Things to Do & Places to Visit

Scotland’s oldest inhabited house, Traquair is a must visit.  Explore the house with a guided tour, take a wander round the gardens and get lost in the maze, or sample Traquair ale in the brewery.

Glentress is one of the world class 7stanes mountain bike venues, featuring a wide range of trails for beginners and experts alike.  It’s also perfect for walkers with miles of peaceful forestry trails to explore.

To learn more about the life of ‘Thirty Nine Steps’ author John Buchan (1875 – 1940), visit the John Buchan Museum in Peebles.  Staffed by volunteers, admission is free.

Dawyck Botanic Garden is a five star Garden renowned for its seasonal displays of snowdrops, bluebells, rhododendrons, azaleas, blue poppies and autumn colour.

This shared cycling and walking trail runs along a disused railway line from Innerleithen to Peebles.  It’s a nice easy route suitable for families or anyone looking for a safe, easy cycle or walk.

Choose from a culturally rich selection of music, films, dance shows, talks, and theatre productions all shown at Peeble’s very own Eastgate Theatre, located less than a 2 minute stroll from The Tontine.

Located at Glentress Forest, Go Ape offers action packed outdoor activities for all the family, including zip wires and rope courses through tree tops.

Kailzie Gardens is just a mile east of Peebles, in a beautiful position on the River Tweed. At its heart lies the stunning walled garden with plantings of many unusual shrubs, laburnum arches, an enchanting rose garden and spectacular herbaceous borders.

A unique feature in the landscape, the Map is a large physical relief map of Scotland, sculpted in concrete and measuring some 40m by 50m.  It was built by Poles following the Second World War.  Open daily in the grounds of Barony Castle.

As the home of Sir Walter Scott, Abbotsford House holds fascinating collections of art and Scott’s renowned library and study, all in a beautiful setting overlooking the River Tweed.