An online multi-media news magazine written and designed to help you make the most of your visit to one of the finest regions in the UK.

The borderlands, where England and Scotland meet, has something for everyone and exploretheborders.com is the perfect guide to help you plan ahead for your trip.

Our site is presented as a moveable feast of information, served up by experienced writers and photographers. Features and news are backed up by useful links to further information.

In addition we are developing comprehensive sections on accommodation and good food that will build into an invaluable companion for visitors.

The region is rich in history – a land that has witnessed armies marching north and marching south for over 2,000 years from the Romans to Robert the Bruce and Bonnie Prince Charlie’s ill-fated 1745 rebellion.

Not surprisingly, the borderlands have a reputation as being the most fought over region anywhere in the UK and the Border Reivers did their bit to reinforce that reputation, bequeathing blackmail and bereave to the English language along the way.

But this is a region also known for its saints – among them St Cuthbert, St Aidan and St Boswell – as well as sinners. If it’s an active break you are looking for, the borderlands offers first class walking, fishing, cycling, horse riding, diving and mountain biking, while the lovely seaside setting at Coldingham is building a growing reputation for surfing.

Stately homes, imposing castles, famous names – Sir Walter Scott, Harry Hotspur, William Wallace, Grace Darling, Robert Stephenson and Mary Queen of Scots among them – are all part of borderlands folklore. The list also includes a newcomer and international favourite, Harry Potter. Fans will know that some of his exploits were filmed at Alnwick Castle but are maybe unaware that his Hogwarts school uniform was made in Hawick – the home of cashmere.

And if you are arriving via the border crossing at Carter Bar pull in and take in the magnificent views northwards. Weather permitting, you’ll see the Scottish Borders laid out before you, a view that some say provided the inspiration for the Shire in JRR Tolkein’s The Hobbit.

We hope this introduction will whet the appetite and there’s an extra bonus available for those planning a trip – our bi-monthly Explore the Borders Magazine that’s delivered to your desktop free of charge. Drop us a line at editor@exploretheborders.com and we’ll put you on the mailing list.

There’s a warm welcome waiting for you in this exceptional part of the world and we hope we can help make your stay a memorable one – and we would love to hear how you got on.

The journey starts here – welcome to the brilliant borderlands.