Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
several craft workshops and the
Traquair House Brewery
dating back to 1566, which
was revived in 1965 and claims to be the only British brewery that still ferments totally
in oak. You can learn about the brewery and taste the ales in the Brewery Shop.
here's also an attractive café serving above-average snacks in an estate cottage on the
redundant avenue, which leads to the locked
Bear Gates
; Bonnie Prince Charlie
departed the house through the gates, and the then-owner promised to keep them
locked till a Stuart should ascend the throne.
2
ARRIVAL AND INFORMATION
PEEBLES AND AROUND
By bus
The bus terminal is next to the main car park just
north of the eastern end of the main shopping street.
Destinations
Edinburgh (2 hourly, 1 on Sun; 1hr);
Galashiels (2 hourly, 1 on Sun; 40min); Melrose (2 hourly, 1
on Sun; 1hr).
Tourist o
ce
A well-stocked tourist o
ce is in the High
St (Nov-March Mon-Sat 9.30am-4pm; April-Oct Mon-
Sat 9am-5pm, Sun 11am-4pm;
T
01721 723159), with
24hr virtual tourist information available by way of a touch
screen tablet stuck onto the shop window.
ACCOMMODATION
Green Tree Hotel
41 Eastgate
T
01721 720582,
W
greentreehotel.com.
A good economical option in the
heart of town, between the bus station and the High St,
with a choice of singles, doubles and family rooms. All are
perfectly comfortable with si
mple
decor and come with en
suite and breakfast included.
£75
Kingsmuir House
Springhill Rd
T
01721 724413
W
kingsmuirhouse.co.uk.
Dating from the 1850s, this
generously proportioned villa offers two exemplary guest
rooms with well coordinated decor and traditional
furnishings; just 2min from the main drag
and
overlo
oking
Victoria Park across the Tweed from the centre.
£120
Traquair
7 miles east of Peebles, on the B7062
T
01896 830323,
W
traquair.co.uk.
Most visitors come
here as a day-trip from Peebles, but if you're really taken by
the place, you can stay in one of its three double guest
rooms, exquisitely decked out with
antiq
ues and four-
posters, on a bed-and-breakfast basis.
£180
CAMPING
Glentress Forest Lodges
The Peel Gateway, entrance
to Glentress, 2 miles east of Peebles on the A72.
T
01721 721007,
W
glentressforestlodges.co.uk.
Like
sections of upturned boat hulls, these simple but attractive
wooden huts are arranged in clusters, somehow resembling
a prehistoric settlement. The accommodation is basic;
some benches to sit/sleep on, a door and a window but
there's also a communal kitc
hen
and a generous firewood
supply. Sleeps five at a push.
£48
Rosetta Holiday
Park Rosetta Rd
T
01721 720770,
W
www.rosettaholidaypark.com.
The only campsite in
Peebles not next to a main road, it's peacefully set on the
northwest edge of town, surrounded by mature woods,
with hike-able drove roads up the Meldon Hills starting
almost from the site entrance. There's a bar that serves food
in the evenings and for kids,
a TV/
poolroom as well as a
walled playground.
April-Oct.
£16
/pitch
MOUNTAIN BIKING IN GLENTRESS FOREST AND INNERLEITHEN
Glentress Forest
, two miles east of Peebles on the A72, has some of the best opportunities for
mountain biking in Scotland. Not only are there five superb, carefully crafted, purpose-built trails,
colour-coded for di
culty, there's a fantastic bike centre at the entrance to the forest called the
Peel Gateway
. This is a great place for mountain bikers, with changing rooms and showers, a café
and a shop filled with spares as well as bike hire from Alpine Bikes. You can choose from a whole
range of excellent mountain bikes for all ages and there are occasional training weekends when
you can improve your technique. If you fancy staying several days it's worth checking out the
timber wigwams (see above) near the entrance. There are more trails just a few miles southeast of
Glentress near
Innerleithen
, geared towards more advanced riders, with bike rental available in
Innerleithen. Glentress and Innerleithen are collectively one of seven forest biking centres in
southern Scotland, known collectively as the
7stanes
(
W
7stanesmountainbiking.com).
BIKE RENTAL
Bike hire is pricey hereabouts, ranging from £50 to £70 per day although child bikes are just £15.
Alpine Bikes
High St, Innerleithen (in a disused
church)
T
01896 830880,
W
alpinebikes.com.
Mon-
Fri 9.30am-5.30pm, Sat & Sun 9.30am-6pm.
Alpine Bikes
The Peel Gateway, entrance to
Glentress, 2 miles east of Peebles on the A72
T
01721
724522,
W
alpinebikes.com. Daily 9.30am-6pm.
