St Cuthbert's Way | 7 Days

The St Cuthbert’s Way is a glorious walk through the Scotland Borders and the North East of England. If you are a budding historian then the many sites of interest that are scattered along the route will appeal greatly. Pass through memorable and serene rural landscapes as you walk.

Classic Routes | If you’re the active, outdoorsy type, who’s interested in taking on the great routes of the world or looking for a challenge, then our Classic Routes are for you. We’re talking the West Highland Way, Tour Du Mont Blanc and the Passau to Vienna Danube Cycle Path, to name but a few!

Inn to Inn Walking | Walk from place-to-place changing accommodations each night. Generally staying in B&Bs, inns, and guesthouses.

Solo Travellers, Families with Teens

The minimum age for this tour is: 12 Years

This trip is graded from easy to moderate to moderate, depending on which itinerary you choose. The trail follows well maintained footpaths, bridleways, open fields and some minor roads. It does involve some relatively steep ascent and descent from the escarpment and days of up to 18 miles walking.

One of the highlights of this tour is the high standard of accommodation. We specifically choose the hotels, inns, guesthouses and B&B’s to ensure that you enjoy every minute of your stay. They all offer a warm welcome to walkers, traditional hospitality and delicious local food.

Single Rooms

This independent walking holiday is available to solo walkers but as all our holidays are priced per person based on two sharing, there is a single supplement payable to cover the additional costs we incur. If you require single rooms within your party we will, of course, try to accommodate your request subject to availability. Please note, that singles may not be of the same standard as twins.

Meals

A hearty breakfast is included each morning, while lunch and dinner are not included so you are free to choose from the available options. Your accommodation will be more than happy to provide a packed lunch on request and this can be booked on arrival. Alternatively, the Macs Adventure App will point out any recommended lunch spots along the way. Dinner is available either at your accommodation or at nearby pubs and restaurants. We would recommend making a dinner reservation in advance for your night on Holy Island.

The route is well-waymarked throughout and easy to follow. Navigation is straightforward as you can use the Macs Adventure Smartphone App which has maps, GPS tracks, and daily route information. Simply download the GPS tracks for offline use and follow the route on your phone with the assurance that navigation will be simple, and you can’t get lost. You will find more information on downloading the app in your Macs Adventure Account.

Recommended Reading

If you would like more information on the route please see our recommendation below:

• St Cuthbert's Way from Melrose to Lindisfarne (Rucksack Reader)

This trip is available from April to September to start on any day of the week. Traditionally, April and May have been the most popular time of the year to walk the route, as the theory goes that the weather is better. However, in our opinion, anywhere between April and September should offer a wonderful experience.

Please note: 

In mid-June each year the Borders Book Festival takes place, the area is very busy and there will be a lack of availability, please avoid booking over these dates if possible. 

By Air: Edinburgh and Newcastle airports are the closest aiports to Melrose. From Edinburgh airport you can take the tram (35 minutes)/airport shuttle bus (25 minutes)/taxi (20 minutes) into the city centre. From Newcastle airport into the city centre it's a 20 minute taxi or 35 minutes on the metro to reach the central train station. 

By Train: From Edinburgh city centre take a train (1 hour) south to Tweedbank. Tweedbank station is just a 10 minute bus journey from Melrose, see the Borders Buses website for timetables. Alternatively, if arriving in Newcastle, from the city centre it's a 45 minute train journey to Berwick-Upn-Tweed followed by a 1 hr 25 minute bus journey to Melrose.  

By Bus: Melrose and Jedburgh are both served by National Express buses. If arriving in Newcastle airport it's possible to travel by bus to Jedburgh (1hr 20 minutes) and from Jedburgh to Melrose (40 minutes). Please mote that the timetable from the airport to Jedburgh is very limited, make sure to plan your journey well in advance and pre-book tickets where possible. 

By Car: We generally recommend using public transport as secure public long stay parking is very limited in Melrose. However, if arriving by car you can return to Melrose to collect your car from the Holy Island by bus (1hr 30 minutes), check the Borders Buses website for timetables. 

By Bus/Taxi: From Holy Island take the Borders Buses 477 bus service to Berwick Upon Tweed (30 minutes). Please note that buses are limited, not operating on Sundays, early in the morning or later in the evening from Monday-Saturday. A pre-booked local taxi (25 minutes) is the easiest alternative. UK-wide links for onward travel are possible from Berwick-Upon-Tweed. 

By Train: Arrive in Berwick-Upon-Tweed by bus or taxi as above for rail connections to Edinburgh (45 minutes) or Newcastle (45 minutes). To book and for timetable details see the National Rail website.

By Air: Edinburgh and Newcastle airports are the closest airports to Berwick-Upon-Tweed. From Edinburgh Haymarket station to Edinburgh Airport a Citylink shuttle bus (25 minutes) or the tram (35 minutes) are the best public transport options, alternatively a taxi (20 minutes) is also possible. To reach Newcastle Airport from Newcastle city centre it's 35 minutes on the metro or a 20 minute taxi. 

For more information the Traveline website is a good tool for planning travel by public transport in the UK.

Your bags will be collected from your accommodation each day and moved onto your overnight accommodation each day. We ask you to limit your luggage to one bag of up to 20kg per person.

At Macs Adventure, we work in partnership with many luggage transfer providers who set a limit on how many bags/suitcases they will transfer per person, and also the weight of the bag/suitcase.  Your booking includes transfer of 1 bag per person.  It is very important that you read the luggage information specific to your tour before departure. If you do not adhere to these limits, there is a great possibility that you will be charged locally both for extra bags or if they are too heavy. This limitation can be a challenge, especially as airlines generally have limits that are higher. However, our luggage providers have reasons for these limits (usually due to the Health and Safety of their employees), which we must respect.