Upper Tweeddale National Scenic Area

Following the Second World War, a committee, chaired by Sir Douglas Ramsay, was established to consider preservation of the landscape in Scotland. The report, published in 1945, proposed that five areas (Loch Lomond and the Trossachs, the Cairngorms, Glen Coe-Ben Nevis-Black Mount, Wester Ross and Glen Strathfarrar-Glen Affric-Glen Cannich) should receive a level of protection. Accordingly, the government designated these areas as "national park direction areas", giving powers for planning decisions taken by local authorities to be reviewed by central government. Following a further review of landscape protection in 1978, additional areas, including the area of the current Upper Tweeddale NSA, were identified as worthy of protection due to their landscape qualities. Accordingly, in 1981 the direction areas were replaced by the national scenic area designation, which was based on the 1978 recommendations and thus included this area. The defined area remains as originally mapped in 1978, but was redesignated under new legislation in 2010. ==Description==

. The original 1978 report that led to the area being designated as a national scenic area noted: Historic features of the area include the hill fort at Dreva Craig, Barns Tower, and the castles at Stobo, Neidpath and Tinnis. ==Conservation designations==

The River Tweed (including tributaries such as the Manor Water and the Holm Water) is designated as a Special Area of Conservation, holding important populations of salmon, brook lamprey, river lamprey, sea lamprey and otter. The river has a very diverse ecology due to the mixed geology of its catchment area, and is also designated as a Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI). The grounds surrounding Barns Tower and Stobo Castle, and Dawyck Botanic Garden, are listed in the Inventory of Gardens and Designed Landscapes in Scotland. ==References==