Welcome to the Tweed Valley, one of Scotland's most exciting activity destinations!
Located less than an hour from Edinburgh, many know us as Scotland’s premier destination for mountain biking and proud host venue for the 2023 UCI Cycling World Championships. But we're far from a one-trick pony … with vast forests, rolling hills and an iconic river to explore, nature at every turn, delicious local produce, a rich cultural heritage and a hub for the arts, there is a huge amount to see and do all year round.
Working in partnership with our friends at Destination Tweed, and as part of a Scotland-wide research project run by the University of Dundee and app developer GeoTourist, we recently produced Tweed Valley Tales: Nature, History and Stories – a free storytelling audio trail featuring 20 sites that give a flavour of the area’s cultural, natural, built and social history.
Using the app, visitors can self-guide around the Tweed Valley, with many of the sites accessible on foot and by bike using the valley’s extensive network of off-road, multi-use paths.
Included within the trail are an eerie walk through a 600m-long disused railway tunnel at Neidpath, the carving of a First Nations figure by champion chainsaw carver Peter Bowsher at Dawyck Botanic Garden, the remarkable Great Polish Map of Scotland, Robert Smail’s Printing Works and the Glentress Forest meteorite sculpture with its inscription in Klingon – a nod to its maker’s love of Star Trek!
Experience the trail for yourself, and really get to know the area, at: https://geotourist.com/tours/5863/Tweed_Valley_Tales__Nature_History_and_Stories