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My studio in Galashiels is fairly small but with enough space for all of us! It’s very well lit, and has a small fridge and microwave if you need them for your lunch. It’s not near any food shops or cafes, so I recommend you bring lunch with you.
Galashiels is about an hour south of Edinburgh, and easily accessible by train, which takes 50 minutes. My studio is about a 15 minute walk from the station, and includes a fairly steep hill.
For a full train timetable, please check Scotrail or Traveline Scotland.
If you’re travelling by car, there is plenty of parking by the studio.
If you’d like to explore the area a bit while you’re here, then the Great Tapestry of Scotland is in the centre of Galashiels, again about a 15-20 minute walk from the studio, and worth a visit if you’d like to see the history of Scotland in stitched panels. There is some really wonderful stitching on display! Worth spending at least a morning looking around, and they have a cafe too.
Hawick, another Borders town steeped in textiles history is a 30 minute drive away (or slightly longer by bus). Here you can take a mill tour at Johnstons of Elgin to see how luxury knitwear is made! I highly recommend it. Check their tour times and availability first. You can also visit the Borders Textile Towerhouse in Hawick for more of the textile history of the area and exhibitions.
At Selkirk you can take a mill tour with Lochcarron of Scotland, one of the two main weavers of tartan fabric. Known for having the cleanest selvedges for kiltmaking! SElkirk is a 15 minute drive from Galashiels, or on the same bus route as Hawick. Selkirk as has the Borders Scrap Store, the most amazing place to find remnant fabrics, craft supplies, buttons etc at incredible prices!
Dovevot Studios in Edinburgh is also worth visiting, with fashion and textiles exhibitions- the story of Biba being the next one. It's a beautiful building with a tapestry studio, and there's a viewing gallery so you can see down into the studio with work in progress and enviable walls of yarn!
Abbotsford House is just across the river from Galashiels, and there is a lovely walk along the river there which is free. You can also pay to view the house and walled garden, and there is a cafe there too.
Melrose is about a 5 minute drive from Galashiels and has a beautiful ruined Abbey (although it’s currently covered in scaffolding), plenty of cafes and places to eat and lots of nice little independent shops.
Dryburgh and Jedburgh also have beautiful ruined abbeys.
If you’re making it a longer trip, or have a partner with you who needs something to do during the day, please just get in touch and I’ll be happy to suggest some places to visit or nice walks etc.
