Wednesday September 2nd 2026
James Welch (centre), vice chair of Tweedsmuir Community Company, gets ready to cut the turf to mark the start of construction work at the new Crook bunkhouse (Image: Paul Dodds)
Written by Local Democracy Reporter, Paul Kelly
A new £1m bunkhouse at an historic site being regenerated in the Scottish Borders will soon be ready to welcome its first guests.
Work is due for completion this month on the accommodation for travellers beside the famous Crook Inn at Tweedsmuir.
The inn was at the heart of the community for over 400 years and offered hospitality for visitors and locals alike until its closure in 2006.
Famous visitors included Robert Burns, who is said to have written his poem Willie Wastle’s Wife in the kitchen.
Developed by the Tweedsmuir Community Company and designed to sleep 22 guests, work on the Bunkhouse has progressed rapidly since construction was launched in the Autumn of last year.
The overall building structure is now formed and its timber frame is in place.
The facility is designed to provide unique and accessible accommodation for walkers, cyclists and outdoor enthusiasts exploring the region.
It is an important element of the Destination Tweed initiative and is located just eight miles from the source of the River Tweed and a few metres from the forthcoming River Tweed Trail, a new 113-mile source to sea route due to launch in 2028.
Funding for the Bunkhouse has come from a number of sources including the UK Government’s Community Regeneration Partnership through Scottish Borders Council, the National Lottery Heritage Fund through Destination Tweed, and the Fallago Environment Fund.
In 2012, the Inn was purchased by the local community through the Tweedsmuir Community Company, which has since been working on a three-phase Masterplan to place the Inn and its surroundings back at the centre of local life and employment.
The Wee Crook Café opened in a restored building on the site in 2023 and a community garden was created shortly afterwards.
The Bunkhouse is the second stage of the Masterplan, which will conclude with the eventual development of the former Crook Inn itself.
The new Bunkhouse is located beside the Wee Crook Café and comprises of five bedrooms upstairs with dedicated bathrooms, an accessible bedroom and bathroom downstairs, along with an open plan kitchen and social space on the ground floor.
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