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Coordinates: 55°33′00″N 2°50′24″W / 55.55, -2.84002

Selkirk, a town and former royal burgh in the Scottish Borders, lies on the River Ettrick, a tributary of the River Tweed. At the time of the 2001 census, Selkirk's population was 5,839, in which a higher percentage of OAPs were found compared to the rest of the country.

Selkirk is not a large or significant town in the Scottish Borders, but it possesses some limited history and minor traditions; it was formerly the county town of Selkirkshire.

The people of the town - who call themselves 'Souters', named after the town's traditional shoe cobblers - have an introverted approach to the wider world and focus their attention almost exclusively on the Common Riding and the rugby union.

Selkirk's ancient past encompasses a few aspects of Scottish history. It was the site of the first Border abbey. In Selkirk, William Wallace was declared Guardian of Scotland. The names of Bonnie Prince Charlie, The Marquess of Montrose and the Outlaw Murray have all passed through Selkirk briefly on the way to do something more important.

Founded in the 6th century, the settlement of Selkirk was originally named Seleschirche, meaning 'Kirk in the Forest'. In 1113, King David I granted Selkirk large amounts of land, referring to Selkirk as 'mine old town'.

Selkirk's limited population grew up because of its woollen industry, although now the town is perhaps best known for its bannocks, or hard dried fruit cakes. It has a very small museum and art gallery, and associations with Mungo Park and Walter Scott. It is also home to Scotland's oldest horse racing track, the Gala Rig, on the outskirts of the town.

Exactly like all the other Border towns, Selkirk has an annual Common Riding. This is always held on the second Friday after the first Monday in June. The following Scots song can always be heard there:

Souters are entitled to wear the town colours of 'True Blue and Scarlett' on Common Riding Day, as well as the colours chosen by the Standard Bearer, which change annually and can be worn by anyone.

Source: CIA Factbook, Wikipedia

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