Review: Aikwood Tower, Selkirk, Scottish Borders

Aikwood Tower: the Reiver's return…

The Border Reivers weren’t big on luxury. After a hard day spent stealing their neighbours’ cattle or otherwise getting up to mischief they’d retire to their strongholds for a few mugs of ale before falling asleep in a heap – and quite possibly in their armour – in front of the fire.

The Reivers roamed the No Man’s Land between England and Scotland in the 16th and 17th centuries, and traces of their presence can still be seen today.

One of the more obvious of these is Aikwood Tower, 40 miles south of Edinburgh. While from a distance the Reivers would find it familiar, however, they would probably be left dumbfounded by its luxurious interior.

In more recent times, Aikwood was the property of the Dukes of Buccleuch, reputed to be the largest private landowners in Europe. The tower was then sold in the 1980s to Lord Steel, a former leader of the UK’s Liberal Democrat Party.

Steel and his wife, Judy, a prominent historian and writer, restored the tower and converted into a family home, before passing it on to their son, Rory, who has transformed it and made it available to those looking for a luxurious and historic break in one of Scotland’s most attractive corners.

Aikwood has five bedrooms, each of which has its own character and theme. They are also all named after people who have a link with the property.

‘Steel’, for example, has reindeer skins on the floor and a large tin trunk that Lord Steel took on a trip to Africa when he was a young man.

Wizard: complete with propeller above the bed

‘Wizard’, the highest room in the building, characterised by distinctive wooden beams, recalls a 16th-century owner of Aikwood, one Michael Scott, who was reputed to have magic powers. One of these concerned his supposed ability to fly; hence the varnished wooden propeller above the bed.

Aikwood’s Great Hall is cosy and compact – especially when the fire is roaring in a stone fireplace that looks as if it has changed little since the Reivers’ days. Its sofas and rugs make it a particularly welcoming haven, if the Scottish weather is doing its worst outside, and the place to talk through the day’s events.

If anyone would rather get lost in a good book, they can sink into one of the leather armchairs in the Laird’s Study, with its library of political biographies selected by Lord Steel and a portrait of the man himself looking down from the wall.

Guests are welcome either to cook for themselves or to make use of Aikwood’s catering team. Meals are taken in the comfortable kitchen area, with an Aga and massive stone walls that tell the tale of the tower’s former life.

Breakfast amid some historic stonework

Some guests will be happy to spend most of their time right here, but for the more adventurous Aikwood is close to some excellent country sports locations.

The nearby Bowhill Estate pheasant shoot is highly regarded by those in the know and the River Tweed offers some of the best salmon fishing in the UK.

Golfers may well be tempted by the Roxburghe and Cardrona courses, two of the best in the Borders region, while the Glentress Forest has some of the most exhilarating mountain biking in the country.

Aikwood Tower
Selkirk
Scottish Borders
TD7 5HJ
Tel: (+44) (0)1750 700 500
www.aikwoodtower.com

Aikwood Tower and many other high-quality properties in the Scottish Borders can be booked through Crabtree and Crabtree.
www.crabtreeandcrabtree.com