Serviced Apartments in Hawick

Discover the best activities and attractions Hawick has to offer, and find out what makes this city a vibrant and exciting place to live or visit.

Wilton Lodge Park
A spacious Victorian riverside park popular with families and walkers for its attractive lawns, mature trees, children’s play areas, boating pond and riverside paths along the River Teviot. The park hosts seasonal events, has picnic and seating spots and provides a peaceful green lung in the town centre, making it ideal for leisurely strolls, informal sports and photography of the surrounding Borders landscape.

Hawick Museum and Gallery
Housed near Wilton Lodge Park, this local museum showcases Hawick’s rich social and industrial history with strong emphasis on textile and knitwear heritage, Border Reiver history and local art. Exhibits include historic garments, tools and archives from Hawick’s mills and studios, rotating gallery shows and family-friendly displays that explain why the town became a centre for quality knitwear, making it a must-visit for cultural and heritage enthusiasts.

Hawick Common Riding
A centuries-old, signature cultural event unique to Hawick and one of the largest of the Borders Common Ridings, this annual festival features mounted processions, ceremonial rides of the marches, torchlight parades, music, traditional dress and community gatherings. The Common Riding is prized for its living folkloric traditions, dramatic horsemanship and strong community spirit, drawing visitors keen to experience authentic Border customs and pageantry.

Knitwear and Textile Shopping on the High Street
Hawick’s town centre and surrounding retail outlets are renowned for specialist knitwear, cashmere and tweed, reflecting the town’s historic mill industry. Visitors can browse independent boutiques, factory and outlet shops, and artisan studios for high-quality garments, local designs and heritage pieces—an attractive combination for shoppers seeking authentic Scottish knitwear, bespoke items and souvenirs tied directly to Hawick’s manufacturing legacy.

River Teviot Walks and Outdoor Activities
The River Teviot corridor offers accessible riverside walks, fishing opportunities and links to regional walking routes that showcase the rolling Borders countryside. Popular with walkers, birdwatchers, cyclists and canoeists, these outdoor options provide scenic vistas, varied wildlife and easy access from town, making them ideal for short excursions or longer hikes into the surrounding hills and valleys.

Explore the diverse transport options available in Hawick, from efficient public transportation systems to convenient road networks. Whether you're commuting to work or exploring the city, this section will give you an overall look at the available transportation systems.

Public Transit System
- Buses: Local and regional bus services operate from Hawick, providing scheduled links to nearby towns (e.g., Galashiels, Selkirk, Jedburgh), regional centres (including Carlisle and Edinburgh-area connections) and local demand-responsive/community transport options; services are the primary public transit mode for most journeys.
- Trains: Hawick does not currently have an active railway station; the nearest regular rail services are provided from Tweedbank (terminus of the Borders Railway to Edinburgh) and Carlisle (national rail network), requiring onward bus/car travel from Hawick.
- Trams: No tram network exists in Hawick.
- Subways: No subway/underground system exists in Hawick.

Major Highways
- A7: Primary trunk road running through Hawick, providing north–south connections toward Edinburgh (north) and Carlisle (south).
- A698: East–west route from Hawick toward Kelso and routes linking onward toward the east coast; an important regional link for crossing the Borders.
- M6 (via Carlisle): Major motorway access for long-distance travel to northwest England and national motorway network, reached via routes to Carlisle.
- A1 (via connecting roads): Major north–south east coast route accessible from Hawick via regional links (useful for journeys toward Berwick/Edinburgh or south along the east coast).

Cycling Infrastructure
- On-road cycle provisions and quiet roads: A mix of signed on-road cycle routes and quieter country roads around Hawick that are commonly used by utility and leisure cyclists.
- National Cycle Network / Sustrans routes: Presence of National Cycle Network routes and Sustrans-linked paths in the Scottish Borders region that provide longer-distance cycling links; local sections and connectors serve Hawick residents and visitors.
- Traffic-calmed town centre and cycle parking: Local traffic-calming measures in parts of the town centre and provision of cycle parking facilities at key civic and retail locations support short urban trips by bike.
- Leisure and off-road routes: Nearby country lanes, forest tracks and riverside paths are used for recreational cycling and mountain biking, with informal off-road route networks popular with leisure cyclists.

Recent and Upcoming Improvements
- Borders Railway (2015) — regional rail reopening to Tweedbank: Reopening of the Borders Railway to Tweedbank improved rail access to the Scottish Borders region and altered regional travel patterns for Hawick residents (rail access via nearby stations rather than direct service).
- Waverley Route restoration feasibility and campaigning: Ongoing feasibility work, stakeholder campaigning and periodic Scottish Government and regional studies addressing options to reinstate sections of the historic Waverley Route (which would affect Hawick if extended), with periodic proposals and assessments rather than a completed scheme.
- Active travel and pedestrian improvements: Local and regional active travel programmes (Scottish Borders Council and Scottish Government funded initiatives) delivering walking and cycling infrastructure upgrades, junction improvements and enhanced crossings in and around Hawick to improve short-distance commuting and safety.
- Bus service reviews and community transport developments: Periodic reviews and local operator adjustments aiming to refine bus timetables, introduce or expand demand-responsive/community transport services, and improve connections to regional rail and key towns.
- Road maintenance and targeted junction/upgrades: Ongoing road resurfacing, maintenance works and targeted junction improvements carried out by the local authority to maintain key arterial routes (A7/A698) and improve reliability and safety for motor traffic and buses.