Selkirk Hotels: Where to Stay in Scottish Borders

Hotels in Selkirk are few, and each one has a clear character. This Scottish Borders town offers a town-centre hotel, a country house hotel on the edge of town, a small guesthouse by the River Ettrick, and a family-run hotel with a garden. We checked each property against at least two sources and dropped old listings we could not verify. Rates change daily, so we quote none. Call the property to confirm details before you book.

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Hotels in Selkirk Scottish Borders: What Is Open Now

The County Hotel

The County Hotel stands on High Street in the centre of Selkirk, postcode TD7 4BZ. The Explore Selkirk directory gives the phone number as 01750 705000. VisitScotland grades the hotel as a three star small hotel.

Travelocity lists nine guest rooms over three levels. Room types run from single to family. Each room has a private bathroom, a tea and coffee maker, a hair dryer, and free Wi-Fi. The hotel has no lift.

Check-in runs from 4:00 PM to 7:00 PM and check-out ends at 10:00 AM. Travelocity says the hotel has no front desk. Guests who arrive late receive an access code by email. Free parking is on site, but you must ask the hotel to reserve a space.

The Explore Selkirk page says the bars open at 11:00 AM daily and food is served from 7:30 AM on weekdays. Well-behaved dogs are welcome in the lower lounge bar and the courtyard garden. Travelocity, however, says the rooms do not allow pets. Ask the hotel which rule applies to your dog.

Philipburn Hotel, All Seasons Philipburn

The Philipburn sits on Linglie Road, postcode TD7 5LS, on the edge of Selkirk. Best Western lists the phone as 01750 653053. Many sites still use the old name Philipburn Country House Hotel. Booking sites now show Philipburn Hotel, BW Signature Collection.

Best Western says the hotel has twelve individually styled rooms, some with mezzanine floors and balconies. Family stays use eight lodges and studio rooms in the grounds. Another directory says fourteen rooms, so confirm the count when you call.

Check-in starts at 3:00 PM and check-out ends at 11:00 AM. Expedia lists a restaurant for breakfast and dinner, a bar, a terrace, a garden, an electric car charging point, and free Wi-Fi in public areas. Best Western adds a 24-hour front desk and four acres of woodland grounds. Expedia says the hotel accepts cats and dogs in some rooms.

The old post on this page promised a spa and a championship golf course. Best Western lists no spa and does not mention golf. Do not book the Philipburn for either unless the hotel confirms them in writing.

The Glen Guesthouse

The Glen Guesthouse, also branded The Glen Hotel, stands on Yarrow Terrace, postcode TD7 5AS. The official site lists the phone as 01750 20259. The building has nine rooms. These include family rooms, a ground-floor accessible room with a roll-in shower, and a four-poster bridal suite above the River Ettrick.

The site lists fibre Wi-Fi in every room, a small car park with space for all nine rooms, a garden, and a bar with a sitting area. Check-in runs from 4:00 PM to 9:00 PM and check-out ends at 10:30 AM. Breakfast starts at 7:30 AM on weekdays and 8:00 AM on weekends.

Six of the nine rooms accept dogs. You must mention your dog when you book. The guesthouse no longer runs a full restaurant. The site lists a limited home-cooked evening meal from Monday to Thursday, and asks guests to order the day before. Travelmyth confirms the Glen as a dog-friendly guest house with parking.

Heatherlie House Hotel

Heatherlie House Hotel stands on Heatherlie Park, postcode TD7 5AL, just west of the town centre. Directories disagree on the street number, so check the address when you book. The Campaign for Real Ale directory lists the phone as 01750 22656.

The directory lists nine rooms with breakfast included, a garden with a play area, parking, Wi-Fi, and dog-friendly bedrooms. The entry says the bar opens to non-residents from Thursday to Sunday and food runs from 6:00 PM to 8:00 PM on those days. Both Undiscovered Scotland and Travelmyth also list Heatherlie House.

We flag this property as partly unconfirmed. The directory entry dates from June 2023 and we found no recent official page. Call before you plan a stay.

Cross Keys Inn in Ettrickbridge

The Cross Keys Inn sits in Ettrickbridge, a village outside Selkirk, postcode TD7 5JN. Booking sites list the inn under Selkirk, so the inn shows up in many Selkirk searches. Christie and Company describes a 17th century coaching inn with seven en suite bedrooms, a beer garden, and a car park.

In November 2025 the owners put the inn up for sale. The same notice says trading continues as normal until a buyer is found. Stay in a Pub also lists seven rooms and says dogs may stay by arrangement. Ownership could change, so confirm the booking terms directly with the inn.

Motels in Selkirk: Guesthouses and Inns Instead

Selkirk has no motel in the American sense. Travelers who search for motels in Selkirk will find guesthouses, small hotels, and country inns. The Glen Guesthouse and Heatherlie House come closest to a simple, low-key stay. Both are small and family-run. Use the Expedia link above to see what else a booking site lists for the town today.

