| Galashiels is a town in the Scottish Borders that is well | | | | graces the shore of the river moving to Selkirk in 2006. |
| known for textile factories and even has a School of | | | | Waverley Mill is another well known textile mill that |
| Textiles and Design of Hariot-Watt University. The | | | | was once here, its site now a shopping center serving |
| coat of arms of the town consists of two foxes that | | | | the area. The town is no longer dependent upon the |
| are reaching up to get plums off of a tree with the | | | | mills and the economy is very diverse from software |
| motto Sour Plums. The story behind this motto comes | | | | development, medical research, and fish processing to |
| from 1337 when locals caught a marauding party of | | | | the manufacturing of leather clothes. |
| English Soldiers helping themselves to wild plums and | | | | There are several museums in the area including the |
| and the English were all killed. You can see the coat of | | | | Old Gala House, former home of the Lairds of |
| arms on Corn mill fountain in Corn mill Square. It was | | | | Galashashiels where you can tour the house and see |
| made from equipment from the demolished corn mill. | | | | artwork in the gallery. The Abbotsford House is where |
| West of town you can find one of the most ancient | | | | Sir Walter Scott made his home from 1812 to 1832. |
| sites in the area, the Picts' Work Ditch also called | | | | You can tour the house and gardens along with the |
| Catrail. This is an ancient earth work that runs for | | | | private chapel from March to October. The library has |
| several miles south with varying heights. Northwest of | | | | a large collection of rare books that are looked after |
| town you can find another ancient site called | | | | well. The Tornielee Forest Picnic site and walk has |
| Torwoodlee which is a fort from the Iron Age. | | | | many trails where you can hike and see some |
| When the town received its charter in 1599 horseback | | | | beautiful scenery. Fishing on the River Tweed is |
| riders paraded through the streets of town in what is | | | | always enjoyable and you can rent equipment and fish |
| called the Braw Lads Gathering. It has been celebrated | | | | for Trout and Salmon. |
| every summer since. There is a procession out into | | | | Galashiels is just full of things to see and do and if all |
| the streets and after wards there is a concert and a | | | | else fails the center of town is now a pedestrian area |
| Braw Lad's Ball. | | | | where one can shop to their hearts content. There are |
| Along the river your can find woolen mills that made | | | | several nightclubs and restaurants that provide a fun |
| this little town swell in the late eighteen hundreds. At | | | | side to the town. You can even see movies at the |
| one time there were 21 mills in the river valley. | | | | local movie theater. |
| Lochcarron of Scotland was one that no longer | | | | |