Latest news with #Peebles
Telegraph
16 hours ago
- Telegraph
Now is the perfect time to explore the River Tweed, one of Britain's last true idylls
The Scottish Borders is one of the few places left in Britain where you can find breathtaking scenery and peace and quiet, and undoubtedly the Best of the Borders can be found along the River Tweed. It meanders through glorious countryside, under stately bridges, past historic country homes, romantic abbey ruins and castles, telling of a turbulent history on its 97-mile journey to that most Scottish of English towns, Berwick. Due to be ready in 2028 (hopefully before the dark towers and pylons of Net Zero cast their shadow across the valley), a new 113-mile River Tweed Trail will allow walkers and cyclists to follow one of Britain's most beautiful rivers from source to sea. Much of the trail is already in place so here are some of the highlights you can see along the way, before the crowds arrive. Mighty firs and lazy waters The river begins at Tweeds Well, 1,500 feet up in the Lowther Hills, north of Moffat, and quickly descends 1,000 feet to Peebles, past the village of Tweedsmuir, childhood home of John Buchan, author of The 39 Steps, and Dawyk Botanic Gardens, Scotland's finest arboretum, famous for its Douglas Firs. Guarding the approach to Peebles is Neidpath Castle, a 14th-century fortress with walls 11 feet thick, dramatically sited on a high rock above a bend in the river. Strawberries carved above the gateway bear witness to the original builders of the castle, the Frasers, named from ' fraisier ', derived from the French for strawberry. Peebles, girdled with wooded hills, lies on a glorious stretch of the river, spanned by an elegant stone bridge of 1467, since widened, and is a popular fishing centre. Here, the lazy waters of the Tweed form deep pools and gravelly shallows that nurture the salmon for which the Tweed is famous. Lairds and young pretenders The river heads west to Traquair, the oldest house in Scotland and one of its loveliest. It began life in the 12th century as a simple peel tower set so close to the river that the laird could fish for salmon out of his bedroom window. The river was later diverted away to its present course by James Stewart, 1st Laird of Traquair, who was killed at Flodden in 1513. His descendants still live at Traquair, the present owner being Catherine Maxwell Stuart, 21st Lady of Traquair. The present, largely 17th-century house incorporates the original tower and forms the most unpretentious and 'Scottish' of all Scotland's great houses, grey and mellowed with corbelled turrets and dormer windows. Bonnie Prince Charlie stopped by during the 1745 uprising and after he left his kinsman, the Earl of Traquair, closed the Bear Gates to the main avenue vowing they would never be opened again until a Stuart sat on the throne. 'It is a poor place, but mine own,' declared novelist Sir Walter Scott when he purchased the ramshackle farm of Cartleyhole near Melrose in 1811. Over the next 15 years he transformed the farmhouse into a grand baronial 'conundrum castle' he called Abbotsford, and filled it with Scottish memorabilia, Rob Roy's broadsword, Flora Macdonald's pocket book, the inevitable lock of Bonnie Prince Charlie's hair. Best of all is the cosy, intimate study overlooking the Tweed where Scott wrote his Waverley novels, and where he died in 1832 from the exertions of writing ceaselessly to pay off the debts of his bankrupt publishing company. The house was opened to the public in 1840 as one of Scotland's earliest tourist attractions. Melrose gathers around the warm, pink walls of its ruined abbey, the loveliest of the Border abbeys founded by David I in the 12th century, and like so many it was sacked by the English and dismantled at the Dissolution of the Monasteries. Melrose is notable for the delicacy and humour of its carvings – look out for the bagpipe-playing pig high up on a buttress – and the exquisite tracery of its great windows. Thrillingly, the embalmed heart of Robert the Bruce is buried beneath the chapter house floor. The River now dips south into Berwickshire and loops past the romantic ruins of Dryburgh Abbey, where Sir Walter Scott is buried. High above on Bermersyde Hill is Scott's View, looking west over the Tweed to the Eildon Hills. Scott would often stop there and during his funeral procession from Abbotsford to Dryburgh the horses pulling his coffin halted there of their own accord as if to give their master a last look at his beloved native land. 