Trains connect people to towns and cities, but they also connect us to places unknown and unvisited. New train services can open up and reveal those parts of a country often bypassed and unexplored by the motorist.
So it is with the Borders Railway. Opened in 2015, its success has exceeded expectations with passenger numbers above predictions and numerous return visitors. Running from Edinburgh to Tweedbank, close to Melrose, it passes through Midlothian before rising to Fala Hill in the Moorfoot Hills to begin its descent through the Scottish Borders.
It has a total of eleven stations with four of these sitting in Midlothian and three in the Borders. The line acts as a commuter service for Midlothian, less so for the Borders stations.
This is not so much a new line but the restoration of the much older Waverley Route, unceremoniously axed as part of the Beeching cuts in the 1960s leading to the Borders becoming the largest geographical area in the UK without a rail service. Its return a testimony to the determination and persistence of local campaigners.
The South of Scotland has now been awarded Best in Travel award for 2023 by Lonely Planet, who describe how ‘wise folk are well aware of its charms’. We hope this book helps you in your exploration of both the Borders and Midlothian where you too can connect with the many ‘charms’ both regions have to offer.
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