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The Girdwood family would like to extend a warm welcome to all guests and visitors to The Old Priory Bed and Breakfast, our family home, and to the beautiful town of Kelso, the cobbled town, in the heart of the Scottish Borders. The Borders is a beautiful if largely undiscovered part of Scotland, and in many ways we like to keep it a little bit secret, when you come here there is a wealth of history to keep you in the area for many days. Most people,who discover the Borders come back year after year. If you require a tour guide of the Borders by car in pdf format please ask as we have one that we can send.

We offer traditional bed and breakfast hospitality in a family home, with a friendly, relaxed feel in a very atmospheric and comfortable enviroment. We are lucky enough to have been chosen as Pick of the Town for the past 11 years by Lonely Planet and Rough Guide and have recently been chosen by Frommer’s in the USA as their B&B of choice in Kelso, in Germany we are featured in DuMont. We have been No.1 on TripAdvisor for 12 years We are not boutique, nor a hotel, we just offer you the kind of accommodation that you would hope to receive when you visit friends, a little bit of luxury, warmth and the chance to stay in a house dating from 1796. Robin hosts the Bed and Breakfast , born and raised in the Borders his family connections goes back to his Great Grandfather who was the blacksmith in Nenthorn in the 1850’s, a small community around 3 miles from Kelso, Robin’s grandfather was chauffeur to Earl Haig during WW1 and started the only Ladies only taxi company in Edinburgh. Robin was  previously in the luxury end of the interiors industry, specialising in fabrics and as you will see we are awash with all things William Morris, we think that we have some original Morris and Co stained glass in our hallway, certainly the birds are badly painted enough to be attributed to William Morris who notoriously could not paint them and had his friend Phillip Webb do it for him.

The key to our hospitality is choice, we offer a wider range of dishes  for breakfast than most accommodation providers and our range of teas are second to none. We are happy to help with food allergies and special diets but please talk to us in advance as we  may need to shop once we understand your needs. A quick note at 11pm saying you are vegan is a sure way to disaster!

Our beds have memory foam toppers and silk filled duvets, non-allergenic and breathable yet warm, our towels are fluffy and plentiful, toiletries are provided as are hairdryers. This website should help you to decide if The Old Priory meets your needs, but if you have any questions please just contact us, we are happy to have a chat.

Our rooms are considered to be what hotels call superior and we aim to provide a friendly, relaxed atmosphere, if you want us we are here but we try to respect your privacy and the fact that your visit is your holiday and you have come to see the Borders not us!. We are centrally situated, within a short walk from all of the town’s restaurants, for wedding guests Ednam House is only 100 yards, a quick totter on high heels! We do suggest that wedding guests book two days as early arrival cannot be guaranteed. During the summer months and events we ask that a minimum of two nights are booked at weekends.

Hopefully your first visit to us will not be your last!

We have a very flexible layout and can accommodate most parties. We have twin beds, doubles and the Family Suite which sleeps four (and has a door between the rooms) and  are unusual in having two downstairs bedrooms. We find the flexibility useful for fishing, walking and golfing parties. the downstairs Garden Room is proving popular with those allergic to stairs. The garden is enclosed and we encourage guests to use it. We have adopted two ex-racing greyhounds so our family is growing.

Our home’s walled garden provides off road parking, we have parking outside the garden wall and recently the council have allowed parking outside the front door so the choice is yours. The Garden  is a haven in the centre of town for our guests. Kelso is a vibrant town with events such as the Border Union Show,  Country and Western Festival, Antique and Collector Fairs, Civic Week, Regular Horse Race Meetings, British Motorcycle Federation Show and many more events  throughout the year.