'The most romantic place in Scotland' Kelso, described by Scott as 'the most romantic, if not the most beautiful place in Scotland', sits by a luxurious curve of the Tweed, here joined by the Teviot. There's not much left of what was the largest of the Border abbeys, but what does survive looms over the town and is spectacular, the magnificent facade of the north transept regarded as the finest example of Norman architecture in Scotland. From the abbey, cobbled streets lead to the handsomest and largest town square in Scotland. The fine stone bridge that leads across the Tweed into the town was built in 1803 by John Rennie and provides good views of the turreted extravaganza that is Floors Castle, home of the Dukes of Roxburghe and the largest inhabited mansion in Britain. Soon the Tweed becomes the border between Scotland and England – Tweed is a Celtic word for 'border' – before reaching the clean, spacious town of Coldstream at the lowest fording point of the river. Edward I crossed here to invade Scotland in 1296, James IV and the flower of the Scots nobility crossed in the other direction on their way to defeat at Flodden in 1513. On January 1 1660 General Monk left his headquarters in Coldstream's market square and crossed into England with his Regiment of Foot to march to London and assist the restoration of Charles II. His regiment thereafter took the name Coldstream Guards and it is now the oldest continuously serving regiment in the British Army. In 1766 John Smeaton put up a fine five-arched bridge to replace the ford and a toll house on the Scottish side which became popular for runaway marriages. The waters then slip by the mighty Norman walls of Norham Castle, perched high on a grassy mound to guard another vital ford, and then pass under the Union Chain Bridge linking Scotland with England. With a span of 449 feet, this was the longest iron suspension bridge in the world when it was built in 1820 and the first in the world to carry vehicles. Downriver on the Scottish bank sits Paxton House, an elegant Palladian gem of pink sandstone designed for Patrick Home by the Adam brothers, James, John and Robert. In 1812 an east wing was added to accommodate a gallery for Home's art collection, now dispersed, and the gallery is today open to the public as part of the National Galleries of Scotland. At this point the Tweed turns for Berwick and the sea, disappearing into Northumberland for its final two miles. Where to stay Traquair is the oldest and most romantic house in Scotland, and has four spacious double bedrooms furnished with antiques and canopied beds. Rooms from £240, including breakfast. Dryburgh Abbey Hotel is a Scottish country house hotel on the River Tweed, right next to Dryburgh Abbey and perfect setting for exploring the Scottish Borders. Doubles from £146, including breakfast.
BBC News
5 days ago
- General
- BBC News
Tweed Valley osprey love triangle chicks fail to survive
The four chicks which hatched as part of a rare osprey love triangle in the Borders have and Land Scotland (FLS) had captured the unusual arrangement on cameras set up as part of the Tweed Valley Osprey Project (TVOP) at Glentress near female birds and one male had been breeding in what initially appeared to be a "tolerant" after the male bird left the nest, the two females struggled to provide enough food for the chicks which ultimately failed to survive. The unusual breeding situation was revealed last month when the relationship between the birds was "looking good".They worked together to incubate the four eggs in the nest and the chicks began to hatch on 28 by that stage the male bird - named Newboy - had abandoned the nest, leaving the two females - F2 and Mrs O - to provide for the co-ordinator Diane Bennett said that process had started out quite well. "It was with huge relief to everyone on the project when F2 brought a half-eaten fish back to the nest and both females began to feed the tiny chicks together," she said."It was a unique moment to witness and it was looking hopeful that they would figure out a feeding strategy to look after their young between them."However, no further fish were brought to the nest over Friday and Saturday."The chicks were begging for food, Mrs O went into her instinctive role to nurture her young, protect them and to stay with them," Diane Bennett said."This left F2 to go against her natural instinct to do the same as Mrs O and to become the hunter and provider instead, which ordinarily is the role of the male bird in the osprey breeding cycle."F2 was struggling to fulfil this role, Newboy never returned and Mrs O was locked into her motherhood mode." She said that F2 did eventually return on Monday with a "small portion of half-eaten fish" but Mrs O was "so ravenous" that she had eaten it, leaving none for the Tuesday, when Mrs O stood away from the brood, it was clear that three of the young had died and one was still "begging to be fed".F2 did eventually bring some fish to the nest but by that time the remaining chick had also "succumbed to starvation and passed away"."Everyone is so heartbroken that the female ospreys have not managed to make this situation work," said Diane Bennett."This has been very upsetting and sad to watch this family drama turn to tragedy and brings home just how vulnerable and fragile the whole breeding cycle can be for ospreys."For their very brief lives they touched many hearts of people who dearly wanted them to survive."However, she said it was "not all doom and gloom" in the Tweed Valley as other birds that had fledged from the area had been spotted far have been reported on the Isle of Anglesey, in North Yorkshire and the Usk Valley in Wales.
