Things To Do in Peebles
Bookstore
Available as paperback
and as e-book.
Peebles Attractions
The tourist office provides pamphlets describing the best walking tours in the region. The £2 pamphlet Walks Around Peebles describes 20 walks, including one along the Tweed. The Tweed Walk begins in the center of Peebles, and -- with the twists and turns described in the pamphlet -- takes you downstream along the river, then upstream along the opposite bank for a return to Peebles. You can follow the path for segments of 4km (2 1/2 miles), 7km (4 1/3 miles), or 12km (7 1/2 miles). Regardless of the length of your walk, you'll pass the stalwart walls of Neidpath Castle.
Glentress Bicycle Trekking Centre, Glentress, Peebles (tel. 01721/721-736), is the place to rent a bike. You'll have to leave a refundable deposit of £60. Daily rates range from £15 for a half-day to £20 for a full day, and rentals must be arranged in advance. It's open daily April to October 9am to 7pm (Sat-Sun from 10am); November, Wednesday noon to 10pm and Saturday and Sunday 10am to 5pm.
- Park/Garden
Dawyck Botanic Garden
This botanical garden, run by the Royal Botanic Garden in Edinburgh, has a large variety of conifers, some exceeding 30m (100 ft.) in height, as well as many species of flowering shrubs. There's also a fine display of early-spring bulbs, plus wooded walks rich in wildlife interest. - Park/Garden
Kailzie Gardens
These 6.8 hectares (17 acres) of formal walled gardens, dating from 1812, include a rose garden, woodlands, and burnside (streamside) walks. Restored during the past 20 years, it provides a stunning array of plants from early spring to late autumn and has a collection of waterfowl…
Peebles Shopping
Knitwear, crafted from yarn culled from local sheep, is the best buy in Peebles, and easily found as you stroll along High Street. General shopping hours are Monday to Saturday 10am to 5:30pm. On Sundays in July and August, some shops open from 10am to 5pm.
Three sprawling branches of Castle Warehouse, at 1 Greenside (tel. 01721/723-636), 7-13 Old Town (tel. 01721/720-348), and 29-31 Northgate (tel. 01721/720-814), sell gift items with a Scottish flavor as well as clothing, such as traditional Scottish garb and anything you might need for a fishing trip.
Caledonian Countrywear, Ltd., 74 High St. (tel. 01721/723-055), and Out & About, 2 Elcho St. Brae (tel. 01721/723-590), are sporting-goods stores with lots of durable clothing and hiking boots.
For Border handicrafts, such as pine-wood furniture, stoneware, and porcelain, go to Peebles Craft Centre, 9 Newby Court (tel. 01721/722-875), or to the Couchee Righ, 26 Northgate (tel. 01721/721-890).
Peebles Nightlife
Peebles has many options for drinking and dining, and some of the most appealing are in the hotels on the town's edge, even though they may seem rather staid at first glance. On Innerleithen Road, the Park Hotel (tel. 01721/720-451; www.parkhotelpeebles.co.uk) and the nearby Hotel Hydro (tel. 01721/720-602; www.peebleshydro.co.uk) contain pubs and cocktail lounges.
For an earthier atmosphere, we highly recommend dropping into the town's oldest pub, at The Cross Keys Hotel, 24 Northgate (tel. 01721/724-222; www.crosskeyspeebles.co.uk), where you'll find 300-year-old smoke-stained panels, a blazing fireplace, and an evocatively crooked bar. Ask the bartender about the resident ghost. Like the Loch Ness Monster, she's taken on an almost mythical identity since her last sighting, but the rumor goes that she's the spirit of Sir Walter Scott's former landlady, Marian Ritchie. No one will be shy about telling you his or her theory, especially if you're buying.
