About the village of Yetholm

Yetholm is made up of two small villages – Kirk Yetholm and Town Yetholm – on either side of the Bowmont River. It sits at the edge of the Cheviot Hills and is about 1 mile from the border between Scotland and England. The area is rural, quiet and very beautiful.

Eating and drinking

There are two good pubs in Yetholm: we are a two-minute walk from the Plough Hotel in Town Yetholm and a ten-minute walk from the Border Hotel over in Kirk Yetholm. Both serve traditional pub meals and local ales, and also do teas, coffees and cake in the afternoons. They can get very busy during the summer season so it’s a good idea to book a table for dinner. Yetholm’s community-owned village shop and post office is a one-minute walk from Rutherford House across the green, and sells a great range of food and drinks.

Heritage centre

Yetholm Heritage Centre contains a series of interpretative panels that tell the story of Yetholm and the surrounding Cheviot Hills from prehistoric times to the present day. There is also a small display of artefacts. The centre is normally open every day, between 22nd May and 30th September, from 10.00am to 4.30pm – entry is free.

Events

There are regular coffee mornings, craft fairs, concerts, open gardens and other events throughout the year. National Theatre Live productions and films are shown in the Wauchope Hall.

Yetholm festival week is in the middle of June and includes the Stob Stanes rideout. Each year, a cavalcade of horse riders is led through the village and up into the hills by the Bari Gadgi (‘Best Boy’ in the gypsy language) and Bari Manushi (‘Best Girl’), who wear sashes of yellow and green, the village colours. A similar event takes place during the Kelso Civic Week in July, when the ‘Kelso Laddie’ leads a procession of riders to Yetholm. Hundreds of people gather to watch their arrival and picnic on the village greens.

The Border Shepherds Show takes place in early October each year. It’s a traditional event and includes a sheep dog trial, best-of-breed competitions, hill races, tractor displays and hotly contested baking and crafts competitions. For visitors it offers a chance to meet local people and experience something of the way of life in this rural area.

For more information, you can see what’s on and explore the village on the Yetholm online website.