Insight Guides Scotland – Norm Longley

David Cruickshanks/Apa Publications Directly south of Edinburgh, the town of Peebles 1 [map] owes much of its charm to its Tweedside location. Here, the river already runs wide and fast. Peebles’ central thoroughfare is equally wide but much more sedate. Peebles was never renowned for its hustle and bustle; an 18th-century aristocrat coined an ungenerous simile: ‘As quiet as the grave – or Peebles.’

This is certainly not true in June when things liven up with the week-long ‘Riding of the Marches’ Beltane festival, a Celtic celebration of the sun marking the beginning of summer. The Cross Kirk was erected in 1261 after the discovery of a large cross on this site; its remnants include a 15th-century tower and foundations of a cloister and monastic buildings. St Andrew’s Collegiate Church, the forerunner of the Cross Kirk, sits in a cemetery on the Glasgow Road. Here, too, only a tower remains; the rest was burned by the English at the time of the sacking of the four great Border abbeys.

At the bottom of Peebles High Street, the Gothic outline of Peebles Parish Church adds to the town’s air of sobriety. The Chambers Institute, Peebles’ civic centre and home of the Peebles Library Museum and Gallery (https://liveborders.org; donation), was a gift to the town from William Chambers, a native of the place and the founding publisher of Chambers’s Encyclopaedia.

The museum’s highlight is the ‘Secret Room’, which contains two superb friezes: one a copy of the Elgin Marbles taken from the Parthenon, the other of the Triumph of Alexander. It’s also home to the John Buchan Centre (https://johnbuchanstory.co.uk; free), a museum dedicated to the author of the classic The Thirty-Nine Steps and who eventually became governor general of Canada. Neidpath Castle. Fotolia The River Tweed has inspired romantic Borders ballads for hundreds of years and was considered by Sir Walter Scott to be the most precious river in the world.

Its source is just a few miles south of the village of Tweedsmuir, and the waterway cuts through three of the most important Border towns: Peebles, Melrose and Kelso. Here, too, you will find rugged moorland and craggy terrain, reminiscent of the Scottish Highlands. The two highest points in the Borders, Broad Law and Dollar Law, rise to more than 2,750ft (840 metres) and 2,680ft (820 metres), respectively.

Draw a line between Hawick and Broughton and then stay south of it and you will see the best the Borders have to offer. A popular route is the side road out of Tweedsmuir up to the Talla and Megget Reservoirs.

Glen Coe. Full of drama for its powerful scenery and its challenging and dangerous mountain climbs, this notorious glen was also the spine- tingling scene of the1692 bloody massacre of the MacDonalds. For more information, click here. iStock Top Attraction 2 Edinburgh. Scotland’s elegant capital is the site of the Scottish Parliament.

The city is equally famous for its massive castle and its cultural festivals. For more information, click here. Shutterstock Top Attraction 3 Robert Burns Birthplace Museum. The birthplace of Scotland’s most famous poet Rabbie Burns provides an insight into how much he has contributed to Scotland’s life and culture. For more information, click here. iStock Top Attraction 4 Glasgow.

Scotland’s second city has shaken off its grimy past and is now noted for its lively nightlife, contemporary art scene, fantastic architecture, shopping and parks. For more information, click here. Shutterstock Top Attraction 5 Loch Lomond and the Trossachs. The bonnie banks of Loch Lomond wrap around the largest body of water in Britain, which, along with the Trossach hills, form part of the magnificent national park. For more information, click here. iStock Top Attraction 6 Isle of Skye.

Romantically associated with Bonnie Prince Charlie and Flora MacDonald, Skye is the most scenically spectacular spot of the western seaboard, with superb mountain landscapes and dramatic sea lochs. For more information, click here. Shutterstock Top Attraction 7 The Cairngorms National Park. These remote mountains shelter wildlife such as the capercaillie and the golden eagle, and are a magnet for walkers, climbers and skiers. For more information, click here. iStock Top Attraction 8 Stirling.

A settlement since prehistoric times due to its strategic position, Stirling offers superb historic sites, including a magnificent castle, plus a national park on its doorstep. For more information, click here. Shutterstock Top Attraction 9 St Andrews. A breezy seaside town acknowledged as the home of golf, and possessing Scotland’s oldest university. For more information, click here.

Shutterstock Top Attraction 10 Iona. Known since the 6th century as the cradle of Christianity in Scotland. Beyond the abbey are beautiful beaches and an unspoilt landscape rich in birdlife. For more information, click here. iStock OceanofPDF.com EDITOR’S CHOICE Best castles Edinburgh Castle. High above the city looms Scotland’s most popular tourist attraction. Listen out for the ritual firing of the One o’Clock Gun. For more information, click here.

Stirling Castle. A wealth of Scottish history is crammed into this ancient fortress, poised atop a craggy outcrop. For more information, click here. Dunvegan Castle.

This is a short excerpt from the opening of “” by Unknown, quoted for review and introduction purposes. All rights belong to the copyright holders.

Book Information

• Unique ID: d8f9a31cec0f67bc
• File Extension: .pdf
• File Size: 75,401,782 bytes (71.909 MB)
• Title: –
• Author: Unknown
• Pages: 593
• Language: English (en)

Reading & Word Statistics

• Estimated Reading Time: 477.26 minutes
• Total Words: 95,453
• Total Characters: 595,106
• Average Words per Page: 160.97
• Average Characters per Page: 1003.55

Most Frequent Words

scotland (460), https (437), scottish (324), map (261), one (251), edinburgh (232), glasgow (194), castle (188), also (180), scots (170), scotland’s (167), city (165), north (165), charge (165), com (152), miles (151), century (146), many (143), street (141), centre (137), now (130), town (127), south (127), two (120), between (120), org (120), free (118), th-century (118), west (115), old (114), loch (114), national (113), house (113), museum (112), first (111), new (109), highland (107), island (105), coast (103), english (102), road (101), apa (99), years (99), like (99), well (98), home (97), publications (97), around (95), islands (95), built (95), great (94), much (91), still (91), even (91), history (90), world (88), church (87), sea (85), james (84), england (84), robert (83), royal (82), art (81), information (81), it’s (81), life (79), high (77), time (77), highlands (76), east (74), place (74), david (72), although (72), however (72), clyde (71), william (71), land (71), whose (70), small (69), queen (69), best (68), country (68), little (68), made (67), local (65), though (65), people (64), mary (64), main (64), across (63), john (63), river (63), burns (61), park (61), end (61), british (61), including (60), bridge (60), buildings (60), today (59).

PDF Download