Win the Perfect Book Lover’s Weekend Escape for two with Borders Book Festival and Crabtree & Crabtree
To mark the arrival of the much-loved annual Borders Book Festival in Melrose, we’ve teamed up with our friends at the festival to give you the chance to win the perfect book lover’s weekend escape for two from the 12-15 June 2026.
The perfect blend of culture, comfort and countryside calm, our giveaway includes: a cosy countryside retreat, tickets to the festival, admission to local sights and the time and space to sink into a good book (or three).
Read on for details of the prize and how to enter:
The Prize
Worth over £900, one lucky winner will receive:
🏠 A three-night stay in The Old Cart Shed, Melrose 12 – 15 June 2026 worth £595
Settle into this charming Borders bolthole overlooking the River Tweed. With a direct path down to the river, The Old Cart Shed is like something straight from a storybook, where slow mornings, scenic strolls and fireside reading sessions come as standard. Just a short drive from Melrose, it’s a dreamy base for festival days and peaceful evenings.
🎟️ Tickets to the Borders Book Festival with Food & Drink vouchers worth £150
Make the most of the book festival with three pairs of tickets for you to attend events of your choice on Saturday 13 June. Our lucky winners will have access to talks by the most exciting authors, thinkers and storytellers (booking in advance for your talks is a must).
You’ll also receive a £50 voucher for the Food & Drink village allowing you to sample the very best of local artisan produce between events.
🌳 Tickets to Local Attractions worth a total of £80
Make the most of your stay – when you’re not at the Book Festival – and discover more of what makes the Scottish Borders so special with two free tickets to visit Abbotsford House and Gardens with private tour, Trimontium Museum and The Great Tapestry of Scotland.
📚 A £100 Borders Book Festival Bookshop Voucher
Your post-festival reading list is covered, with £100 to spend on books of your choice.
To enter our giveaway, simply enter your details using the form below, making sure to tick the consent box.
The giveaway closes on 11 May 2026, and the winner will be notified shortly.
Good luck!
This giveaway closes at midnight on 11 May 2026 you are already subscribed to the Crabtree & Crabtree newsletter and are met with an error when trying to enter, please return to this page and try again, making sure to tick the consent box before clicking ‘subscribe’.
A Festival Full of Stories
This years Borders Book Festival is held from 11-14 June 2026, in the gorgeous town of Melrose, with historic Melrose Abbey and the iconic silhouette of the Eildon hills as its picturesque backdrop.
Hosted within the gardens and orchard of The National Trust for Scotland’s Harmony House, The Borders Book Festival is widely regarded as one of the UK’s top literature and arts festivals. Over 100 events unfold over four days, bringing together high-profile writers, historians, commentators, comedians, musicians and sporting personalities.
This year’s line-up includes the celebrated chef, author and broadcaster Dame Prue Leith with her candid take on ageing, British Women’s Curling gold-medallist Eve Muirhead on becoming one of Scotland’s most decorated athletes, and Alan Titchmarsh, beloved gardener, writer and national treasure, bringing stories of a lifetime spent cultivating Britain’s gardens.
Alongside the main programme, the Family Festival runs throughout the weekend, offering creative workshops, storytelling sessions and plenty of fun for younger book lovers. The festival also hosts a range of health and wellbeing sessions to take part in to slow down, reflect and recharge.
The festival site itself is free to explore, with the popular Food and Drink village to indulge in local artisan food, Craft Marketplace to find unique gifts, a bustling bookshop to fill your bookshelves and live music by local artists and musicians to set the tone. It’s a celebration of stories, ideas, creativity and community.
Your Home from Home, The Old Cart Shed
Set just east of St Boswells, The Old Cart Shed is perfectly placed for discovering the very best of the Scottish Borders. A welcoming, open-plan space designed for unwinding with a log burner at the heart of the living area, perfect for curling up with your new book haul. Folding doors open out into a countryside view, ideal for those longer summer evenings with a direct path to the River Tweed, ideal for tranquil walks or peaceful moments by the water. It’s a place designed to help you truly switch off, the perfect location for days spent immersed in stories.
