Tweed Valley Blogger

07/03/2025

Scotland’s Border Abbey’s: History, beauty and a bit of mystery. These medieval wonders are all within a few short miles of each other and have so much to offer. There is really nothing like this anywhere else.

So why does it sometimes feel like visitors to Scotland still overlook them a bit? My theory is we aren’t telling their story well enough. Where some might see pretty but very ruined stone buildings with neatly trimmed lawns, and a nice place for tea, scones and a gift shop, I see the story of Scotland and The Borders especially. Religious piety, royal power, architectural development, European influence, food production, romance, war, waste and wealth - it’s all here.

These buildings provide the backdrop to our Borders story, and it’s a story well worth telling.

Images: and , with thanks.

05/03/2025

Did you know that Robert Smail's Printing Works NTS is offering free tours later this month?

As part of the National Trust for Scotland and The National Lottery Open Week, you can get a hands on tour of this Victorian marvel in Innerleithen for free. All you need to do is book online, and present a lottery ticket or scratch card on the day. What an opportunity.

For more details, and to find out why Smail's is special, check out my latest blog...

Innerleithen’s Robert Smail’s Printing Works is offering free tours this month, as part of the National Lottery Open Week! Find out more here.

04/03/2025

Whytbank Tower, one of many built around the central Borders by the Pringles.

You could say that once they popped, they just couldn’t stop.

Sorry.

03/03/2025

📢 Ticket update 📢

Still a few tickets available for my first ever Biggar Storytelling Walk on 5 April at 10.30am.

Come along and be surprised by the hidden history of this remarkable wee market town. Tickets available on Eventbrite, link below, just £13 for a morning out with a difference, and a perfect way to put a spring in your step!

https://www.eventbrite.com/e/1214858377109?aff=oddtdtcreator

28/02/2025

I'm calling it - spring is (just about) in the air! Lots going on for me over the coming months, thanks for following along with me on social media. Hope to see some of you face to face in the lighter, brighter days of spring ahead....

27/02/2025

The revealing hills of The Borders…

We don’t have any Munros in the Borders, but we are far from flat, as anyone who has taken the time to travel across the region will attest. Perhaps to some the lack of Gaelic names suggests a mass of rounded hills with no identity or character.

Not so.

The hill names that pepper the Borders reveal a patchwork of tribes, races and identities of which all left an influence here. This is just a selection to help guide you when you are next out on the hills, rigs, pens, fells and knowes!

26/02/2025

The seldom visited valley, home to a Borders mystery…

Kilbucho is hemmed in by Goseland Hill to the north, and the rounded bulk of the Coulter Fells to the south. To the west, the Clyde leads to central Scotland and to the east the Tweed drives into the Borders. The name Kilbucho itself is derived from Gaelic and there has been a church here since the Middle Ages. It is the manse of this now ruined Kirk where this eerie mystery took place. Both Kirk and Manse are tucked up a side valley of this already remote Glen, with only the odd, scattered sheep farm for company and the nearest villages some miles away. In the cold February of 1902 The Manse was a private residence and home to two middle aged sisters - Elizabeth and Isabella Hope. Retiring to bed at around midnight, the sisters were soon awoken by the sounds of their bedroom window pane being smashed to bits, with their flickering candlelight illuminating a huge, bearded man hacking at the glass and wood with an axe. Once the window was totally destroyed, he pointed a revolver in and shot twice, leaving bullet holes in the sister’s headboard. Scrambling and crawling, they escaped to the kitchen where the figure repeated his awful business, smashing a window and firing twice, with bullets embedding into a pantry door. In barefoot and night clothes the sisters escaped into the freezing dark, running for their lives towards the neighbouring Mitchellhill Farm, home to the Todd’s. Mr Todd and his shepherd, armed with shotguns, made their way up to the manse where they were soon joined by a posse of local farmers - men who knew every patch of grass and twisting burn in these hills. However despite a wide search no sign was ever found of the bearded man, not so much as a footprint could be located. The police found that he had opened a drawer in the kitchen, but nothing was taken.

The mystery was never solved.

Elizabeth and Isabella Hope never slept in the house again, it was sold and they lived out their lives in Peebles. The manse remains a private house, in a lonely valley, within a lonely valley…

Thanks to where I first read this eerie tale. Check out his great website.

24/02/2025

"a magical, fun, and very informative walk"
"It was a conversation as much as a walk"
"full of enthusiasm and has a vast knowledge of the area"
"The stories were incredibly engaging, but by adding the scenery we were able to see the locations and experience the history"

Join us on Saturday, 12 April for a unique guided walking tour that will transport you through the landscape and rich history of Peebles. Our 5-star reviews rave about the captivating stories, dramatic scenery, and the warm, relaxed, welcoming atmosphere.

