Aikwood Tower

15/08/2024

The local Seasons Borders chef at home experience is a wonderful treat when you’re staying with us - delicious food and a great team 🍽️

06/08/2024

Sometimes the most magical moments come from the most unexpected 😍 A power cut across the whole valley during Yvonne and Scott’s wedding meant a quick change of plan and the loveliest of acoustic sets and first dances on the lawn 😍

Thanks Howden Photography for sharing this sneak peek and your support on the day 😊

14/03/2024

This is very exciting for all our little guests this year! A new Fort at the Bowhill House & Grounds adventure playground 🏰

📣PLAYGROUND FORT NAMING COMPETITON📣

We are very excited to announce that a new Playground Fort has arrived at Bowhill and is almost ready to be explored by little adventure seekers this Easter! As it nears completion we share with you the computer-generated design of what the final product will look like!

To complete the project, it is only right that the Fort is graced with a new name to match its impressive structure...

Leave your suggestions in the comments below as to what you think the new Playground Fort should be called. Perhaps you'll take inspiration from the stunning landscapes of the Scottish Borders or maybe you'll take a historic approach with a name linked to the House?

Put your thinking caps on and don't forget to get the kids involved for a chance to leave a mark in Bowhill Playground history!

The winner will be announced ahead of our first official open weekend this Easter. Good luck!🎉

16/02/2024

Spring’s on its way and the garden is waking up!!

We’ve still a bit availability through the Easter holidays before we get to a busy Summer so get in touch now to book a lovely Spring break 🌱🌷🌼🌹

02/01/2024

A brilliant round up of some of what’s happening in the Borders this year - perfect if you’re planning a trip! Thanks for the inspiration Tweed Valley Blogger - TVB Tours 😊

12/11/2023

🥂 HOGMANAY AVAILABILITY 🥂

If you’re hankering after a bit of luxury R&R this festive season with days spent soaking up the most breath-taking countryside, cosy evenings in front of a huge roaring fire and very special memories made with family and friends, we have unexpected last minute availability for Hogmanay.

Sleeping ten in five ensuite bedrooms there’s loads of room for everyone, festive decorations and luxury treats on arrival, plus up to 3 dogs are very welcome!

Available from 29th December, we’re now offering 25% off - four nights for £3,710, five nights for £4,160 or up to a week for £5,100. Get in touch to kick off your new year plans and see in 2024 in style! 🎉

12/11/2023

Super excited that our Cross Keys Inn Ettrickbridge was named Best Pub in the inaugural South of Scotland Thistle Awards and now the team are off to the national finals in December!!

26/09/2023

One of our favourite local artists Will Muirhead Art was recently commissioned to paint Aikwood as a gift for a wedding couple - here’s the perfect final result 😍 Will’s other work features many local spots and landscapes around the surrounding valleys - beautifully capturing our part of the South of Scotland!

A recent commission of Aikwood tower in the Ettrick valley

04/09/2023

The biggest congratulations to M&L who brought all the sunshine and beautiful natural vibes to their wedding on Saturday 🦋🌸 A perfect day with just their very closest family and friends celebrating with them 💕💕

27/07/2023

A brand new trail showcasing our wonderful valley through the eyes of James Hogg, one of Scotland’s most famous poets and storytellers has just been launched. We have a number of the booklets at the Tower so guests can enjoy parts of the trail at their leisure during a stay.

A trail route has been opened to explore the landscape that inspired the work of James Hogg. | ITV News Border

01/06/2023

Bowhill House & Grounds is always a great trip out for guests - just 10 minutes away there’s something for all ages to explore and enjoy 😊

24/03/2023

We’re delighted to be featured in the new James Hogg Poetry Trail as a special ‘I Spy’ along the Ettrick route, especially as Aikwood is featured in one of Hogg’s novels The Three Perils of Man and the stories of two of our bedrooms - Wizard and Harden can be traced back through his writings. The trails are an innovative and beautiful way of exploring the stunning valleys that the Ettrick Shepherd called home.

