St Cuthbert’s Way has been chosen as one of the Best Experiences for 2027

Oct 1

9 min read

Updated: Oct 2

St Cuthbert’s Way is a 62-mile long-distance trail from Melrose in the Scottish Borders to Holy Island in Northumberland. Named one of Lonely Planet’s best travel experiences for 2027, it can normally be walked in five or six days. We’ve walked and run the route ourselves, so here’s what you need to know before planning your trip.

Low-tide muddy beach with SCW27 scrawled in sand and two red poles standing at right under a cloudy sky.

A short trail with a lot packed in

It passes through historic towns and open farmland, climbs over the high rolling hills of the Cheviots, follows gentle riverbanks and old Roman roads, reaches the Northumberland coast, and boasts one of the best finishes of any long-distance trail. The trail crosses two nations, starting in Scotland and finishing in England. Measuring 62 miles, it can be comfortably completed in 5–6 days.

Two hikers with backpacks walk along a wooded trail beside a marker post with yellow arrows in a green spring forest.

The history is as varied as the landscape

If you arrive the day before the walk, you can visit Abbotsford. It is the extraordinary home of Sir Walter Scott and just a few miles from Melrose. Catch the 67 or 68 Borders Bus from Melrose.

Leaving Melrose, you'll pass the magnificent ruins of Melrose Abbey. It is believed Robert the Bruce’s heart is buried here.

Around St Boswells, Dryburgh Abbey is nearby if you fancy a detour (adds around 2 miles). Sir Walter Scott is also buried here. Next, we wander through a different period of time as St Cuthbert’s Way joins Dere Street. This Roman road once carried soldiers, traders and travellers north through the Borders.

Then comes Cessford Castle, the 15th-century stronghold of the Kerr clan. The Anglo-Scottish frontier was notoriously lawless. Raiding (or reiving), robbing, feuding and cattle stealing were part of life. The Kerrs were one of the most powerful, feared and notoriously violent families of the Scottish Middle March.

According to Border Reiver lore, the Kerrs had an unusually high number of left-handed fighters. It is said that they even trained their men to fight left-handed, or “Kerr-handed”. Their castles and peel towers were built with reverse spiral staircases designed to give a left-handed defender the advantage in close combat. I just love this story.

As you head out of Scotland, into Northumberland, you go further back in time as you pass close to Yeavering Bell, home to one of the largest Iron Age hillforts in the region.

If you spend the night in Wooler, I highly recommend visiting Ad Gefrin. A small but brilliant museum brings the early Anglo-Saxon world to life through archaeology, artefacts and immersive displays. Ad Gefrin means ‘near the hill of the goats’. It was an important royal centre at Yeavering, used by the kings of Northumbria in the 6th and 7th centuries.

After Wooler comes St Cuthbert’s Cave. Legend has it that the monks of Lindisfarne sheltered Cuthbert’s body here while fleeing Viking raids. It is a lovely place to stop. You can enter the cave or take a break and soak in the atmosphere.

Mossy boulders and cave-like rock overhangs in a pine forest, with a grassy clearing and narrow path under an overcast sky

Finally, you'll reach Lindisfarne Priory on Holy Island. Cuthbert was prior and later bishop of Lindisfarne and was originally buried here. The priory is an English Heritage site and is free for members.

There is plenty to see on Holy Island. There is St Mary’s Church next door to the priory. Lindisfarne Castle is about a mile from the village. Near the castle, you will also find the Gertrude Jekyll Garden and the old Castle Point lime kilns. Around the harbour, look out for the island’s distinctive upturned boat sheds, made from old fishing boats. Finally, Vera fans can spot Vera Stanhope’s house at The Snook. It is a private home, so viewing from a respectful distance is recommended. And, if your legs have it in them, 28 Years Later fans can explore the Holy Island landscapes used in the film.

Ruins of an old stone abbey and church beside a grassy graveyard under a cloudy sky, with a bird flying overhead.

It has a lot going for it. You can see why Lonely Planet named it as one of the world's top experiences. However, there are lots of things to consider before heading up north.

Walking St Cuthbert’s Way: route, distance and how many days you need

We tackled St Cuthbert’s Way as a four-day run-walk. According to my watch, I covered 72.7 miles from Melrose to Holy Island. Our days ranged from roughly 14.5 to 20 miles, with between 1,500 and 2,300 ft of climbing each day. Altogether, I recorded about 8,178 ft of ascent. In total, I spent just under 23 hours moving and around 31 hours out on the trail. This will not be most people's cup of tea. You will probably want to do it over more days.

