Hawick

Hawick is a town in the Scottish Borders, midway along the historic route from Carlisle to Edinburgh, with a population of 10,630 in 2020. The main reason to come is to explore the hills and forests above the town.

Understand
It's pronounced hoick, one syllable, like the act of kicking a rugby ball high into the air. Several townsfolk have proved adept at doing so but Hawick's best-loved contributor to rugby, Bill McLaren (1923-2010), found fame as a commentator after illness ended his playing career. The town was also the birthplace in 1940 of the yachtsman Chay Blyth.

"Hawick" in Old English means an enclosed farm. It stands at the confluence of the River Teviot and Slitrig Water, which from the 17th century were harnessed to power textile mills. Its initial business was budget staples such as stockings, then the mills moved into linen and knitware, practical tweeds then high-end cashmere and merino. The term "Tweed" began here as a 19th-century typo: twill was "tweel" in Scots but a London merchant thought it was a trade name for Tweed valley produce, and the name stuck. Hawick survived the 20th-century decline of the UK textile industry, but then the luxury sector also succumbed, and the town lost major employers such as Pringle. Other Border towns have been boosted by the re-opening of the railway, becoming commuter towns for Edinburgh, but Hawick is a little too far out to benefit.

In October 2021 the town was flooded, but all amenities described on this page were back in business in 2022.

Local information

 * Local information website

Get in
Hawick is on the A7, 43 miles north of Carlisle and 50 miles south of Edinburgh. From eastern and southern England the quickest route is A1 to Newcastle, A696 / A68 to the Scottish border on windy Carter Bar, then A6088 through Bonchester Bridge to Hawick.

Borders Bus X95 runs every two hours daily from Edinburgh along A7 via Galashiels and Selkirk to Hawick, taking 2 hours. It's quicker to take the train from Edinburgh to Galashiels then change to the X95, which between Galashiels and Hawick runs every 30 min. The two-hourly service continues south along A7 beyond Hawick to Mosspaul, Langholm, Canonbie, Longtown and Carlisle, another 80 min.

The "Waverley Railway" used to run through Hawick to join the main line at Carlisle but was axed in 1969. The northern part was restored in 2015, linking Edinburgh, Galashiels and Tweedbank; there are no plans to restore the southern part.

Get around
The town is small and walkable. A7 now runs west of the river, and the historic route along High Street has become a one-way north to south B-road. And A7 is no longer the main route to Edinburgh: from northwest England you follow A74(M) far to the west. This means that Hawick still has plenty of local traffic but no longer suffers from through-traffic.

Taxi operators include Dom's (+44 7807 800078), Teviot Taxis (+44 7743 443775) and A1 (+44 1450 374047).

See

 * St Mary's and Old Parish Church just south of Slitrig Water was built in 1764, damaged by fire in the 19th century but restored in the same style. It's still in use as a Church of Scotland and only open for services, so look in briefly at 11:15AM on Sunday or as they all stream out around 12:30PM.
 * is the earthwork remnant of a Norman motte-and-bailey fortification.
 * is reached by a short hike from A7. Some half-a-dozen streams unite below here to form the River Teviot, which flows northeast to join the Tweed at Kelso.
 * is the authentically bleak rusty remnant of a First World War army training and POW / internment camp. It's away in the hills off B6399.
 * Fatlips Castle: see Jedburgh for this 16th-century tower house east of Denholm and Minto. Plus a dozen more similar in that area, but this was the only one where you got a slobbery greeting.
 * is the authentically bleak rusty remnant of a First World War army training and POW / internment camp. It's away in the hills off B6399.
 * Fatlips Castle: see Jedburgh for this 16th-century tower house east of Denholm and Minto. Plus a dozen more similar in that area, but this was the only one where you got a slobbery greeting.

Do

 * Heart of Hawick is the cultural centre, at 2 Kirkstile.
 * Teviotdale Leisure Centre has a pool, gym and fitness classes. It's at 6 Mansfield Rd, north across the bridge.
 * Rugby: Hawick RUFC (aka "The Greens") play rugby union in the Premiership, the amateur top tier in Scotland. Their home ground is Mansfield Park, Hawick TD8 8AW, on the north bank of the river. The Hawick Sevens tournament is hosted here on an August Saturday.
 * Hike in the surrounding hills and lonely forests of Ettrick. Walk Highlands suggest a dozen trails, including the Southern Upland Way.
 * Golf: Hawick GC is south end of town on Vertish Hill. Minto GC is north of Denholm village.
 * Alchemy Film Festival is end of April.
 * Hawick Common Riding is the ancient custom of "beating the bounds". There are civic parades and mass ride-outs of hundreds of riders cross-country. It's held around the Friday that follows the first Monday in June.

Buy
Grocery stores:
 * Sainsbury's is on the main road west of the river, with a filling station and open daily 8AM-9PM.
 * Aldi is on the same road 200 yards north, open M-Sa 8AM-10PM, Su 9AM-8PM.
 * Morrisons is on Mart Rd, north end of High St, and has a filling station. It's open M-Sa 7AM-10PM, Su 8AM-8PM.

Eat

 * High St has Brodie's, Adam's Kitchen and Punjabi Grill, with Santa Marina on riverside and Sultaan's just over the bridge.
 * High St has Brodie's, Adam's Kitchen and Punjabi Grill, with Santa Marina on riverside and Sultaan's just over the bridge.
 * High St has Brodie's, Adam's Kitchen and Punjabi Grill, with Santa Marina on riverside and Sultaan's just over the bridge.

Drink

 * Pubs along High St include The Bourtree (above), Stampers, Waverley Bar, Cooper's and Exchange Bar, with Drumlanrig Bar and Stag's Head further south.
 * Borders Distillery on Commercial Rd makes whisky, gin and vodka; tours available M-F.

Connect
As of May 2022, the town has 4G from all UK carriers, but coverage of the approach highways is very patchy. 5G has not reached this area.

Go next

 * Follow the rivers Teviot and Tweed downstream to see the abbeys at Jedburgh, Dryburgh, Melrose and Kelso.
 * A wild scenic route south is along B6399 to Newcastleton then down into lowland country towards Carlisle.
 * The big attraction to the north is Edinburgh.