So I have taken a wild stab in the dark and booked a holiday Cottage in Innerleithen for a few weeks time. Travelling with wife, 10yr old, 6yr old and 2 dogs!
I know STW is a font of all knowledge and there are several members who know the area well and live nearby. Any top tips for the holiday maker? We will have bikes and paddleboard... Where is good to eat in town and nearby? Which trails are the must do don't go home without them?
Thank you!
Okay... Paddle board, Loch of the lowes, while down that way go to the grey mares tail, not sure on walking ability of the average 6year old or the dogs as its national trust or something but walking up past the falls is WORTH IT.
Cycling... You can cycle up and down the tweed on a great cycle path from inners you will mainly want to cycle Up the tween but the back road to Selkirk is nice. Bike path will take you to a wee pump track in Cardrona which kid will love. It will also get you to glentress etc. Keep an eye out for wild life, red squirrels and kingfishers and things.
Walking not sure from Innerleithen but if castles bridges and tunnels are going to tick boxes... From peebles up the left bank if the tweed passing under neidpath Castle, still inhabited but dirty great lump missing which you will see lying around on the ground. There are ropes swings and rocks to jump off. After the castle you will come to an old railway bridge, get onto that and cross the river, immediately after this the railway goes into the tunnel you need a torch for this its long enough the muddle is pitch black and it goes round a bend, the other end is really muddy so welly up or be prepared to scramble.
Getting around in general... The bus service is every 20mknutes you can get all day tickets using the borders bus app I dunno about you but its nice not to drive everywhere and it means a nice drink can be had with dinner, mind drink driving limit is really really small in Scotland.
Foid and drink, I mean the best cafe in the area is no1 peebles Road in inners so you are off to a good start. Also good coffee in nashies in Cardrona and coltmans in peebles. Reasonable to good food in all three nashys being the least good I would say. For dinner dinner I would suggest one meal in the horseshoe in Eddleston defo a bus option that one but you might also tie it into seeing the great polish map of Scotland.
Eh... I mean there is more. Kailzie and dawyck and Traquair, if you like a nice beer Traquair house beer is pretty bloody good but it's a bit on on the strong side.
Don't really know South of inners from a stuff to do but there is loads.
That get you started?
What he said ^
You'll not be stuck for things to do that's for sure.
The Horseshoe was AA restaurant of the year a few years back and is Princess Anne's favourite lol.
It is that good btw, but consider the grill over the restaurant if you don't want white glove service haha.
I mean the best cafe in the area is no1 peebles Road
couldn't do me a bacon roll last weekend which is a big fail in my book for a cafe
Craigs place (No1) is pretty cool albeit not that cheap. Great quality though.
I actually like the Peel cafe at Glentress. Plenty veggie options.
The Horseshoe was AA restaurant of the year a few years back and is Princess Anne’s favourite lol.
Changed hands since then, while the weird roman Greeks temple aesthetic us there its a lot more about very goid local foid. Its also open all the time rather than a random days of the week.
couldn’t do me a bacon roll last weekend which is a big fail in my book for a cafe
Ah, I was actually really talking about the coffee, other than cakes I haven't eaten there since they adjusted for kickdown. Things run out though, I would always rather a cafe ran out because they were busy than having so much stock lying around its never getting used up.
The Indian in inners is fantastic but tiny so you have to book
Glentress hotel is far better than the peel cafe
If Number 1 is too busy, the other cafe along the road is really nice now. Loullabelles I think it's called now (assuming it survived lockdown)
Oh yeah. Glentress... Upper carpark all blues and greens are small kid friendly in close proximity to the carpark you can also descend the blue to the peel centre and abandon everyone and ride back up to the carpark on the trails.
Go ape there too for more organised activity but it's proper goid fun, well in the dark it is.
Have fun it's a nice place to be.
What JV says. The cycle path also goes towards Walkerburn, the caberston cafe there is good. In Innerleithen also try Shaw's butchers for roasting hot pies, and Caldwell's ice cream. Good play park along Hall Street beyond No1 Cafe, and into Victoria Park. The new massive play park in Peebles, coincidentally Victoria Park, may be open by the time you come.
For walks https://www.scotborders.gov.uk/downloads/file/683/innerleithen_and_walkerburn
couldn’t do me a bacon roll last weekend which is a big fail in my book for a cafe
Loulabelles is way better a cafe. Better cake & food in general. Don't really drink coffee so couldn't compare on that.
will try there next time i'm up there then, not a coffee drinker either.
+1 on grey mares tail, fantastic views going up and at the top.
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I stayed in Walkerburn last autumn, right on the cycle path
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Expect midges towards sunset, even in Spring and Autumn.
For riding, the Glentress reds and blues are fantastic, but being a southerner I was NOT ready for the steepness of the off piste. I was getting into the groove of angry sheep by the time I left but some of the other trails are just ridiculous.