Other Places to Stay Near Selkirk

Ettrick Valley Yurts appears on VisitScotland as a group of yurts in the Ettrick Valley. Each yurt sleeps up to six. The listing gives no phone number, no opening months, and no booking status. A glamping directory we checked showed no site in Ettrick. We could find only one source, so treat the yurts as unconfirmed and contact the operator first.

Wikivoyage also lists Aikwood Tower, a 16th century tower house used as upmarket self-catering. We did not find a second source, so we flag this one as unconfirmed too. Travelmyth shows many holiday homes and apartments in and around Selkirk if you want to cook for yourself.

Old Listings We Dropped

The old version of this guide named Kingsknowes Hotel as a Selkirk stay. The old text told readers to refer to the Galashiels description for details. Kingsknowes belongs in the Galashiels guide, so we removed Kingsknowes from this page.

The old guide also made broad claims about a spa, golf, and live music nights. We could not verify those claims, so we removed them. We kept only facts we could source.

Where to Stay in Selkirk: How to Choose

Pick the County Hotel if you want a base in the middle of town. The museum, the courtroom, and the bus stops sit close by. The self check-in system suits late arrivals but not guests who want a staffed desk.

Pick the Philipburn if you want a hotel with a restaurant, a bar, grounds, and a front desk open all day and night. The hotel sits on the edge of town, so a car helps.

Pick the Glen Guesthouse if you travel with a dog, need an accessible ground-floor room, or want a quiet riverside stay. Pick Heatherlie House for a garden and a family atmosphere, after you confirm the hotel is open. Pick the Cross Keys Inn if you want a country pub stay in the Ettrick Valley and have a car.

Where to Stay Near Sir Walter Scott’s Courtroom

Sir Walter Scott’s Courtroom stands in Market Place beside a statue of the author. Scott served as Sheriff of Selkirk from 1799 to 1832. Live Borders runs the courtroom and Halliwell’s House Museum, and the Border Telegraph reports both reopened as free attractions. Wikivoyage lists seasonal hours from April to October, so check with Live Borders before you visit.

The County Hotel stands on High Street, close to Market Place. Heatherlie House sits about 0.3 miles west of the centre, according to the Campaign for Real Ale directory. The Philipburn and the Cross Keys Inn lie farther out, so plan to drive or take a taxi into town.

Things to Do Near Selkirk Hotels

Halliwell’s House Museum occupies a former ironmonger’s shop. Upstairs displays cover the history of Selkirk and the Selkirk Common Riding. The Auld Kirk, a roofless church from 1748, stands beside the museum.

The Mungo Park Monument honors the explorer who was born in Selkirkshire. Selkirk Glass runs a glassworks on the northern edge of town, and an older visitor guide lists free glass-blowing displays. Confirm current hours before you go.

Bowhill House and Estate lies off the A708, about three miles west of Selkirk, according to Wikivoyage. Wikivoyage says the house opens for guided tours in August and on a few other dates, and the grounds open daily from June to August. Check the Bowhill website before you plan a visit.

The Haining, a mansion bequeathed to the town in 2009, has a small loch you can walk around. Wikivoyage says the house itself was not generally open, so confirm the current access.

The Selkirk Common Riding takes place on the second Friday after the first Monday in June, according to Wikivoyage. Expect lodging to fill early during Common Riding week.

Getting to Selkirk

Selkirk sits on the A7 between Carlisle and Edinburgh. Wikivoyage says Borders Bus X95 runs from Edinburgh via Galashiels and takes about one hour and forty minutes. The fastest rail option is the train to Galashiels, then the X95 or the 73 bus to Selkirk. The 73 runs hourly and takes about twenty minutes from Galashiels.

Scotland.org.uk says Selkirk lies about six miles southwest of Melrose, which makes the town a handy base for other Borders towns. Bus timetables change, so check the current service with Borders Buses.

What We Checked and What We Could Not

We checked the Glen Guesthouse against its official site and Travelmyth. We checked the County Hotel against the Explore Selkirk directory, Travelocity, and Virtual Scotland. We checked the Philipburn against Best Western and Expedia. We checked the Cross Keys Inn against Christie and Company and Stay in a Pub.

We took Heatherlie House details from a 2023 directory entry plus two listing sites. We found Ettrick Valley Yurts and Aikwood Tower in one source each. We could not confirm current rates, room counts at every property, or pet rules at the County Hotel. Confirm every detail with the property before you travel.

Frequently Asked Questions

Conclusion

Hotels in Selkirk give you a short but varied list. The County Hotel suits a central base, the Philipburn suits a hotel stay with a restaurant, and the Glen Guesthouse suits dog owners and quiet riverside stays. Heatherlie House and the Cross Keys Inn need a phone call first. Confirm current details, then book early for the Common Riding week in June.

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