Don't miss out! Tickets are available now for just £13 on Eventbrite. Click the link below to secure your place or get in touch for more information.

https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/river-tweed-trail-storytelling-walk-peebles-tickets-1218011949529?aff=oddtdtcreator

21/02/2025

Tours tailored for you in The Scottish Borders...

tweedvalleyblogger.com

19/02/2025

2025 is shaping up to be a busy year for me, and it's all because of the support of wonderful people who believe in me and what I do. Your support allows me to continue to help people discover the often overlooked wonders of The Scottish Borders, and learn more about why this region is so special. From its quiet hills and historic landmarks to its distinct cultural identity and many, many cafes, there's much to explore and love.

Thank you - every tour purchased, podcast download, like, comment or share means the world to me. I particularly enjoy the random face to face chats, like in the frozen section of Tesco in Galae the other day (nice to meet you Tricia!)

Your support helps fuel my passion and drives me to create content that showcases the beauty, forgotten history and quirky side of the Scotland's finest wee corner. Here's to a spring of new discoveries and connections...

19/02/2025

Loving Lidl’s parody whisky advert!

I think I spy a Borders location, what do you think???

17/02/2025

Jethart’s here!

Looking for a day trip soaked in history? Jedburgh is perfect for this. Easy to get to, free parking all day, great food options and a story in every close and corner of the Burgh.

Sadly the town lost its tourist information centre last year, but a new insta page is helping to fill the gap - give a follow. And if you want some help uncovering the towns secrets then book a guided tour with me for a day out to remember! Just get in touch…

16/02/2025

“What is the Scottish Borders?”

One of the biggest searches online relating to the Borders is simply “what is the Scottish Borders?” Anyone hitting that into a well known search engine will be met with a load of hits, many of them referring to the Scottish Borders council area. I think this is quite dry, and doesn’t really get across what this area is and what make it special. So here then is my personal answer to that question…

📸 Images: South of Scotland Destination Alliance/Duncan Ireland (Carter Bar, Leaderfoot Bridges, St. Abbs), Scottish Borders Council (Newtown St. Boswells), GO Tweed Valley (Eastgate, Great Tapestry of Scotland), Visit Scotland (Selkirk Common Riding). Thank you to all of these organisations for supporting tourism in The Scottish Borders.

All other images are my own.

12/02/2025

📢 Ticket update 📢

Ooft, I only posted yesterday and half the tickets for my Biggar Storytelling Walk are sold.

Thanks for the support, it’s going to be a great morning in Clydesdale. If you want to join us to learn more about this great town then best move fast, tickets available on Eventbrite, click the link in my bio…

11/02/2025

Biggar Kirk.

There’s been a stone church on this site for almost 900 years, when the Flemings arrived... This version was the last church built Pre-Reformation, when Scotland was still a majority Roman Catholic country. You can learn more about Biggar’s fascinating history, and its many attractions today, by joining my first ever Biggar Storytelling Walk on 5 April. A great way to put a spring in your step! 🌼

Link for tickets in stories 🙂

08/02/2025

For a couple of weeks, I have been working on a blog and podcast telling a version of the story of Innerleithen’s famous goose & horse, who kept so many entertained for years down by the Tweed. I have now completed this and you can listen below by clicking the link – don’t worry if you are not familiar with Spotify or podcasts, you can easily listen on your device just be following the link. I think this story can almost be classified as a modern folk tale, and as such I will have missed bits out or not got across everyone’s memories – so be it, it is just my version and, like us all, is imperfect, but I think you'll enjoy it anyway!

https://creators.spotify.com/pod/show/stewart-wilson87/episodes/The-Goose-and-The-Horse-e2uj89i

This is part of a short series of blogs and podcasts I am creating honouring 19th century storyteller JM Wilson who wrote his ‘Tales of the Border’. I want to retell his stories, and, respectfully, add my own 21st century ’New' Tales of the Border to the mythology. You can find more at tweedvalleyblogger.com

For the second in this short series of 'Wilson's New Tales of The Border', I add my own effort to the mythology, paying tribute to 19th century storyteller JM Wilson, with a very 21st century story. This is my version of an unlikely tale which played out by the River Tweed, across a number of years....

07/02/2025

Lots to see and do in the Tweed Valley - Scotlands year-round activity destination! Find out more at The Hub On The High Street in Innerleithen with this cool new display.

05/02/2025

Hadrian's Wall in 2025 with Tweed Valley Blogger...

Much excitement for me recently when my first 2025 booking to go to Hadrian's Wall country was confirmed. The vast, complex remains have fired my imagination since being taken there as a child by my parents, and St. Ronan's Primary School. Fast forward 30 plus years and I love taking guests here, sharing my passion for Hadrian's Wall, as well as the Northumbrian & Cumbrian countryside it snakes through. Want to see the wall for yourself, in the hands of a safe, knowledgeable and passionate guide? Get in touch, and lets talk Romans...