led by locals

Let our local experts guide you through the walks, the attractions, the cycling trails and the stories that have helped to shape the Tweed Valley.

You can’t beat a bit of insider knowledge. And in the Tweed Valley, we are lucky to have a wealth of local experts, from photographers to tour guides, historians to walkers – all happy to enrich the visitor experience with their first-class knowledge of the area. Here’s a selection of the best …

Walking and guided tours

Innerleithen-based tour guide and blogger, Stewart Wilson, knows a thing or two about the Tweed Valley and wider reaches of the Scottish Borders. A ‘magpie historian’, always on the look out for shiny nuggets and a good story, he’s passionate about his home patch and writes beautifully about the people and places that make the area so unique. Stewart offers private, tailored tours across southern Scotland and northern England, with options for half and full day tours. Check out Tweed Valley Blogger (below, centre right) for more information and follow him on his Instagram travels at @tweedvalleyblogger.

Ross McGinn and Ted McKie (below, left) have more than a century of combined knowledge of Innerleithen – a town once powered by textile mills, but which has since reinvented itself as an outdoor activity hotspot. Together, they have witnessed the evolution of a town that, while modest in size, has a remarkable number of stories to tell. And it’s these stories, plus a smattering of myth and legend, that Ross and Ted recount in a programme of heritage walks held annually from May to September.

Further up the valley, visitors and locals are invited to step back in time on guided walks with Chris and Eric from Peebles Library, Museum and Gallery. These intriguing tours promise to shed some light on the town’s historic streets and residents, each one exploring the stories that have made the town what it is today. Tours run on the final Thursday of each month from the quadrangle at the Chamber’s Institution – and in the museum itself through the winter months.

Bike guiding

Over the past decade, the Tweed Valley has become something of a bike resort with hundreds of kilometres of trails spread across two designated trail centres, a variety of forests and into the hills and far away. With many of the trails covered by guidebooks and apps, you can create your own big days out – but nothing quite beats learning from local experts who know the area like the back of their hands.

If it’s mountain bike guiding you are looking for, Ridelines and Dirt School offer guided rides to every secret spot and gorgeous corner of the Tweed Valley. The same applies to Tweed Valley Guides (Dirt School’s sister company), plus Ride Innerleithen, Adrenalin Uplift and Bike Valley Scotland. For both mountain bike and gravel tours, look no further than multi-award winning adventure travel company Go-Where (above, centre left), and for self-guided route ideas the excellent Bike Valley Trails offers off- and on-road options for every kind of rider.

Discover more about these local biking gurus on our Ride Like a Local page.

Photography

Looking for a professional photographer to capture your business and products, your building or a shot of the natural environment? Colin McLean (above, right) is an experienced freelance photographer based in Peebles, who works in two areas. Architectural photography - primarily historic buildings and places. And the natural environment: river and forestry management, rewilding and the landscape. Colin also photographs people in their work environment. Colin’s work has been recognised with a distinction from the Royal Photographic Society, and has featured in exhibitions, books, journals, magazine and the media – his dramatic drone shot of Manor Brig has pride of place on the cover of Go Tweed Valley’s current visitor map. He has also walked extensively in the Borders hills and writes a blog titled Mucky Boots.

Further info

For insider tips on the valley’s tastiest scones and most romantic swim spots, must-see attractions and latest outdoor shops, drop into the visitor centre on Peebles High Street. Our visitor centre manager and team have unrivalled knowledge of this corner of Scotland and are always happy to point you in the right direction.