This mixed woodland sits close to one of the finest salmon fishing rivers in the world, the River Tweed. There are a number of walking routes in this forest leading to wonderful views, and if you're very quiet and lucky you might come across roe deer, badger, otter and black grouse.
Popular walking routes include the Biodiversity Trail, the Raelees Trail, and the demanding Three Brethren Trail. The Three Brethren Trail is part of the Southern Upland Way and leads to the Three Brethren - three cairns erected in the 1500s by the Laird's of Yair, Selkirk and Philiphaugh to mark their respective boundaries - at the upper reaches of the forest.
Yair Forest and the River Tweed are inextricably linked as 'yair' is the old Scots word for a fish trap. The origin of 'yair' in this case is thought to link to King Malcolm, who in 1156, granted the monks of Kelso eight acres of land, along with the right to build a fish trap.
