I think I first became interested in borders during my first trip abroad when we spent an enjoyable summer holiday crisscrossing the borders between Holland, France and Belgium. I was only 9 years old but I can clearly remember my excitement at crossing a border into the unknown. Fast forward to the present and I’m still fascinated by borders, taking any opportunity to cross one if I can. In this episode I’d like to talk about two very different border towns, on the border between England and Scotland.  You may be surprised to hear there is a marked border between 2 nations in the same country, there’s no checkpoint or anything like that but thanks to what’s usually a large sign or a flag, we always know where we are. Perhaps one of the reasons I like borders so much is because border towns are usually a bit different from others, sometimes they are a bit eccentric or quirky like Hay on Wye in Wales where one of the local residents actually declared himself king and the town independent in the 1970s, you can check this on Google if you don’t believe me!  Or perhaps they have their own identity quite distinctive from either side of the border they are on. Whichever way you look at it, border towns are interesting places, well worth spending a bit of time in and often with a fascinating story to tell. The first place I’d like to tell you about is Gretna Green, it’s the first town in Scotland or the last town in Scotland if you are heading south on the west coast. It has a population of around 2,700 but every year about 5000 weddings take place there.  It’s been a popular place for weddings since the 18th century thanks to a difference in the marriage laws between Scotland and England.  The 1754 Marriages Act prevented couples who were under the age of 21 in England and Wales getting married unless they had their parent’s permission. In Scotland this law did not apply so people began crossing the border so they could legally get married without needing permission. So Gretna Green became a very popular place for couples to elope to or in other words, to run away to get married, maybe even against their families wishes. Most weddings were conducted by blacksmiths and still today you can get married at the blacksmiths shop with services performed over a blacksmiths anvil. Is it romantic or tacky?  Opinion is divided but still today the wedding industry is thriving and people come from all over the world to get married at Gretna Green. Over on the East coast, just 2 and a half miles across the border into England lies the town of Berwick Upon Tweed.  This highly contested town was fought over by both sides for    many many years and in fact changed hands more than 13 times, finally becoming part of England in 1482.  What was so important about the town?  Well it was very important, trading with France and Belgium and one of the largest ports in the UK at one time. So extremely important economically for Scotland. Berwick Upon Tweed has always remained close to Scotland, the Berwick Rangers football club even today,  plays in a Scottish football league and in the town you’ll find a Scottish church, street names and Scottish banks. The river Tweed which flows through the town is also a Scottish river.  However, these days a third identity has emerged, that of Berwicker. Some people from the town no longer see themselves as Scottish or English but as Berwickers or natives of Berwick. With research showing that 25% of residents identify themselves as Scottish, 25% as English but 50% as Berwickers first and foremost. So maybe whether Berwick is part of Scotland or England doesn’t really matter. It’s a melting pot of both identities and most importantly, it’s an incredibly beautiful town to visit with a long and interesting history So if you do visit Scotland, make a stop at one of our border towns and delve into some of our most fascinating history.