent to Hermitage Water, Hermitage Castle was visited by Mary Queen of Scots after the demanding ride from Jedburgh to visit her future lover James Hepburn the 4th Earl of Bothwell here. Bothwell had been wounded in a local skirmish and was held up here at Hermitage.

Hermitage Castle is integral to the turbulent history of the Borders area - the castle was much fought over between Scots and English, and changed hands numerous times. The remains of Hermitage you see today date mostly from the end of the 1300s.

Hawick Knitwear & Textiles Outlets

Hawick Cashmere Limited, Trinity Mills, Duke Street, Hawick. Tel. 01450 372510. As well as a choice of high quality knitwear specialising in cashmere on sale here, there's also a visitor centre which explores the processes involved in manufacturing knitwear. Open Mondays to Saturdays 9.30am to 5pm, Sundays from May to October only from 11am to 4pm.

Hawick Knitwear, Liddesdale Road, Hawick, TD9 0WX. Tel. 01450 363187.

Lovat Mill, Commercial Road, Hawick, TD9 7AQ. Tel. 01450 373231 (weavers of exclusive tweens/cashmeres, woven knitted accessories and hand made leather and tweed bags.

Peter Scott, Factory Shop, 11 Buccleuch Street. Hawick. Tel. 01450 372311. (weblink right for details). Pringle Scotland, Teviotdale Mill, Commercial Road, Hawick. Tel. 1450 377644.

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