Strawberry Hill rises quietly above Tweedsmuir, its 495-metre summit offering wide, rewarding views after a strenuous climb. From the top, the waters of Fruid Reservoir stretch out below, with nearby Garelet Dod standing watch across the valley. It is a place where landscape and history meet, and where the name of the hill carries a story far older than the path beneath you.
The hill takes its name from the Frasers, a family who arrived in Scotland in the 12th century, possibly earlier, having travelled from Anjou and Normandy in France. Their family crest bears cinquefoils, symbols of wild strawberry flowers, and their name is thought to come from friase, the old French word for strawberry. Over time, and through many spellings, “Fraser” took root in Scotland, just as firmly as the family itself.
The Frasers first settled in East Lothian before moving south into Tweeddale and onward to the Upper Tweed Valley, near the source of the River Tweed. The earliest known Fraser in Tweedsmuir was likely Oliver Fraser, known as “Olifurd,” who appears in documents from the reign of King Malcolm IV between 1153 and 1165. He built Fruid Castle first, followed by Oliver Castle, guarding the entrance to the Fruid Valley and the river ford below.
Today, Fruid Castle lies beneath the reservoir waters, along with a chapel and burial ground that must once have held generations of Frasers. Standing atop Strawberry Hill, it is easy to feel how deeply their story is woven into this landscape.
