Peebles Tourist Information

The Tweed Valley Forest Park

Although stunning Glentress Forest, part of the 7 stanes mountain bike trails network in the southwest of Scotland, attracts much of the attention in Tweedale, the Tweed Valley Forest Park actually contains 7 vast forests. The Tweed Valley Forest gets all 'spooked up' at the end of Ocober annually, over the Halloween period, during the Tweed Valley Forest Festival. Fancy a fancy dress mountain bike ride in Glentress? That's just one of the brill fun events running through this popular Tweed festival. Take a ghost tour round Traquair too! (the Tweet Festival's weblink is to the right for details).

Each forest - Glentress, Cardrona, Cademuir, Caberston, Thornielee, Yair and Traquair has its own unique character offering ample opportunity for horse riding, walking, mountain biking, picnicking and a host of wildlife including the famous osprey watching. Check the RSPB weblink right for details on where and how to view ospreys in the Tweed Valley. Ospreys are now well established in the Tweed Valley area, with 10 chicks raised in 2006.

The two main centres for osprey watching are at Glentress (an RSPB centre is situated near the Hub at Glentress off the A72). Another Osprey viewing site is at Kailzie Gardens on the B7062 just 2 miles east of Peebles.

Both Cademuir and Cardrona forests are popular with horse riders, and both have good facilities for parking horseboxes. Cardrona Forest off the B7062 is a peaceful forest popular with walkers looking to explore the Burn Trail circular route and the Iron Age for at Castle Knowe. A number of walking trails are available in Cardrona from 15 minute trails upto 5 hours. Cademuir just to the south of Peebles offers a choice of gentle shorter trails whilst Yair south of the River Tween off the A707 contains some ancient Borders forests. Pick up a Tweed Valley Forest Park guide leaflet from the Peebles Tourist Information Centre, High Street, Peebles, Scottish Borders, EH45 8AG. Tel. 0870 6080404.

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Glentress & Innerleithen - 7 Stanes Mountain Bike Trails

Welcome to the home of some of the best mountain biking in the UK, here at Glentress. Glentress is one of the 7 Stanes mountain bike trails scattered across the Southwest of Scotland and it offers some of the most demanding mountain bike trails of all of them (see 7 Stanes Glentress weblink right for maps and details).

Both beginners and experienced mountain bikers are well catered for here. The Skills loop has different graded sections and makes for a good starter. For the advanced mountain biker check out the black graded V trail and push your skills to the limit on the Freerise Park.

The Hub bike shop and bike hire, with adjacent Hub Caf is the central starting point of Glentress, with ample parking available on-site. (The Hub/Glentress is clearly signposted and just off the A72. Checkout the Hub/Glentress Forest weblink right for details).

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Fishing Scotland on the River Tweed & River Tweed Sights

"But gi'e to us the bonnie Tweed' said Thomas Stoddart in 1866. Since the advent of Victorian fly fishing tackle and the consequent evolving of modern rods, the River Tweed has been popular with anglers, especially for Salmon. In fact don't be surprised if around Spring particularly you see salmon leaping from the Tweed, especially around Selkirk!

The River Tweed in the Scottish Borders is one of the best rivers in the UK for salmon fishing. Visitors flock here from around the world to fish for salmon. The Tweed is officially one of the top salmon rivers in the world. Sea trout and winter grayling are also top catches here on the Tweed River. (see the comprehensive guide to fishing on the River Tweed weblink right, and book your fishing passes online here).

Call 01573 470612 to book your fishing on the River Tweed. The Tweed incidentally is the second longest river in Scotland and there's more fish caught on the Tweed to the fly than any other river in Britain! Most of the Tweed (75 miles of it) is in Scotland, but a small stretch of 4 miles from Paxton to Berwick-upon-Tweed is actually in England.

At 98 miles long stretching from its source at Tweed's Well 7 miles north of Moffat alongside the A701 to Berwick-upon-Tweed on the coast there are a number of sights along Scotland's second longest river to enjoy. (pick up a River Tweed Along the River leaflet guide for the full list). Particular highlights along the Tweed in the Peebles area are notably Glentress Forest.