Whether you are walking or running, don’t miss the chance to recreate the finish of the Spine Race. This epic endurance event finishes in Kirk Yetholm. Spine Race runners traditionally touch or kiss the wall of the Border Hotel. A fun finish-line photo for the end of your day’s walk, minus the 268 miles.

Smiling hikers pose for a selfie by a stone wall beside a yellow LIFE SAVER defibrillator box.

A five- or six-day itinerary works really well. For example, you could walk Melrose to St Boswells, St Boswells to Morebattle, Morebattle to Kirk Yetholm, Kirk Yetholm to Wooler, Wooler to Fenwick, and Fenwick to Holy Island.

However many days you decide to do, here are a few things I learned along the way that may be helpful.

Plan your final day first

Before you book your accommodation, luggage transfers or anything else, check the Holy Island tide times. This is the most important recommendation.

Your final day needs to work around the safe crossing times for the Holy Island causeway, particularly if you want to finish your walk by following the Pilgrims’ Way across the sands.

Work out when you can safely get onto the island, make sure you have enough daylight, and then plan the rest of your itinerary backwards from there.

Be prepared to walk more than 62 miles.

The number on the website is rarely the number your watch will show at the end. You will clock up more miles by walking to accommodation, popping into coffee shops, finding a loo or a secluded place to have a wild wee, exploring sites, missing a turning, doubling back and generally faffing around. It adds up.

My watch recorded 72.7 miles from Melrose to Holy Island.

Be prepared for the climbs.

It packs in a surprising amount of elevation. St Cuthbert’s Way (62 miles) has around 7,500 ft of total ascent, compared with roughly 7,000 ft on St Oswald’s Way (97 miles) and around 5,800 ft on Hadrian’s Wall Path (84 miles). Despite being considerably shorter, St Cuthbert’s Way actually involves more climbing than either of them. There are some proper ups and downs along the way. Training for the climbs beforehand and using walking poles will make the hills far more enjoyable than something you simply have to endure.

Author in cap and red buff poses on foggy summit beside St Cuthbert’s Way sign, holding trekking poles.

There are four main climbing sections to prepare for. Straight out of Melrose, you have the Eildon Hills. With little time to warm up, it was a real test for the calves. I would have done more heel lifts to prepare. After Morebattle, you head to the highest point along the trail, Wideopen Hill. The Cheviot foothills between Kirk Yetholm and Wooler have a lot of sustained ups and downs, and no coffee shops to give yourself a caffeine boost. Pack a flask or coffee in a can. Finally, there are the Kyloe Hills around St Cuthbert’s Cave.

Three smiling hikers with trekking poles pose by a misty signpost reading St Cuthbert's Way, welcome to England/Scotland.

Want to walk the Pilgrims’ Way? Wait a bit.

The Pilgrims' Way is around 3 miles long. It is a route from the mainland to the island across the seabed, marked by wooden poles. There are also emergency refuge towers to enable people who become stranded to seek shelter. Each year dozens of people, usually in vehicles, misjudge the tides or see the rising tides and decide to risk crossing. The towers are there to allow people to wait to be rescued by volunteer lifeboat crews.

If you’re planning to cross via the Pilgrims’ Way, rather than staying on the road, don’t rush onto the sands. Once the causeway (the road) is officially safe to cross, you'll need to wait at least another hour for the water to drop to safe levels to cross along the seabed.

If you start walking too soon, you could find yourself knee- or thigh-deep in water or ankle-deep in mudflats. And that mud is slippery. You are also quite some distance from the causeway.

While you wait, you’ll have time to chat to other walkers, pilgrims, locals and visitors. On a nice day, you can lie back on one of the stone anti-tank defences and take a power nap while you wait.

Use walking poles. They help with balance when walking along the sand, give relief to tired legs and feet and also double as sand-and-water depth measuring devices.

Mud-splattered running shoes and legs beside red trekking poles on a flat beach under a gray sky.

Ideally, cross with someone else.

St Cuthbert’s Way accommodation

We mainly chose places where we could get an evening meal.