Scotsman
27-05-2025
- Sport
- Scotsman
Scottish football club desperately appeal for help with their long-term future at risk after 132 years
Peebles Rovers are fighting for their existence in the East of Scotland League Sign up to our daily newsletter Sign up Thank you for signing up! Did you know with a Digital Subscription to Edinburgh News, you can get unlimited access to the website including our premium content, as well as benefiting from fewer ads, loyalty rewards and much more. Learn More Sorry, there seem to be some issues. Please try again later. Submitting... Peebles Rovers fear they will be ejected from Scottish football's pyramid system if they can't find a new home ground. Whitestone Park, the club's base for nearly 120 years, does not meet the required criteria for Peebles to continue long-term in the East of Scotland Football League. Attempts to find an alternative have failed so far. Peebles officials have been told Whitestone Park cannot be upgraded, while efforts to share other sports grounds locally have been rejected. The club are now concerned that their very future is at risk after 132 years. They remain the only club from the Borders region to have played in the Scottish leagues, having been members of the old Scottish Football League Third Division between 1923 and 1926. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad Currently in the East of Scotland League Second Division, Peebles fear being demoted and eventually forced out of senior football altogether. The club are desperately appealing for anyone who can help them survive. 'For several years now, there has been increasing pressure on the club from the East of Scotland Football League (EOSFL) to upgrade our facilities,' they said in a statement. 'Changes to the minimum league criteria a few years ago resulted in home and away dugouts being added to the Alec Lucas stand along with permanent and semi-permanent pitch surrounds. 'Since the elevation of the EOSFL to the Scottish Football pyramid, these minimum ground criteria have become significantly more stringent, to such an extent that the club has been forced to actively seek an alternative ground to play from. Whitestone Park has been the home of Peebles Rovers for almost 120 years but, as it is not possible to make the necessary upgrades to this area, it has been deemed necessary that we find a new home. 'Over the last few years, we have engaged with several senior figures at Scottish Borders Council (SBC) in the hope that we could find a workable solution. Multiple promises have been made and broken and leaving the club in a seriously precarious position. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad 'We were summoned to an EOSFL meeting to outline our plans but as what appeared to be our last hope of survival, a ground share with Peebles RFC at The Gytes, has met with both opposition and funding issues, we had virtually nothing to appease the league authorities with. 'Whilst, from our perspective, it is clearly disappointing that there is opposition to sharing The Gytes, it is perfectly within the rights of Peebles RFC to want to retain sole ownership of the lease so we just need to live with the consequences of this no matter how damaging it is to our future and to the local sport community. The only alternative to this would now be to find somewhere to start completely from scratch. 'Even if this became a possibility, should anyone local have suitable ground they could lease to the club, the timescales involved would not be consistent with our continuous participation in the EOSFL. Clearly, if there was potential to relocate somewhere else, we would then be able to fundraise for a specific project and hopefully be able to re-enter the EOSFL in a compliant facility in the future. 'In terms of timescale, if we do not have a compliant ground by March 2026, we would be demoted to the lowest division of the EOSFL and if by March 2027 we did not have the necessary ground, we would be ejected from the league. Clearly, this scenario severely impacts our ability to sign and motivate players going into next season where all they could be playing for is relegation from the outset. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad 'What a shame this would be to see a 132-year-old club potentially go to the wall due to a lack of sporting facilities in the town that are commensurate with the 21st century. Many people over the years, and in fact decades, have worked tirelessly for this club but its very existence is now threatened. If the club ceases to exist, it would bring an end to our active support of Peeblesshire Foodbank and the Alec Lucas Memorial Trust. It would also remove the pathway for local kids to play in the town from the age of five right up to senior football. 'So, whilst time is very much against us, we are far from giving up and if necessary will continue to work behind the scenes to help ensure the club comes back better, stronger and in a facility that will inspire future generations. 'If anyone at all feels they can help the club in any way, whether it be potentially with land which could be leased and developed, financially or just with any advice or help at all, please do get in touch and we will be delighted to speak with you. 'Together, we can all save the future of Peebles Rovers!'