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Traquair House & Peebles Attractions, Tweed Valley Scottish Borders

Old 12th century hunting lodge Traquair House, just to the south of Innerleithen on the B709, has seen a fair few royal visitors in its time. Twenty seven Scottish kings and queens no less! The Stuarts here at Traquair were firm supporters of Mary Queen of Scots and indeed the Jacobite cause, and the house was used as a refuge by Catholic Priests during periods of their persecution.

The Kings Room within the house contains the bed used by Mary Queen of Scots. (something about beds used by notables continues to fascinate?). Mary Queen of Scots stayed here in 1566, as did the Young Pretender Bonnie Prince Charlie in 1745.

The house was fortified in the 13th century, and added to in both the 16th and 17th centuries. On-site is an 18th century brewing house which still produces fine Traquair Ales available to purchase. Kids will love tearing around the Traquair maze and touring the gardens and grounds. A restaurant, craft workshops and various shopping craft outlets are on-site. (see Traquair House weblink right for details). Traquair House, Innerleithen, Peeblesshire EH44 6PW. Scotland. Tel. 01896 830323.

Historic sites within the picturesque town of Peebles itself include the 12th century ruins of Cross Kirk church and a visit to the 17th century Chambers Institute, now housing Peebles' Tweeddale Museum and Gallery is well worth a visit as is Neidpath Castle dating from the 14th century and situated just to the west of the town. One of the finest golf clubs in the Scottish Borders is here in Peebles (weblink right). This challenging 18 hole Scottish Uplands course is renowned for its sublime views. A pro-shop and clubhouse are on-site.

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John Buchan, John Buchan Centre & the John Buchan Way

"To left and right were round-shouldered green hills as smooth as pancakes, but to the south - there was a glimpse of high heathery mountains .. I was on the central boss of a huge upland country, and could see everything moving for miles. In the meadows below the road .. a cottage smoked, but it was the only sign of human life. Otherwise there was only the calling of plovers and the tinkling of little streams". John Buchan is best known still for his 1914 novel 'The Thirty Nine Steps', later made even more legendary by the Hitchcock film 'The 39 Steps' (the best of a selection of film versions). What you don't get in the films however, which you get in detail in the book, is the moving descriptions of the southern uplands around the northern Scottish Borders, and indeed the east Dumfries and Galloway Annandale vale. Richard Hannay, the key character fleeing several predators in 'The Thirty Nine Steps' moves around this part of Scotland, which Buchan knew well and which he never forgot, despite his extensive travels. 'The Thirty Nine Steps' stands still as a superb and un-put-downable thriller.

There's much more to say however about John Buchan, who had written 16 published works prior to the Thirty Nine Steps which became so popular. In the long list of Buchan's career you can add diplomat, soldier, historian (he wrote epics on 'The Great War' and 'Sir Walter Scott' as well as 'Montrose, Lord Tweedsmuir Governer General of Canada in 1935, war correspondent and Director of Reuters'. Born in Broughton, which is now home to the John Buchan Centre where you can see a host of photographs, publications of his works and a comprehensive guide to his life, John Buchan (1875-194) certainly liked to write! Out of over 100 publications, 40 were fiction, many were biographies or specialist texts such as 'The Law according to the Taxation of Foreign Income'. During his time in Canada he travelled extensively and was a major player in committing Canada to the Second World War just prior to his death in 1940.

Find out more about John Buchan via the John Buchan Society's website right, and at the centre in Broughton. The aptly named John Buchan Way winding from Broughton to Peebles stretches for 13 miles and opened in Spring 2003. This now popular Borders walkway takes in much of the established hill tracks through the Peeblesshire countryside. Its often walked in chunks, for example the stretch from Peebles to Stobo starting at Bank House at the west end of Peebles High Street.

Find the John Buchan Centre at the south end of Broughton Village on the A701.

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