Whitrope Tunnel

The Whitrope Tunnel is a disused railway tunnel in the Scottish Borders. It lies twelve kilometres south of Hawick on the old Waverley Route, close to the hamlet of Whitrope. The tunnel stretches for just over one kilometre, making it Scotland’s fourth longest. Opened in the 1860s by the North British Railway, it carried trains between Hawick and Carlisle for more than a century. British Rail closed the line in 1969, and the tunnel has stood empty ever since. The tunnel is worth visiting for its scale and its place in railway history. It is a Category B listed building, recognised for its engineering importance. The Waverley Route Heritage Association still hopes to restore it one day. Two collapses—one in 2002 and another in 2021—have left the interior unsafe and sealed off. Until repairs can be funded, the tunnel remains closed to the public. Visitors can walk the old trackbed to the tunnel portals and see the brick portals at each end. Whitrope Siding station, a short distance away, shows how the line once served local farms and quarries. The surrounding hills and moorland give a quiet, remote setting. The tunnel’s massive brick arches stand as silent reminders of the railway age.