Once a favourite hunting base for Scottish Kings, Peebles is now better known for its antique and woollen shops and its much altered 19th century spa hotel, Peebles Hydro.
It is also a delightful place to tour the Tweed Valley or walk the surrounding hills. Throughout the summer, Peebles is host to many festivals and events including The Beltane Week in June, the Agricultural Show and Arts Festival in August and its own Highland Games in September.
For the more active, there is golf, fishing, mountain biking and walking where the forests of Tweeddale and the challenging Southern Upland Way are easily accessible. On the edge of town is Neidpath Castle, providing the most amazing views over the River Tweed. Also nearby is Traquair House, one of Britain’s great houses and home to the Stuarts. The house boasts a garden maze, a small brewery and an art gallery.
Walks, trails and cycle routes can be explored in the nearby forests of Glentress, Innerleithen and Thornylee. For Garden enthusiasts, Peebles and its surrounding area offers a wonderful choice of colourful gardens including Dawyck Gardens with its spring rhododendrons, azaleas, maples and rowans; Kailzie Gardens, occupying a beautiful position on the River Tweed, with a walled garden and an Osprey viewing centre; and Traquair House gardens, host to the Garden Lovers Fair in May.