THE ESTATE

The 19th century saw Sir Walter Scott establishing an international reputation as Scotland’s most prolific and successful writer, but his abiding interest – the one that gave him most pleasure – was tree-planting.

The Abbotsford Estate is free and open to all, relax and enjoy a walk on our way-marked mud-free and easy paths through Scott’s woodlands or along the banks of the River Tweed.

Enjoy a diverse mix of habitat, supporting a richness of species, from orchids and butterflies to badgers and bats.You may even be lucky enough to encounter some of our more shy residents including otters in the River Tweed and red squirrels in the woodland; do let us know if you see them.Throughout the spring and summer the estate is full of bird song with goldfinch, nuthatch, chiff-chaff and swallows to name just a few. You might also hear the woodpeckers and tawny owls! Special mention though, should be reserved for the trees that have inhabited the Abbotsford estate since Sir Walter Scott’s time at Abbotsford.

At Abbotsford Scott assembled an extensive woodland estate specifically adapted to its setting along the banks of the River Tweed. The landscape that Scott developed, laid out across expanses of previously unimproved land, was unique in scenic and horticultural terms. Scott was what we now term an ardent environmentalist in his lifetime. He wrote in magazines across the British Isles arguing that landowners should not be draining peatbogs, and was involved in the foundation of Britain's first environmental body, charged with conserving the River Tweed, established by Act of Parliament in 1807.

Scott's love of trees extended to advocating for their planting nationwide. It is hard to imagine now, but in his day the hillsides were largely bare as far as the eye could see, cleared for grazing. A landscape with naturalistic tree planting, following the contours of the land, was Scott's vision for his beloved Scottish Borders, a vision so successfully achieved it is hard to imagine what came before.

Today, the Abbotsford Trust looks after 120 acres of land beside the Tweed, made up of meadow and native woodland, planted by Scott and his factotum Tom Purdie. Scott's own accounts of the Herculean efforts put into establishing his plantations are of significant value to the historical and sylvicultural nature of the countryside around Abbotsford, especially because at its highpoint, the estate spanned 1400 acres. The sumptuous, rolling landscape and speckled woodlands you find in this area are still irrevocably Scott's own.