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With an exciting family event on Easter Sunday plus outdoor fun for kids during the school holidays, the home of Sir Walter Scott has got the Easter period all wrapped up.

On Easter Sunday (10-3pm, 26 March), Abbotsford will host a special day of drop-in activities for the whole family, including a spectacular egg hunt through the glorious Abbotsford spring gardens, face painting, birds of prey demos and story-telling in a tipi.

Visitors can discover all of what Abbotsford has to offer for the special price of a Garden ticket (Family £13.00/Adult standard £3.60) and enjoy a day of outdoor fun exploring the walled gardens with their hidden treasures and eggs. There will also be opportunities to take part in craft activities in the Learning Centre and play and build dens on the estate's extensive woodland play trails. Best of all, by paying once, visitors can return to the gardens free for the whole season.

Meanwhile, Abbotsford’s Ochiltree’s family restaurant will offer a special 10% Easter discount, with a kiosk for refreshments available for thirsty children and adults taking a quick break.

Later, during the Spring holidays, there’s a chance for kids to spend a week outside, making friends and playing wild under the expert guidance of fully-qualified Forest School staff at Nature Unlimited. The week-long programme runs from Mon 4 April to Fri 8 April, 10-1pm daily (£60/child for week, booking essential).

For more information, visit www.scottsabbotsford.com

The Abbotsford Trust has announced the opening of a special new exhibition at Abbotsford this spring in partnership with the National Library of Scotland. The exhibition – Rave Reviewer: Scott on Frankenstein, Emma and Childe Harold – tells the story of Walter Scott's engagement and interaction with some of the most famous literature of the early nineteenth century: the works of Mary Shelley, Jane Austen and Lord Byron.

Scott achieved this through penning some of the most insightful, sympathetic and outstanding literary reviews of the age – a time when reviews on all manner of subjects were often more widely read than the original publications. Walter Scott was central to the launch and subsequent popularity of John Murray’s Quarterly Review, and remained a key contributor throughout his years as the most famous and prolific novelist of the time.

With novelists and reviewers often writing anonymously, the story behind the exhibition is one where appearances can be deceiving. Few were as capable at playing this elaborate game as Scott – he even anonymously reviewed his own novels in 1816. This was without doubt, the harshest review these works received.

Two hundred years from the time that Mary Shelley first began work on Frankenstein, in the company of her husband Percy Bysshe Shelley and Lord Byron, visitors will be able to see a very rare first edition of the gothic novel belonging to Walter Scott, one of only 500 copies originally circulated, along with his first edition of Jane Austen’s Emma. Visitors will also be able to view a selection of letters and manuscript reviews that bring to life the story behind preparing a work for publication and review, including original documents in the hand of the poet Percy Byssche Shelley, Mary Shelley, Lord Byron and Sir Walter Scott, on loan from the National Library of Scotland. Many of these items will be on display to the public for the first time. There will also be original artwork on display from accomplished artist Hugh Buchanan, inspired by Scott's review of Byron’s famous poem Childe Harold’s Pilgrimage.

"We are delighted to be collaborating with the National Library of Scotland to tell this fascinating story about a community of readers and writers shaping the present, and indeed future, impact of what we now consider to be classic works of literature,” commented Kirsty Archer-Thompson, Collections and Interpretation Manager for the Abbotsford Trust. “Novels such as Frankenstein did not fare well with the reviewing community as a whole and Scott’s acknowledgement of Shelley’s genius ran very much against the grain. This exhibition is a wonderful platform to show that Scott was just as capable of looking to the future as he was to the past.”

The exhibition will be on display at Abbotsford House from Saturday 2 April and run until the end of the season in November. Entry is included as part of the admission ticket to the house. 

For more information, visit www.scottsabbotsford.com

Having been extremely busy through the winter months, Glentress-based mountain bike tuition and guiding business Ridelines is now gearing up for spring with a range of skills courses, from riding for kids and beginners to honing racing skills and National Governing Body MTB Leadership Training and assessments. Here is the full line-up of courses:

19/20 March, 30 April/1 May and 11/12 June – UKMBLA Level 2 Leadership Training

National Governing Body MTB leadership award delivered right here in the Tweed Valley.

2 April, 15 May and 25 June – Jumpstart Skills Course

Understand the techniques and skills needed to reduce your risks and give you the skills and confidence to get your wheels off the ground! If you have always fancied learning to jump and ride smoother on fast trails then this course will get you off to a great start.

3 April, 14 May and 24 June – Innerduro Core Skills

For those looking to build skills and boost confidence when riding extra technical trail and testing Enduro trails. Ideal for riders exploring Enduro racing and for those who just want to build speed and confidence on more challenging trails.

9 April, 8 May and 4 June – Level 1 (Beginner) Skills Course

Aimed at those new to mountain biking, the focus is on the basic skills that a beginner needs to build solid foundations into their riding.

10 April, 7 May and 5 June – Level 2 (Intermediate) Skills Course for Improvers

Designed for riders who want to improve their technique to achieve greater speed and improved confidence and control on all but the most challenging of trails.

5, 6, 7 April – Easter kids courses

These sessions are designed to be progressive so during the block your young rider will get a whole suite of skills to enhance their riding, confidence and control.​ If you worry they can't keep up, want them to get some top quality riding skills, or want to teach your young rider how to keep it under control even when they're flying, then these courses are ideal. Huge fun all round for kids aged 7–14.

Places on all courses are limited, so be sure to book early to secure the tuition of your choice. To book or for further details, contact enquiries@ridelines.co.uk, or visit www.ridelines.co.uk

(Photograph: Ridelines)

Cringletie House, one of Scotland’s top wedding venues, is inviting all those planning their big day to visit the Borders and discover how wedding dreams can be made true. Inspired by the global phenomenon that is the Outlander series, Cringletie is holding two wedding showcases this month (7 and 28 February) that will enable couples to see how the castle could look on their special day.

“Our two showcase dates will provide a glimpse of what could be enjoyed as couples explore their dreams for a perfect fairy-tale wedding,” explained Johanna Van Houdt, owner and personal wedding organiser.

Set in 28 acres of beautiful Peeblesshire countryside, yet only 40 minutes from Edinburgh airport and city centre, Cringletie House is a baronial-style castle that offers true grandeur, from the luxurious interior to glorious views across the lawns and gardens to rolling hills dotted with Highland cows.

In the Outlander series, the big wedding (featuring Jamie and Claire) was filmed at a church close to Cringletie – perfect inspiration for fans of the series who might like to have their wedding in the same style. From menus to jewellery, the Cringletie wedding team will have the whole-set-up covered, added Van Houdt.

But the two showcase dates will likely generate a few additional ideas, be it making use of the 18^th century doocot, the wooden bridge across a bubbling stream and waterfall in the grounds, or the magnificent setting of a 400-year-old walled garden. And there are quirky options too, including having the rings delivered by an alpaca. The only limit is your imagination. 

For more info, visit www.cringletie.com