Peebles & The Scottish Borders

Peebles is a small market town on the banks of the River Tweed in the Scottish Borders, and is where I originally hail from. I'm a regular visitor back home, and spend as much time as I can it the picturesque countryside, walking my dog and taking photos of the beautiful landscape in this part of the country.

For a full slideshow of all my photos of Scotland,, please click on the Gallery & Store page (or click on the banner above!).

A Borders Sunset

To the South West of Peebles lies a hill called The Sware, which is one of my all-time favourite spots! Easily accessible from the town via a now closed road, there are 2 viewpoints on either side of the hill. I used to cycle up the (very steep!) hill from the valley floor below regularly as a teenager, stopping here to get my breath back and admire the view, before heading over the top and back down into Peebles. This view point looks West out over the Tweed and Manor valleys. Manor Bridge, in the middle distance, was, built in 1883 to replace an old ford crossing the River Tweed, and is the focal point in many photos - mines included! I've been trying to capture a beautiful sunset from here for many years, but I generally visit in June, so the sun sets a lot further north meaning you miss the more spectacular skies, and the hills cast deep shadows over the valley making it difficult to get an evenly exposed photo.

The day I took this photo had been particularly cloudy and disappointing so I wasn't planning to go out. A chance look outside made me literally grab my kit and run to the car to very quickly try to find some likely spots to capture what I was hoping would be a great sunset! This wasn't it, believe it or not, but I hastily grabbed a few pictures before zooming off elsewhere and capturing what I thought was a better picture later in the evening. I forgot all about the other photos! It was only when I was transferring files between computers that I realised I'd captured this!

Peebles from The Sware

The other side of the Sware has another fantastic viewpoint Northwards over Peebles and Eastwards down the Tweed Valley. It's another favourite spot of mine - the whole of the town is stretched out in the valley below you,. Peebles was Initially a market town and Peebles played a role in the woollen industry of the Borders up until the 1960s. Although one woollen mill remains operational in the town, the town is now home to many people who commute to work in Edinburgh, as well as being a popular tourist destination, especially in the summer. The town centre is dominated by the 3 church spires with the Parish Church tower (left) at the head of the High Street, the spire of the Eastgate Theatre (middle right) and, set back from the High Street, the spire of the St Andrews Leckie (right).

This is an infrared image converted to black & white, taken in the middle of the day, resulting in bright white foliage on the trees, contrasting with the dark buildings of the town

Scott's View

Scott's View was reputed to be a favourite view of Sir Walter Scott and is one of the most famous and unspoilt views of the Scottish Borders. According to a popular story, so often did Scott stop here on his way home to Abbotsford House, that his horses would halt without command. After his death in 1832, his funeral cortege passed this way and his horses stopped to allow their master one last look at the borders landscape. The landscape is dominated by the 3 peaks of the Eildon Hills above Melrose but also takes in ancient woodland and a wide meander in the River Tweed.

It's a view that I've long admired, but it is a fair trek from home so not one I've had a chance to visit. As I was in the area, I thought I'd take a quick reconnisance visit. I could have spent hours here - It is simply the definitive view of the Borders! It'll be a view I visit again in more optimal conditions!

... loading slideshow ...