Scotsman
27-05-2025
- Sport
- Scotsman
Scottish football club desperately appeal for help with their future at risk after 132 years
Peebles Rovers are fighting for their existence in the East of Scotland League Sign up to our daily newsletter Sign up Thank you for signing up! Did you know with a Digital Subscription to Edinburgh News, you can get unlimited access to the website including our premium content, as well as benefiting from fewer ads, loyalty rewards and much more. Learn More Sorry, there seem to be some issues. Please try again later. Submitting... Peebles Rovers fear they will be ejected from Scottish football's pyramid system if they can't find a new home ground. Whitestone Park, the club's base for nearly 120 years, does not meet the required criteria for Peebles to continue long-term in the East of Scotland Football League. Attempts to find an alternative have failed so far. Peebles officials have been told Whitestone Park cannot be upgraded, while efforts to share other sports grounds locally have been rejected. The club are now concerned that their very future is at risk after 132 years. They remain the only club from the Borders region to have played in the Scottish leagues, having been members of the old Scottish Football League Third Division between 1923 and 1926. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad Currently in the East of Scotland League Second Division, Peebles fear being demoted and eventually forced out of senior football altogether. The club are desperately appealing for anyone who can help them survive. 'For several years now, there has been increasing pressure on the club from the East of Scotland Football League (EOSFL) to upgrade our facilities,' they said in a statement. 'Changes to the minimum league criteria a few years ago resulted in home and away dugouts being added to the Alec Lucas stand along with permanent and semi-permanent pitch surrounds. 'Since the elevation of the EOSFL to the Scottish Football pyramid, these minimum ground criteria have become significantly more stringent, to such an extent that the club has been forced to actively seek an alternative ground to play from. Whitestone Park has been the home of Peebles Rovers for almost 120 years but, as it is not possible to make the necessary upgrades to this area, it has been deemed necessary that we find a new home. 'Over the last few years, we have engaged with several senior figures at Scottish Borders Council (SBC) in the hope that we could find a workable solution. Multiple promises have been made and broken and leaving the club in a seriously precarious position. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad 'We were summoned to an EOSFL meeting to outline our plans but as what appeared to be our last hope of survival, a ground share with Peebles RFC at The Gytes, has met with both opposition and funding issues, we had virtually nothing to appease the league authorities with. 'Whilst, from our perspective, it is clearly disappointing that there is opposition to sharing The Gytes, it is perfectly within the rights of Peebles RFC to want to retain sole ownership of the lease so we just need to live with the consequences of this no matter how damaging it is to our future and to the local sport community. The only alternative to this would now be to find somewhere to start completely from scratch. 'Even if this became a possibility, should anyone local have suitable ground they could lease to the club, the timescales involved would not be consistent with our continuous participation in the EOSFL. Clearly, if there was potential to relocate somewhere else, we would then be able to fundraise for a specific project and hopefully be able to re-enter the EOSFL in a compliant facility in the future. 'In terms of timescale, if we do not have a compliant ground by March 2026, we would be demoted to the lowest division of the EOSFL and if by March 2027 we did not have the necessary ground, we would be ejected from the league. Clearly, this scenario severely impacts our ability to sign and motivate players going into next season where all they could be playing for is relegation from the outset. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad 'What a shame this would be to see a 132-year-old club potentially go to the wall due to a lack of sporting facilities in the town that are commensurate with the 21st century. Many people over the years, and in fact decades, have worked tirelessly for this club but its very existence is now threatened. If the club ceases to exist, it would bring an end to our active support of Peeblesshire Foodbank and the Alec Lucas Memorial Trust. It would also remove the pathway for local kids to play in the town from the age of five right up to senior football. 'So, whilst time is very much against us, we are far from giving up and if necessary will continue to work behind the scenes to help ensure the club comes back better, stronger and in a facility that will inspire future generations. 'If anyone at all feels they can help the club in any way, whether it be potentially with land which could be leased and developed, financially or just with any advice or help at all, please do get in touch and we will be delighted to speak with you. 'Together, we can all save the future of Peebles Rovers!'
The Independent
23-05-2025
- General
- The Independent
‘Very rare' love triangle between osprey birds in Scotland caught on camera
This is the moment that a trio of osprey birds were caught nesting together in a love triangle. Footage captured by Forestry and Land Scotland shows the three birds - two female and one male - sharing a nest of four eggs at Glentress near Peebles in the Scottish Borders. Experts have said that the behaviour exhibited is 'very rare', with the two females even sharing incubation duties. 'The only tension witnessed so far has been on the arrival of a fish delivery from the male as the two females both make a grab it,', said Diane Bennett, a Tweed Valley osprey project co-ordinator. Observers have said the egg hatching will only add more intrigue into how the polygamous relationship functions.
