The Borders

The Anglo-Scottish border region is peaceful today, but for centuries it was subjected to periodic raids, looting and murder by vengeful family gangs known as the Border Reivers.

The reivers' legacy of large-scale destruction and mayhem is evident today in the large number of fortified farmhouses and pele towers that were constructed for defence. Perhaps you have a Reiver surname such as Armstrong, Graham, Elliott, Little, Nixon or Bell that is synonymous with this infamous period of history? To find out more, visit Tullie House Museum or walk through the Millennium Underpass to see the names of many reiving families etched in stone. The underpass also holds the Bishop's Stone that records Archbishop Dunbar's vitriolic curse on the reivers in 1525.

The area around Bewcastle, Longtown and Liddesdale was the heartland of Border Reivers. Just a leisurely drive from Carlisle and you can soon immerse yourself in the turbulent history of this fascinating area.