Beautiful Peebles, Scotland

The beautiful town of Peebles, with a population of around 9,000, is just a thirty-minute drive from Edinburgh. Sitting on the banks of the river Tweed, one of Scotland’s most celebrated salmon waters, and surrounded by softly rolling hills it is no wonder that Peebles is a popular tourist destination.

The town’s streets are home to a lovely selection of independent shops selling greetings cards, gifts and home furnishings. There are several galleries which are an absolute treat for art lovers. The Moy Mackay Gallery features amazing textile work by the owner and Glasgow School of Art educated Moy Mackay and other artists from the Scottish Borders. The artists featured include Stanley Bird and Jackie Henderson. With a beautiful selection of art works available including paintings, sculpture, jewellery and glass and woodwork it really is worth a visit.

(Check out the Moy Mackay Gallery here: https://www.moymackaygallery.com/ )

While visiting it would be hard to avoid the temptation of the culinary delights on offer. There are an abundance of independent tea rooms, delis, bars and restaurants. Peebles Food Market takes place every Saturday and is a celebration of local produce. Foodies are so well catered for in Peebles!

Behind the high street runs the river Tweed, with broad grass banks on either side it is a lovely spot to take a walk and enjoy the scenery. With the spire of the parish church and the rolling hills behind you are presented with a picture postcard view.

There are so many opportunities to take part in outdoor activities from a base in Peebles. There are a huge range of walks to suit all levels of abilities. A walk around the town is perfect for those not wanting to venture too far. A moderate walk along the Tweed takes you past the beautiful, medieval, Neidpath Castle. For the more adventurous the John Buchan Way hill walk is more of a challenge. Named after the author John Buchan who was associated with the area, this delightful walk will take you across beautiful farmland and open moorland and runs a whole 22km from Peebles to Broughton. Broughton is well worth a visit, the scenery between Broughton and Biggar, with views of Tinto Hill being absolutely stunning. The good news is that if you decide to end your walk there is a bus that links Broughton and Peebles.

Cycling is another activity that can be enjoyed in and around Peebles. The beautiful countryside is a big draw for cyclists. Routes vary with some demanding more ability than others. There is a gentle route to Cademuir where you can enjoy the views over Peebles and Glentress. A traffic free cycle path allows access to Glentress from Peebles. The Tweed Cycleway runs from Biggar in the west to Berwick-upon-Tweed on the east coast passing through Peebles along the way

A trip to the tourist board office in Peebles is a good place to find maps of walking and cycling routes and to gather any more information about the area regarding activities and places to stay, although with covid 19 taken in to consideration you will need to sort out accommodation before you arrive.

For fans of mountain biking you couldn’t ask for better, with lots of marked mountain bike routes in the area. A short distance from Peebles is Glentress Forest, a mecca for mountain bikers. Here you can experience Green, Blue, Red and Black graded trails. There is also a multi-graded free-ride area. In addition to this and not far away are Innerleithen’s Red Bull down-hill and cross-country trails. Trails are free to use, just pay for car parking!

(Glentress: http://glentressforest.com/ )

Glentress is ideal for walking and enjoying wildlife. If you are very lucky you may see deer and red squirrels. At the right time of year you might even catch a glimpse of an Osprey. There is also a Go-Ape Tree Top Adventure with zip wire fun for the whole family.

Fishing is a popular activity in Scotland and there are plenty of locations to enjoy the sport. The river Tweed runs through Peebles and is known as “The Queen of Scottish Salmon Rivers”. Salmon, trout, pike, roach, perch and grayling are all caught on the Tweed. For disabled fishermen and women there is a disabled fishing platform located in Peebles between the Tweed bridge and Fotheringham Bridge. Some holiday accommodation in Peebles can also provide amazing private fishing and this is often included as an enticement for visitors intending to fish. It is also worth remembering that the Tweed has one of the longest seasons of any salmon river in the UK running from 1st February to 30th November, fishing being prohibited on Sundays. Other types of fishing are restricted to 1st April to 30th September.

A visit to the tourist board is advisable concerning rod licenses and fishing tickets.

Peebles is a hive of activity and is home to various festivals throughout the year including Peebles Arts Festival, Peebles Beltane Festival, a food festival, Highland Games and Tweed Valley Forest Festival. As with so many things this year, the festivals have been unable to take place but under normal circumstances they attract many visitors. With the glorious countryside of the Borders and so many things to see and do, Peebles is a fantastic holiday destination at any time of the year.

Visit the website Peebles - The Royal Burgh for more info on where to stay, where to eat and things to do in Peebles: http://www.peebles-theroyalburgh.info/