Tweed, River, is a waterway in the United Kingdom. The Tweed, which is 96 miles (154 kilometers) long, rises in Scotland’s Southern Uplands. It flows eastward and forms the border between Scotland and England for about 17 miles (27 kilometers). It then flows through England for a short distance before emptying into the North Sea at Berwick-upon-Tweed. It is navigable only near its mouth. Salmon and trout fishing are popular sports along the river.
Small towns, including Galashiels, Kelso, Peebles, and Melrose, lie along the banks of the River Tweed. During the 1800’s, these towns built mills along the river to provide water power for their cloth and hosiery industries. Tweed cloth may have been named for the river. Abbotsford, the estate of the Scottish novelist Sir Walter Scott, stands on the Tweed near Melrose.
