
Where to go · Scottish Borders
Forest bathing at Dawyck Botanic Garden
A 65-acre arboretum in a wooded glen near Peebles, with redwoods, Douglas firs and a silver fir nearly 350 years old.
Dawyck Botanic Garden is a 65-acre arboretum in a wooded glen at Stobo, about eight miles from Peebles, run by the Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh. It is one of the world's finest tree collections, with towering Douglas firs, Scots pines and giant redwoods. The oldest tree is a silver fir nearly 350 years old, and the original Dawyck beech has stood here for more than 170 years. Themed tree trails follow the plant hunters, among them David Douglas, who collected many of the trees.
Paths wind through the woodland and along the Scrape Burn, whose banks are covered in snowdrops in February. Azaleas flower on the old Azalea Terrace in May and June, and the autumn colour is strong. The garden also holds the world's first reserve set aside for mosses, liverworts, lichens and fungi, a good place to slow right down and look closely. There is a short wheelchair-accessible route, a large car park, and a café and visitor centre with toilets. Entry is charged.
Practical
- Managed by
- Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh
- Parking
- Large car park
- Terrain
- Woodland and burnside paths; a short wheelchair-accessible route
- Nearest station
- No nearby station; buses from Edinburgh to Peebles, then a local bus that stops outside on request
- Facilities
- Visitor centre with toilets, café, shop
- Opening and entry
- Admission charge; set opening hours, check before visiting
- Official page
- rbge.org.uk
Last updated 4 November 2026. Paths, parking and access can change, so check before you visit. Spotted something out of date? Please let us know.
Guides who run sessions here
No guides listed at Dawyck Botanic Garden yet
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More woodlands in Scottish Borders
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Cardrona ForestSpruce, larch and pine woods with a ruined tower and Iron Age fort
Glentress ForestPonds, old Douglas firs and Tweed Valley views beyond the bike hub
HarestanesOld beech woods and gentle paths around a countryside centre near JedburghPhotos: Cardrona Forest, Jim Barton (CC BY-SA 2.0); Glentress Forest, Estrnc (CC BY 3.0); Harestanes, Mainlymazza (CC BY 4.0).