Historic Tweed Valley

For a relatively small area, the Tweed Valley has a grand history! Royal and literary greats are woven into the local narrative – and the Borders’ tumultuous past has shaped centuries-old traditions still honoured today. This summer, we invite you to celebrate the valley’s lively history through three of its greatest riches: its horses, houses and heritage.

horsing around

Horses are core to life in the Scottish Borders. The local authority emblem features a Border Reiver with horse, a reference to the troubled 13th and 14th centuries when the borderlands were under constant threat from the warring English and Scots. Horses and ponies played a pivotal role in many a grisly raid on neighbouring lands either side of the border! Thankfully border relations are more amicable today, but many towns here still mark this historical time of unrest with summer festivals that place horses at the centre of the action.

Peebles celebrates its heritage every June with a ‘ride out’ that forms part of the town’s week-long Beltane Festival. Traditionally a way for townspeople to patrol their borderlands during the period of fierce fighting, the ride outs are now both a fine display of horsemanship and source of great civic pride. Witnessing a cavalcade of horses riding the town boundaries – and fording the River Tweed – is a majestic spectacle, and a true highlight of the season. Local tour guide and friend, Stewart Wilson, has a vast knowledge of the Common Riding Festivals across the Borders and his latest blog on the unique traditions of each town’s festivities is well worth a read.

For those who prefer to be in the saddle, Kailzie Equestrian near Peebles offer lessons and hacks in the hills for riders of all abilities. Nearby Cardrona Forest (pictured above) is a favoured playground for these horseback adventures and part of an extensive network of horse riding trails that span the Borders and beyond. South of Scotland Countryside Trails comprises 350km of old drove roads, quiet forest trails and multi-use pathways developed specifically for horse-riders (and walkers), plenty of which cross through the heart of the Tweed Valley.

And a more recent nod to the area’s love of horses, local show jumper Scott Brash MBE is immortalised mid-leap with his horse Hello Sanctos in a life-size sculpture on Peebles’ Edinburgh Road. Created by blacksmith/artist Kevin Paxton, and made from old horseshoes – including four from Hello Sanctos himself – the sculpture celebrates Brash’s show jumping gold medal at the 2012 London Olympics. It is also one of 20 fascinating sites mentioned in Tweed Valley Tales: Nature, History & Stories, our free storytelling audio trail on the GeoTourist app.

big Houses

If the walls of our historic houses could talk, they’d certainly have stories to share! Perhaps no more so than Scotland’s oldest, continually inhabited house: Traquair. Dating back to 1107, the house has hosted 27 kings and queens over the centuries, including the powerful Mary Queen of Scots. It now has an established reputation for hosting cultural and political royalty at its annual Beyond Borders International Festival, a weekend-long cultural event featuring panel talks and debates, live music, performing arts and wellbeing activities – all centred around its impressive grounds with excellent café and beech-hedged maze.

Equally impressive grounds await at Bowhill House (pictured above) further down the valley. The Buccleuch family home was frequently visited by Sir Walter Scott in the 1800’s, and he famously christened it ‘Sweet Bowhill’ in his poem, ‘The Lay of the Last Minstrel’. Sadly the house is closed to visitors throughout 2024, but the estate itself still makes for a fabulous day out. This summer, young nature lovers can explore the wilder side of Bowhill in a series of Mini Ranger activities – and the brand-new adventure play park (plus on-site café) will keep busy kids and grown-ups happy for hours.

Perched on a rocky embankment high above the River Tweed, Neidpath Castle is an iconic Tweed Valley landmark. A rare example of a fortified medieval tower house, it’s seen its fair share of action over the years. In spite of this, Neidpath has managed to retain much of its former beauty and charm; its rugged stone walls, secret staircases and intimate chambers are almost untouched. Visitors this June have chance to join a guided tour of the castle hosted by Tweed Valley Blogger – and for the recently engaged, the castle is a most atmospheric wedding venue.

Less glamorous perhaps for weddings, but still steeped in fascinating history, the valley is dotted with ancient ruins and towers. Our Geotourist trail will shed much light on Cross Kirk and St Andrew’s Tower – both located in Peebles – and Elibank Castle further along the Tweed has a storied history worth finding out about too.

rich HERITAGE

The Tweed Valley has a rich heritage dating back to the Iron Age. Ancient bridges and forts, remnants of an industrial era defined by the local textile industry and cultural traditions are all woven into the stories and myths that lie at the heart of our communities. For those keen to delve further, a series of summer heritage walks hosted by Innerleithen Community Trust – and a Peebles Town Walk created by the Peebles Civic Society are the ideal starting place. (Drop into the Visitor Centre for details of the Peebles Town Walk.)

Every Borders town is different and some might say Innerleithen more so than most – as demonstrated by the mix of cultural, historical and sporting traditions of the St Ronan’s Border Games in July. The Games are part of a wider festival, central to which are the mysterious Cleikum Ceremonies that celebrate the town’s association with its patron saint, St Ronan. A monk who took no nonsense from anyone, St Ronan is said to have engaged the Devil himself in combat, using his staff to drive him out of town. The festivities culminate in a torchlit procession that leads to Burnin’ the De’il and a fabulous fireworks display on nearby Caerlee Hill.

A living, breathing nod to Scotland’s industrial heritage, Robert Smail’s Printing Works is one of the oldest Victorian letterpress printers in the UK and an extraordinary example of how art and history are closely aligned across the Tweed Valley. The printers was once powered by two watermills and a man-made lade built for the town’s mills; although electricity was introduced in the 1950’s, the original printing techniques themselves have been preserved. Join a guided tour to find out more about this National Trust for Scotland treasure, and check out our special feature on the museum in our Stories section.

And if it’s family heritage rather than cultural or industrial heritage you’re looking for, the Borders Family History Society (based in Galashiels) may have all of the answers to your genealogy questions. Gravestone indexes, Poor Law records and other archive resources can all be drawn upon to help research your Borders ancestors – with hopeful connections to the area’s great and good!

Further info

Drop into the Go Tweed Valley Visitor Centre in Peebles to find out more about the history and heritage of this unique corner of the Borders. And keep an eye on our social channels for plenty more talk of horses, houses and heritage over the summer season!

Image credits: Ian Linton Photography (main image); Forestry & Land Scotland; Bowhill House.