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We arrived in Hawick, Scottish Borders, Scotland from Oban, Scotland via Inveraray on July 16, 2008 at around 5:25pm. We had no brochures or any information materials about Hawick. We also had no hotel reservation in Hawick so we went to the Heritage Hub hoping to get some information but it was already closed. We went to the Hawick Visitor Information Centre but it was also closed. We went for a walk on the High Street and tried to find anything or anyone that will give us any information but all shops were closed. High Street was just so quiet.

We decided to go to Hawick Golf Club hoping to find a hotel near the golf course but we did not find any. We also thought of playing golf but since it was kind of late in the afternoon already, we decided not to play considering it was also drizzling a little bit. We went back to High Street, then drove along the North Bridge Street and saw the Elm House Hotel. We walked in and inquired, and the lady owner gave us the last vacant family room, a big room with one double bed and two single beds large enough for a family.

We checked in at the Elm House Hotel and rested for a while before having dinner. At around 7:00pm, we went to the Dining Room and had our dinner. We had Skewered Shrimps with Salad as a starter and Stir Fried Duck Breast as the main course. I had Muffin Cake with Ice Cream for dessert which was really good.

We saw that the Dining Room was also popular among local people, maybe because the hotel owners were very friendly. They were the ones who especially accommodated us. The Elm House Hotel is a family owned hotel and is centrally located in the old town of Hawick. The hotel has its own parking space at the back which is a plus.

After dinner, even if it was a little bit cold, we went for a night walk. It was not really dark considering that it was past 9:00pm already. We went for a walk along the North Bridge Street to River Teviot then to Duke Street and then back to North Bridge Street to the hotel. We especially went to see the Hawick Cashmere Visitor Centre on the Duke Street and Arthur Street so we knew where to go the next day.

There are a lot of places to see in Hawick but we went back to Hawick because of the Hawick Cashmere and not for anything else. You can go and see River Teviot, Wilton Lodge Park, Hawick Walled Garden, Hawick Museum and Art Gallery, The Mote, Leisure Centre, Drumlanrig’s Tower, Heritage Hub, and several knitwear shops among others.

Hawick is well known and proud of its heritage, its knitwear, its repeated success in “Beautiful in Scotland Bloom”, and its rugby team. It is the largest town in the Scottish Borders in the south east of Scotland.

The next day, after our breakfast at the hotel, we checked out and went to Hawick Cashmere of Scotland on the Duke Street and Arthur Street. The people at the factory/mill shop were very friendly. We were able to see the original nineteenth century Mill of Hawick Cashmere in Hawick, Scotland. We were able to watch Shima Wholegarment machines at work.

Hawick Cashmere is one of the finest producers of cashmere in the world. One good thing about that day, there was a sale so a lot of knitwears in the shop were discounted. I just bought one pullover hoping to be able to buy in other shops too like at the Peter Scott and Wiltonburn Farm. I did not find anything that I like in other shops but Hub did.

I repeatedly asked Hub to go back to Hawick Cashmere because I did not want to regret later why I just bought only one pullover. We were in Hawick already and buying Hawick Cashmere outside Hawick is quite expensive. We knew that because we saw how much it was when we were shopping at the golf shops in St. Andrews, the Home of Golf in Scotland.

Well, we actually went back to Hawick Cashmere after we shopped at Peter Scott and Wiltonburn Farm. And that was it. Hawick was our last destination in Scotland. We left Hawick, Scotland just before 11:00am after shopping for knitwears. We travelled from Hawick, Scotland to England for several hours. When we arrived in Cambridge, England at around 7:00pm, we finally called it a day. We went through Cambridge because we planned to go to Colchester afterwards.

Updated on October 21, 2009

Links to Our Scotland Golf Vacation in Summer 2008
Scotland Golf Vacation in Summer 2008
Scottish Borders Tourist Route to Edinburgh
First Day, Edinburgh City, Scotland
Second Day, Edinburgh, Scotland
St. Andrews, The Home of Golf
Scotland’s Malt Whisky Trail
Inverness, the Mouth of the River Ness in Scotland
Scotland Lochs: Loch Ness, Loch Lochy, Loch Linnhe, Loch Creran
Oban, The Little Bay in Scotland Trip
Inveraray Castle, Inveraray, Scotland Side Trip
Hawick, Scottish Borders, Scotland Trip
Colchester, Essex, England Side Trip
Leeds Castle, Maidstone, Kent, England Side Trip

Related Links:
Hawick, in Wikipedia
Visit Scottish Borders of Visit Scotland
Visit Scotland, Scottish Tourist Board
Elm House Hotel
Hawick Cashmere of Scotland
Peter Scott & Co Ltd
Wiltonburn Country Cashmeres, Wiltonburn Farm