Selkirk Common Riding

The story behind it

The ceremony recalls the Battle of Flodden in 1513, when some eighty men of Selkirk marched to fight for James IV. Tradition says only one, a man called Fletcher, came home, carrying a captured English flag. Unable to speak of what had happened, he raised the flag high and swept it low, like a scythe, to show that the others had fallen. The Casting of the Colours repeats that gesture each year. The riding of the marches itself recalls the practical old duty of checking the burgh’s common land boundaries.

What to expect

Selkirk wakes in the small hours, with activity from around 4am. At about 7am the procession sets off from the Market Place and the riders head out across the hills, with a route that climbs towards the Three Brethren cairn. The cavalcade returns to town at around 10.15am to a packed welcome. At about 11am comes the Casting of the Colours in the Market Place: the Royal Burgh Standard Bearer and the standard bearers of the town’s crafts and associations, on foot now, each sweep their flag in silence and to music before the Burgh Flag is returned to the Provost.

Watching and joining in

The riders are locals and their followers, so visitors watch. Stake out a spot in the Market Place well before 11am for the Casting of the Colours, as it becomes very crowded, and keep quiet during the ceremony. The return of the riders is a fine sight from the edge of town. Bring a jacket, as early mornings can be cold, and try a Selkirk bannock, the town’s rich fruit bread, from a Market Place baker.

Finding a spot

The South of Scotland tourism guide treats the town ceremonies and the Three Brethren as two different ways to watch. Its outline puts the riders at the cairns in the morning, and warns that anyone walking up must leave town well before the horses. It describes a substantial climb that needs fitness and sturdy boots, so think of it as a hillwalk in its own right, not a shortcut to a quieter grandstand. If the Casting of the Colours is what brings you, make the Market Place your priority and don’t build an ambitious hill outing around the riders’ return. A group with mixed abilities might agree one meeting point in town, with any walkers sorting out their own way back. Check the year’s programme before you choose: the traditional outline explains the day, but it isn’t a dated notice and it can’t judge your legs.

A brief timeline of the day

The early morning is about far more than waiting for the cavalcade. The tourism outline includes an Act of Remembrance at the war memorial, the First Drum and Exiles Song, and the installation of the standard bearer and the Bussin' of the burgh flag at Victoria Halls, all before the procession reaches the Market Place. Pick the moments that interest you and learn their names before you arrive; an unfamiliar sequence is much easier to follow that way. On a first visit, weigh up those quieter ceremonial stages against the riders’ later return. You don’t need to chase every movement to understand the occasion. Give the people taking part room to gather and carry their flags, and ask locally where visitors can stand without getting in the procession’s way. Check this year’s order before setting an early alarm.

Questions people ask

Where it is

The pin shows the approximate area. Open in OpenStreetMap