Tweed Valley Blog

Historic houses and gardens – five to try

As befits an area with such a rich and varied history, the Tweed Valley is home to a variety of historic houses, often with outstanding grounds and gardens. Here are five houses and gardens that you really must visit this summer

Bowhill House and Country Estate

The Scottish Borders home of the Duke of Buccleuch displays an outstanding art collection, with works by Canaletto, Claude, Raeburn, Reynolds, Gainsborough and Ruysdael, while the wider, heavily-wooded estate offers a variety of peaceful walks for all ages and abilities. And if walking is not enough, visitors can always try the recently upgraded adventure playground, while the Bowhill ranger service also offers a series of fun activities for children and families. Look out too for the attractive Courtyard, which includes everything from a Victorian kitchen to a gift shop, tearoom and soft play for wee ones.

Abbotsford House

Situated on... Read more

New member profile: Colin Semple Furniture Design

Visit Tweed Valley is delighted to welcome Colin Semple Furniture Design as its latest local business member. From a studio housed in the old school at Stobo near Peebles, Colin designs and makes an exquisite range of original furniture using locally-sourced Scottish hardwood. We caught up with him to find out more

What do you love most about what you do?

I love the journey from a rough idea that gets refined over time with the client, then designed in detail before selecting wood and making the finished piece. No matter how many times I do it, it is a real thrill to see the final article develop. I also love the variety. No two projects are ever the same.

Tell us about some of the recent items you’ve worked on

There's been a great selection of projects recently. In the last few months, I completed a large-scale kitchen... Read more

Eye to eye with ospreys

Ospreys have made quite the comeback in Scotland having been driven to the brink of extinction in the UK a century ago. And the Tweed Valley is one of the best places to view these incredible, fish-eating birds of prey

Like so many of our birds of prey, ospreys were once persecuted heavily by hunters and egg collectors to the point where the species was absent from Scotland for much of the first half of the 20^th century. That all changed in 1954 when a pair settled under their own steam at Loch Garten in the Cairngorms. But it wasn’t until 1998 that the first nesting pair returned to the Borders – one of the osprey’s many old stomping grounds around Scotland.

But with very real fears for their safety – be it from egg collectors or accidental human disturbance – they still needed a helping hand. As such,... Read more

New member profile: 22 Biggiesknowe, Peebles

Visitors to the Tweed Valley have another characterful self-catering option to choose from following the loving restoration of 22 Biggiesknowe – a delightful cottage-style apartment that sits on a quiet street in the heart of Peebles.

Built at the beginning of the 20th century, originally as a weaver's cottage, the apartment has been completely refurbished by owners Lynda and David Murray, and now comprises a light-filled main bedroom, lounge with dining table overlooking Eddleston Water (the Cuddy), a shower room and shaker-style kitchen (also overlooking the river). With wooden flooring throughout and a wealth of traditional features, it’s a quaint and stylish bolt-hole.

“We purchased the property in June 2014 and carried out extensive renovations including a new kitchen and shower room,” explains Lynda. “The property is best suited for couples but there is a small fold-down bed that would suit a child. A travel cot is also available if... Read more

Bella Hardy at the Eastgate Theatre

The Tweed Valley hosts one of traditional music’s most prolific and inventive artists when Bella Hardy plays at the Eastgate Theatre, Peebles on 26 March as part of a finale tour for her latest album, With The Dawn. We caught up with Bella to learn more about her music and what audiences can expect from the gig

For those unfamiliar with your music, how would you describe it … folk seems just one part of the picture

Music is such a hard thing to describe, especially your own! I write my own songs and try to encourage people to have a listen and come up with their own ideas. Since a teenager, I've been performing folk music, fiddling and singing, and that comes largely from my love of traditional ballads. I think that will always be present in my music. But everything else I've listened to seeps in too – Tom... Read more

Tweed Valley events: six of the best

We’ve already had a couple of fantastic events in the Tweed Valley this year, with hardy competitors braving the snow and ice in the Bowhill Duathlon Series in January, while hundreds more were inspired and entertained at the recent Peebles Outdoor Film Festival.

And the events just keep on coming in the months ahead. Here are six very good reasons to join us in the Tweed Valley this year:

1. The Mighty Deerstalker, 12 March

A wet, muddy and by now infamous romp through the Tweed Valley, starting and finishing at Traquair House. Runners can choose from the 5km route (it’s a bit more than that), or the more extreme 10km route (actually a LOT longer than that, much of it in darkness). Dressing up is encouraged – expect plenty of tweed, fake antlers and deerstalker hats – while the routes feature a range of fiendish obstacles.... Read more

Cani-cross comes to the Tweed Valley …

The recent Peebles Outdoor Film Festival included a fantastic demonstration of cani-cross at Traquair House, led by North Lanarkshire-based Cani-Fit. For those who’ve not come across it before, cani-cross is an increasingly popular sport that involves running with your dog, attached with a special harness and bungee lead. The really intrepid then tried scootering and cycling with their dogs … great fun had by all as these pictures show! The hope is that we might see some cani-cross events in the valley some time in the future. It's certainly a sport with a growing following elsewhere in Scotland. Watch this space ... Read more

Mark Beaumont at the Peebles Outdoor Film Festival

Now very much a household name, global adventurer Mark Beaumont is one of the star turns at this year’s Peebles Outdoor Film Festival. We caught up with Mark ahead of his headline appearance at the festival this coming Friday evening (22 Jan)

You are best known for your two-wheel adventures and feats of endurance … why bikes, what got you started riding?

When I was 11 years old, I read in the Courier about a chap who cycled from John O’ Groats to Land’s End. I was inspired and set out to cycle across Scotland. After that, the journeys just got bigger and bigger!

You grew up in rural Perthshire … how important was your home patch in shaping your future life as an adventurer?

I had a rather wild start to life as I was home schooled and spent most of my time working and playing on... Read more

Ready for a BIG weekend ...?

Even by Tweed Valley standards, this weekend is a busy one. The action begins on Friday with the start of the acclaimed Innerleithen Music Festival – a must-attend for all those with a love of Celtic music. This year’s terrific line-up sees the likes of Eddi Reader, Skippinish and the Friel Sisters steal the headlines, but there’s also the Live and Local Fringe (a chance for up and coming local talent to strut their stuff), music workshops led by some of the best in the business, street busking and plenty more besides. For more info, have a read of our festival blog.

This weekend also sees one of the biggest mountain bike enduro events in the Scottish race calendar. The Whyte Endura Scottish Open, King and Queen of the Hill features some track sections used at the Enduro World Series race in May, and aims to... Read more

Q&A: Robin Dempsey, Innerleithen Music Festival

With just a few days to go until this year's Innerleithen Music Festival, we caught up with Robin Dempsey, a member of the organising committee, to find out what's in store

You all set, or still a few final things to do?

All the main elements have been in place for months – bands, PA, hall bookings, ticket sales etc – so we’re down to the tasks we can only do in the run-up to the festival, including final publicity. We’re now putting up banners, keeping Facebook fed and other last minute bits and pieces.

For those who have never been before, how would you describe the festival?

It’s based in the fine wee town of Innerleithen, so it’s not a greenfield festival site. It features a mix of concerts in the 400-seater Memorial Hall with big names from what we loosely call ‘Celtic’ music to small-scale... Read more