An Exciting Calendar of Events
Discover our new Local Events page, your guide to the best happenings across the South of Scotland and the North of England. From time-honoured festivals, agricultural shows and historic re-enactments to seasonal food fairs and major sporting events, explore our local highlights of the best things to experience during your next escape with Crabtree & Crabtree.
Terms & Conditions
The Prize comprises of:
- A three-night accommodation break for two people staying at the Old Cart Shed (12 – 15 June 2026). The stay in this prize is only valid between 12-15 June 2026 at The Old Cart Shed and cannot be transferred or redeemed for any other property/date(s). Booking extras such as Crabtree & Crabtree’s experiences, the use of a private chef, dog fees or fishing are not included. Travel is not included and once your booking has been placed Crabtree & Crabtree’s usual booking terms and conditions will apply. Should damages occur, the winner will be liable for covering any costs.
- Tickets to Borders Book Festival events of your choice, consisting of a total of 6 tickets (3 pairs) for Saturday 13 June 2026 only.
- Food and Drink £50 voucher, to be used onsite at the Borders Book Festival on Saturday 13 June 2026 up to the total value of £50 at any of the food and drink vendors (applies to food, coffees, teas and soft drinks and excludes alcohol – these vouchers cannot be redeemed at the Bar). No change given.
- Borders Book Festival Bookshop £100 voucher, this entitles the winner to purchase books of your choice to a value of £100 during the Borders Book Festival 2026. Should the amount purchased be less than the voucher value no refund will be given for the price difference.
- Attraction entry tickets to Abbotsford House and Gardens, Trimontium Museum and The Great Tapestry of Scotland. Private tour of Abbotsford House and Gardens must be booked in advance and subject to availability. Two tickets per attraction for use 12 – 15 June 2026.
The Prize excludes transport and any associated travel costs.
This giveaway is open to UK entrants and over 18s only. Only one entry per person. The Prize Draw opens 22 April 2026. The closing date is 11 May 2026 at midnight. One winner will be selected at random and will be contacted via email by Crabtree & Crabtree in the following week to organise the prize.
By entering the competition, you are consenting for Crabtree & Crabtree to contact you by email to announce the winner, and opting in to receive emails from Crabtree & Crabtree and Borders Book Festival. You may unsubscribe from the emails at any time using the link provided in the email.
This prize draw is not open to employees or contractors of Crabtree & Crabtree and Borders Book Festival, their immediate families, nor to any other person connected with the prize draw.
The winner will be drawn at random from all eligible entries and notified by email soon after the draw takes place after the 11 May 2026. If no response is received from the winner within 2 days of the date of emailing, a replacement will be randomly selected and notified on the same basis. Crabtree & Crabtree decision is final, and no correspondence will be entered into.
The Prize cannot be exchanged or transferred. There is no cash alternative. As far as permitted by law, Crabtree & Crabtree and Borders Book Festival will not be responsible or liable for any loss or damage arising as a result of or in connection with the prize. Your statutory rights are not affected.
Borders Book Festival will announce the surname of the winner to competition entrants and anyone who emails to indicate that a valid draw took place.
Entries received after the closing date will not qualify and no responsibility will be taken for lost, delayed, or incomplete entries, however caused.
Your personal data is held and used by Crabtree & Crabtree and Borders Book Festival in accordance with current UK data protection legislation. We will only share this data with third parties for the purpose of administering the Prize (for example, the accommodation provider). If you’d like to know more about our processing or your rights in relation to data protection, please refer to our full Privacy Policy.
By entering the competition, entrants agree to be bound by these terms and conditions, which will be construed in accordance with and governed by the laws of Scotland.
Entries received after the closing date will not qualify and no responsibility will be taken for lost, delayed, or incomplete entries, however caused.
Your personal data is held and used by Crabtree & Crabtree and Borders Book Festival in accordance with current UK data protection legislation. We will only share this data with third parties for the purpose of administering the Prize (for example, the accommodation provider). If you’d like to know more about our processing or your rights in relation to data protection, please refer to our full Privacy Policy.
By entering the competition, entrants agree to be bound by these terms and conditions, which will be construed in accordance with and governed by the laws of Scotland.
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