Earlston straddles the A68 but Main Street and most of the community lie to the East.  Many travellers driving to Edinburgh or south through the Border country and into England don't detour into our “village”.  It has grown considerably from being a 12th century settlement and some might regard it as a small town, but locals still affectionately refer to “the village”.

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The ancient name for Earlston was Ercildoune and our main claim to fame is it was the birthplace of Sir Thomas Learmounth, known as Thomas the Rhymer.  The 16th century pele tower ruins associated with him is situated behind the coffee shop, beside the Co-Op store at the south of the village.

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The village has a variety of shops and places to eat and drink, there are commercial businesses and two small industrial estates plus accommodation for visitors.  The local Primary School and Earlston High School are near the east end of the village.  The new High School building opened in 2009 and serves a large rural area, Scottish Borders Council will shortly invest in a replacement Primary. 

 

There are regular bus links to Border towns and villages as well as services 7 days a week to Edinburgh and Berwick-On-Tweed while the Borders Railway which now runs from Edinburgh to Tweedbank is only a short bus or taxi journey away.