10/03/2023

What a morning 💙🤍

02/02/2023

Our new venture is nearly ready to go! Very excited to say that Rory and I have bought our local pub - Cross Keys Inn Ettrickbridge - and after a mega refurb, the pub and restaurant will be opening very soon 🍻 Can’t wait to be able to send our Aikwood guests there for great food and drink from the fabulous kitchen and bar team. Seven guest bedrooms will be coming in the next couple of months and these will be perfect for wedding guest accommodation 🛌

The wait is almost over... On Thursday 9th February, we'll be having the official reopening of our lovely wee village pub. 🥳🥳🥳

We'll be posting more in the coming days and weeks about what people can expect from the property’s spruce up, the yummy menus and our fab staff, so be sure to follow this new Cross Keys Inn Ettrickbridge page and/or instagram.com/CrossKeysInnEttrickbridge for the latest. Social media - as well as the pub noticeboard - is where you'll find out about the live music and other fun and games we'll be hosting throughout the year.

For now, we're going to be open just four days a week (Thursday - Sunday), to give us plenty of time for staff training and to ensure our operations run smoothly. We'll open more days per week as the year progresses.

We hope to be busy from the off, and so we recommend booking any dining tables in advance, either online via our new website www.crosskeysinnettrickbridge.com or just give us a call. That said, if you just rock up, we'll always do our best to find a pew to perch you on.

The support we’ve received from the valleys to date has been truly humbling, and we look forward to repaying those best wishes in the coming years. See you soon!

Team Cross Keys Inn
x

15/01/2023

What a day in the Valley for wedding viewings and meetings 😍 Excited to meet future new couples!

08/01/2023

👰🏻🤵🏻NEW WEDDING PACKAGE 🤵🏻👰🏻 especially for those couples looking for small, intimate and perfectly formed weddings. Developed together with two of our most favourite and trusted suppliers our new package brings together weekend accommodation, wedding planning, food, drink, styling and floristry helping couples better plan and budget their once in a lifetime special celebration with their closest family and friends. Still a few dates available in 2023. Link in bio for more details

📸 Dave Fallon Photography (and the very lovely Laura and Paul ❤️

05/01/2023

Our fairytale Tower is perfect for weddings with cosy castle, intimate vibes

29/12/2022

🎄⭐️🎄⭐️😍

24/12/2022

Wishing all our guests, couples and partners a happy and peaceful Christmas ⭐️ Special thanks to our amazing team who have worked so incredibly hard this year and we all look forward to creating many more happy Aikwood memories in 2023!

16/12/2022

24/11/2022

A clay pigeon shooting session at Bisley at Braidwood is always a very popular activity for our guests!

Maximum fun, minimum effort! 💥

Private & corporate clay pigeon shooting events are all about having maximum fun within a relaxed atmosphere with likeminded individuals. No license, insurance or experience necessary.

With the largest and most comprehensive sporting clay shooting layout in the country, overlooking the Eildon Hills, Bisley at Braidwood can provide outstanding Private and Corporate clay shooting events for 10 to over 150 guests.

Find out more here 👉 https://bit.ly/BraidwoodCorporate

16/11/2022

We’ve always known the South of Scotland is a winner and our guests have been telling us that for years! So good to see Lonely Planet agrees ❤️

11/11/2022

Delighted to be hosting Coresculptuk at Aikwood next year! I can thoroughly recommend Suzi’s retreats having been on previous ones - lots of fun with the perfect balance of exercise, advice and R&R. It’ll be a fantastic weekend!

04/11/2022

Due to a cancellation we now have the weekend 16th - 19th December available. Fancy a cosy pre-Christmas gathering to kickstart your festive season?! We’re offering 15% off, lots of magical Christmas decorations and a special hamper of goodies. www.aikwoodtower.com 🎄🌲🍾⭐️🌲🎄

03/11/2022

One of the biggest reasons we limit the number of weddings we do each year ❤️ We love that Aikwood holds such a special place in our couple’s hearts and that they have the opportunity to keep coming back with their growing families 🌳

19/10/2022

It’s always that little bit extra special to have superb caterers prepare a wonderful meal during your stay 😍😋

03/10/2022

After all of last week’s rain the sun made a wonderful appearance for the very lovely J&K on Saturday 💕 Congratulations Mr and Mrs Scott - you did it!

22/09/2022

A lovely moment for mum and daughter to cherish as they get ready for the wedding together

Mum & Daughter makeup prep Aikwood Tower

21/09/2022

Happiest of Week 1 Anniversaries to the lovely and Rhuary

16/08/2022

Thank you Black Fern Media for sharing this amazing memory of the equally amazing Laura and Paul 😍