Immersive Textile Travels – Edinburgh & the Scottish Borders

An immersive textile tour with workshops, talks, visits and stories all about Scottish textile and fibre art & crafts
Dates: 13-22 September 2026 fully booked*
Tutors: Various
Activities: Weaving, stitching, knitting, dyeing & more
Location: Edinburgh & the Scottish Borders
Price: GBP 3980 (shared room – pluss £700 to have a room to yourself)
Suitable for all creative skill levels

*This trip is now fully booked but we’ll be starting a waiting list.

A wonderful treat for lovers of textile and fibre art! Immerse yourself in the pleasures of textile art and crafts whilst exploring inspiring locations, in the company of like-minded spirits.

Register now

What to expect

This brand new 10-day creative experience combines a series of workshops with local makers, talks and tours of textile mills and exhibitions with exploring different locations and learning about their history and heritage.

We’ll spend 3 days in Scotland’s stunning capital city Edinburgh to be introduced to the world of Scottish textiles, before travelling to the Scottish Borders – a region called “textile heartland” for its incredibly rich textile heritage. Our base in the Borders is the charming town Melrose, from where we’ll explore textile studios, mills and other inspiring places.

This unique textile adventure includes:

> Full-day tapestry weaving workshop with Fiona Hutchison & private tour at Dovecot Studios
> Visit to Great Tapestry of Scotland with private tour & talk
> Kiltmaking demonstration & kilt craft session at Border Kilt Craft
> Half-day weaving workshop with Janis Embleton
> Half-day stitching workshop with Susie Finlayson
> Natural dye & spinning workshops at Birkhill House Fleece & Fibre Hub
> Knitting session with Samira Hill
> Full-day bookbinding session (travel journal) with Cassandra Barron
> Private tour of Lochcarron tartan mill
> Private tour at Border Mill
> Private talk with Jo Andrews of Haptic & Hue
> Private tour at Borders Textile Towerhouse
> Visit to National Museum of Scotland

and for your comfort:

> 2 overnight stays at a 4-star hotel in Edinburgh City Centre
> 7 overnight stays at a 3-star boutique hotel in Melrose, Scottish Borders

> Transportation between Edinburgh & Melrose and during day tours in the Borders
> 9 breakfasts

> 4 evening dinners

> 4 lunches
> Welcome drink on arrival
> All workshop materials
> Admissions to sites during tours
> Wild at Art canvas bag
> Personalised service and detailed pre-travel information by email
> Support of host team.

Day-by-day itinerary*

Day One – Arrival

We meet for a welcome drink, lunch and an introduction to the experience at our hotel in the city centre of Edinburgh. After lunch, Jo Andrews, founder of Haptic and Hue and host of its popular podcast ‘Tales of Textiles’, will introduce us to the history and fascinating world of Scottish textiles.. Then we’ll head out to explore some iconic textile exhibits at the nearby National Museum of Scotland.

Day Two – Tapestry weaving at Dovecot Studios

We will spend the day weaving at the world-renowned Dovecot Studios – a landmark centre for contemporary art, craft and design, located in a beautifully repurposed former bathhouse. the workshop will be led by the amazing Edinburgh tapestry artist Fiona Hutchison.

In addition to the full-day workshop we will enjoy a private Dovecot from Above guided tour.

Day Three – Bookbinding workshop & travel to Melrose

You may be wondering why we’ve included a bookbinding workshop in a textile tour? Well, the fabulous Cassandra from bookbinding with Cass will guide us through the process of making our own fabric-covered refillable travel journal. Not only will the journal with it’s handy pockets become your travel companion for this textile experience, but you can use it for all your future trips by simply making new journal inserts.

After the workshop we will travel to Melrose in the Scottish Borders, where we’ll enjoy another welcome dinner at our accommodation Townhouse Hotel.

Day Four – Great Tapestry & Moy Mackay demo

Today’s excursion takes us to the town of Galashiels, home of the Great Tapestry of Scotland. Made up of 160 embroidered panels, the tapestry tells the history of Scotland, from prehistoric times to the present day. It was designed by artist Andrew Crummy and stitched by over a thousand volunteers from communities and groups from all over Scotland. Andrew Crummy and Susie Finlayson, who also had a leading role in the tapestry’s creation, will meet with us for a private tour and talk.