Burt’s Hotel, Melrose

Allerton House, Jedburgh

The Border Hotel, Kirk Yetholm

Woolly Hill House, Wooler

Manor House, Holy Island

Allerton House is a B&B. It is a 10-minute walk from the centre of Jedburgh up a slight hill, but the rooms are big, and it was nice and quiet. The breakfast was great too. Woolly Hill House is an Airbnb. And you can stay for 1 night. It is right on St Cuthbert's Way, so no detour to accommodation, and it has a washing machine, which we used to do a midway wash.

St Cuthbert’s Way Luggage transfers

If you aren't keen on carrying all your gear, I mean, who is? Use Carrylite to transfer your luggage. For a multi-day walk, luggage transfer is glorious.

Carrylite has a generous 20 kg luggage allowance, but there are a few things to know:

Don’t attach anything to the outside of your bag.
- Not even extra walking shoes or a plastic bag of dirty clothes.
Have your luggage at reception or the front door of your accommodation by 9 am so you don’t miss the collection window.

Where we ate and refuelled along St Cuthbert’s Way

This is the important stuff, obviously. Here are some of the places I have enjoyed along the route:

Melrose: Ramblers Coffee Shop & Baguette'n'Go

St Boswells: Main Street Trading Company

Jedburgh: Jedburgh Baguette Company, The Capon Tree Town House

Morebattle: Morebattle Community Shop

Wooler: Ad Gefrin café, Doddington Dairy Milk Bar, and Milan Restaurant

Fenwick: Bean Genie Coffee House (was Guru Coffee Shop)

Holy Island: The Crown & Anchor and Pilgrims Coffee

Partially eaten glazed cake on a plate beside blue latte cups, pink sunglasses, and a hand holding a bite in a cozy cafe.

Morebattle Community Shop is a great little volunteer-run shop where you can get a hot drink, sit in the sheltered seating area, pick up supplies and support a little community-run endeavour.

Ad Gefrin has a great café and bar. Its Anglo-Saxon museum and whiskey distillery and tasting tour are also worth a visit. The distillery reached its 3-year legal whisky milestone in December 2025. Its own single malt whiskey will be released for purchase next year! I would happily stay an extra day in Wooler to explore before heading on to Holy Island.

The Crown & Anchor on Holy Island is exceptional for food. Book ahead. You don’t want to walk all the way to Holy Island dreaming about dinner and arrive disappointed.

Important food tip

There are no cafés between Kirk Yetholm and Wooler. This is not the day to optimistically assume you’ll stumble across somewhere selling coffee and cake. You won't. Stock up before leaving Kirk Yetholm. I recommend lunch, extra snacks and, on warm days, extra water. This section is also a day of long climbs.

Public toilets along St Cuthbert’s Way

There are public toilets at several points along St Cuthbert’s Way, including Melrose, St Boswells, Morebattle, Yetholm and Holy Island, but there are also long rural stretches with no facilities. Check locations and opening times on the Scottish Borders Council and the Northumberland County Council public toilets pages.

From October 2026, the Scottish Borders is also trialling a Publicly Accessible Toilets Pilot, with participating cafés, hotels, visitor attractions and community facilities opening their toilets to the public. Check the Publicly Accessible Toilets Pilot for participating locations.

Fancy another day?

If 62 miles isn't enough, you can add another day after Holy Island. Continue along the coast to Berwick-upon-Tweed. Often touted as 12 miles, I recorded 13.65 miles, taking 4 hrs 06 mins moving time and 5 hrs 08 mins elapsed time.

It’s a lovely way to extend the trip and gives you easy access to trains and buses to get you home. In Berwick, we stayed at the Queen’s Head Hotel, ate at the brilliant Mavi Turkish Restaurant, and had coffee beside the River Tweed at The Lookout on the Quayside.

Public Transport to and from St Cuthbert’s Way

You can catch the train with LNER or CrossCountry from Newcastle to Berwick-upon-Tweed. From Berwick, take the No. 60 bus towards Galashiels and get off at Abbey Car Park in Melrose.

A limited Borders Buses 477 service runs between Holy Island and Berwick-upon-Tweed, where you can connect with mainline trains to Newcastle, Edinburgh and beyond. The 477 does not run every day, and its timetable varies with the tides, so check the latest Borders Buses timetable and the official Holy Island safe crossing times when planning your final day.