Honestly there's enough riding/walking/other stuff to there to fill 2 weeks, easily. I had 5 days there with 1 day doing the Innerleithen red trail & angry sheep, then a BIG Glentress day (blues/reds/scaring myself on the off piste), a day off, then a hike up Grey Mares tail and around the Loch (would probably give this a miss, it was very boggy and there's not much of a trail at all), the finally an Innerleithen uplift day.
I was getting into the groove of angry sheep by the time I left
Not rode AS since pre covid, it's just sublime, I could just lap that all day.
Loulabelles is way better a cafe. Better cake & food in general. Don’t really drink coffee so couldn’t compare on that.
Their plated chicken shawarma! Mmmmmmm
Not rode AS since pre covid, it’s just sublime, I could just lap that all day.
Wait 'til you try Thunderstruck (at GT)
That smelled like an invite Jimmy!
Wait ’til you try Thunderstruck (at GT)
Might be the best trail in the valley at the moment. Sway between that and Dances With Wolves
Thunderstruck was rather wet last night. 😁
Good thread and good idea, might look into a cottage myself for a few days. few runs on the bike early doors and then out with the kids...
whenever im up that way my satnav takes me past St Mary's Loch which always looks impressive - any good?
Another +1 for Loulabelles, they do dinner evenings (or try to) once a month that we tried to get to when we were down. They're on Insta so easy to check.
whenever im up that way my satnav takes me past St Mary’s Loch which always looks impressive – any good?
Any good for... what?
Loch of the Lowes is the wee loch at the end of MArys loch.
I haven't treid Loulabelles i will sniff it out
any good for a destination / day out? but its ok i didnt realise it was the same place..
any good for a destination / day out? but its ok i didnt realise it was the same place..
Ah got you sorry. Well the pub tibby shiels if it's even open now is a HOLE there is a cafe on the other side of of the road (again, if it has survived talking basic bacon rolls etc perfect after a swim.) of the two lochs lowes is alit smaller but its alit nicer as its tucked in beneath the hills Marys Loch is more exposed and less interesting but bigger for sailing etc.
Stuff to do is waterbased or walking or road cycling. It's on the southern upland way, grey mares tail it's all very nice. A days worth... On a lovely warm day yeah I guess including a barbeque etc but I would say all day might get a little dull unless you do one big thing. Depends on what you fancy really it's very pleasant but equally there is not much there.
Yeah, I can recommend Loulabelles. Am local, so visit No1 and ‘the Sitooterie’ at Caddon Bank guest house too (food at the latter is good too). I think No1 changed their menu to veggie during lockdowns, so food isn’t always to my taste - coffee is still maybe the best in Inners though.
I was in Loulabelles this morning for a breakfast roll and coffee...Yum!
Sitooterie is nice if you’re with the kids, as the indoor seating is good and there’s a nice garden away from the road - they’ve got a large gazebo for rainy days.
St Mary’s loch is great for paddle boarding, and there’s a cafe and loos across road from car park there too. Car park can get busy at weekends though.
Have a nice time:)
If you want an inside distraction for an hour, try Robert Smail's printworks. It's NTS, so free if you're members, don't be fooled by the small shop front, it really is a TARDIS.
Loads of good advice up there. There's some lovely walks in Innerleithen (which despite visiting annually since our honeymoon, I didn't know about until I dropped a sprog - we'd always just done riding!). Pirn Hill is lovely and shouldn't be too taxing for the 6 year old.
If you can get a dogsitter for the day, you could also head out to Edinburgh, the zoo's great.
I was getting into the groove of angry sheep by the time I left but some of the other trails are just ridiculous.
I took a couple of guys from work to Inners, they turned up on a pair of Whytes (G160 and G170) and talked up their abilities.
So I took then first to Alistair Lees. Nope, too much.
Then Salmon. Still too much.
Then Angry Sheep. They were happy now 🙂
Good job I didn't take them on the steep stuff.
Wow, just checked back in on this thinking it would have faded into a void - but loads of really helpful advice - thank you all!
Seems like the biggest challenge will be doing all the good bits in 6 days. Nice problems....
So I took then first to Alistair Lees. Nope, too much.
To be fair, it's not steep, but there's barely a patch of trail that isn't covered in lethal roots
Seems like the biggest challenge will be doing all the good bits in 6 days. Nice problems….
Save some for your next visit or when you accidentally buy a flat in peebles...
If you can get a dogsitter for the day, you could also head out to Edinburgh, the zoo’s great.
Depending on the dates and providing they aren't morons I would take on a couple of dogs for a day. Test how serious my other half is about getting one...
To be fair, it’s not steep, but there’s barely a patch of trail that isn’t covered in lethal roots
That's not true. There's the bits that're covered in muddy rocks.
😆
Depending on the dates and providing they aren’t morons I would take on a couple of dogs for a day. Test how serious my other half is about getting one…
My two would be a real test of any prospective dog owners resolve! But thank you. We have found a very good kennels up the road so they can chill there while we spend the day in Edinburgh and a few other options.