Before heading back to Melrose we will visit textile artist Moy Mackay in her studio for a demonstration. Moy is known for her distinctive felt paintings.

Day Five – Kilt school & Border Mill

Master kilt maker Rachel and her team at Border Kilt Craft near Duns specialise in the traditional way of kilt-making where every stitch is made by hand. In a bespoke session we will learn about this traditional craft and enjoy a hands-on session before heading to Duns for lunch.

After lunch we’ll visit Border Mill, a small but exceptional fibre processing and yarn mill, for a private tour – learning about the whole process from fleece tumbling through to spinning and dyeing.

Day Six – Natural dyeing & spinning

Today we’ll head to Birkhill House in Earlston, home to the new Fleece & Fibre Hub. Owner Lara will introduce us to their farm animals, take us round the natural dye garden and run some workshop sessions for us. These will include natural dyeing and an introduction to spinning.. At Birkhill House is a community-focused project which is all about improving wellbeing through animal-assisted activity, crafting, horticulture and creative workshops.

Day Seven – Free day & evening knitting session

Today is all yours! We’ll have plenty of suggestions for things to do during the day. You can visit some local attractions, go for a walk, do a bit of shopping or just relax. After dinner at our hotel, local textile artist Samira Hill will run a knitting session for us. Samira is a renowned pattern designer and knitting & crochet tutor.

Day Eight – Weaving & stitching workshops

We’re delighted to offer you two half day workshops with another two amazing textile artists based in the Scottish Borders – embroidery artist Susie Finlayson and weaver Janis Embleton. Susie, who was instrumental in making the Great Tapestry of Scotland happen, will run a stitching session for us. Hand weaver Janis, also known as the Shuttlethrower, will lead a loom weaving workshop.

Day Nine – Lochcarron Mill & Borders Textile Towerhouse

First stop of the day will be Lochcarron Mill in Selkirk, where will get a private tour of this authentic mill. The journey will take us through the manufacturing process from yarn to woven fabric, giving us an insight into how tartan is created and produced. From Selkirk we’ll travel to Hawick, the town known for its luxury knitwear and cashmere production, for a private tour of Borders Textile Towerhouse and a chance to explore more than 200 years of the Borders’ textile legacy.

Day Ten – Departure

The experience finishes and we have to say goodbye :(. We will take you back to Edinburgh City Centre after breakfast for onward travel.

*Please note: This is a prospective itinerary and may be subject to modifications. We usually add bits and pieces to the itinerary nearer the time, as we find out about local events and new opportunities.

Hosts & accommodation

Textile maker Lucy MacLeod and Wild at Art director Ute Amann-Campbell will be your hosts throughout the experience.

Our accommodation for the first two nights will be at the 4-star Ten Hill Place hotel located in the city centre of Edinburgh. Ten Hill Place is owned by the Royal College of Surgeons and all profits from the hotel go back into training surgeons worldwide.

For the week we’ll be spending in Melrose in the Scottish Borders we’ve booked the Townhouse Hotel, a family-run 3-star boutique hotel, for exclusive use. All of the comfortable and individually styled rooms are en-suite.

Price & other details

The price for this 10-day experience is GBP 3980 per person, based on two guests sharing (plus GBP 700 to have a double room to yourself). Prices are payable in Pounds Sterling (GBP). Please see above for all that’s included in the price.

Not included: International flights; transportation to and from our meeting venue in Edinburgh; meals other than those listed above; alcoholic drinks other than welcome drinks; gratuities.

Guests are required to take out adequate personal travel insurance, which includes medical emergency cover.

Group Size: Minimum 8 guests and maximum 12 guests.

How to book

To reserve your place, please provide some details using the online registration form (see link below). We will then send you an email to confirm you’re on the guest list and issue an invoice for the non-refundable GBP600 deposit. Please do let us know as soon as possible should you change your mind, so we can open your place for someone else.

Balance payments will be due 10 weeks before the trip starts.

Feel free to contact us anytime if you have questions.