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Helen Rose’s Outdoor Diary: Cademuir, Peebles.

May 2025

We had a Spring outing to Peebles with Glasgow Ramblers Initally amarket town, Peebles played a role in the woollen industry of the Borders during the 19th and early 20th centuries. Most mills had closed by the 1960s, although the last one remained open until 2015. Over the years the character of Peebles has changed; the town serves as home to many people who commute to work in Edinburgh, as well as being a popular tourist destination, especially in the summer. It’s about an one and a half hours drive by car from Glasgow and is near the Scottish border with England.

Cademuir Hill

The walk was to be over Cademuir Hill on the outskirts of Peebles. Parking was free in the town which was an added bonus. Part of the route was on the John Buchan Way, a 13 mile trail that connects Peebles and Broughton and runs alongside the Glentress  Forest. The route celebrates the author of The Thirty-Nine Steps, who was also a politician and Governor-General of Canada. Cademuir Hill gives commanding views over Peebles and Glentress Forest. The walk was up an unrelenting, grassy slope with a good path to the top of the hill at over 1,000 feet high which is now about my limit of ascent. It was a fine day and we were walking in short sleeves despite it being only late March and just turned spring.

Hill Forts

On the furthest tops on the ridge were some rocks that were the remains of Roman hill forts. A good location for a panoramic vista to see any enemies approaching. Cademuir Hill has been called “a hugely important place” in prehistory and the potential centre of an early medieval kingdom and linked to an Arthurian battle. This is a site with more questions than answers. With the remains of large stone fortifications and a strategic position overlooking a key crossroads of three valleys, it’s easy to imagine this landscape as the backdrop to a legendary tale. The fort is situated at a height of 1050 feet on a rocky knoll at the south west end of the elongated summit of Cademuir Hill. The fort measures 240 feet by 120 feet within a stone wall, the debris of which has formed great scree-like deposits on the flanks of the knoll. Stretches of both faces are still visible in situ on the east and indicate that on this side the wall originally measured about 20 feet in thickness:.

We descended the hill to have lunch on some convenient picnic benches by a river looking up at the hill in lovely sunshine.

River Tweed

We followed the path along the tributary to the River Tweed. The River Tweed, or Tweed Water, is a river 97 miles long that flows east across the Border region in Scotland and northern England. Tweed cloth derives its name from its association with the River Tweed.^. The Tweed is one of the great salmon rivers of Britain but has trout and grayling fish that are also popular with anglers.

We stopped by a bridge for refreshments. It was a curved bridge with religious crosses carved into the masonry. I could not find an explanation for the religious crosses. Perhaps it crossed over to a cemetery or church approach?

Neidpath Castle

Neidpath Castle is an L-plan rubble built tower house overlooking the River Tweed. An early castle was probably built here by Simon Fraser between 1263 and 1266, while he held the office of High Sheriff of Tweedale. The barony of Neidpath was acquired by the Hay family through marriage in the early 14th century and they probably built the present castle in the late 14th century. It was held by them until the 17th century, although Sir William’s son, Sir Thomas Hay, married the daughter and heiress of Sir Hugh Gifford of Yester, acquiring Yester Castle which became the principal family seat, although Neidpath continued to be used. It was visited by Mary Queen of Scots in 1563,^[ and by her son James 6th in 1587. One of the tenants in later years was the philosopher and historian Adam Ferguson. The castle suffered neglect, however, and by 1790 the upper storeys of the wing had collapsed. William Wordsworth and Walter Scott both visited the castle in 1803. In 1810, the castle, along with the earldom of March, was inherited by the Earl Wemyss, although the dukedom went to the Scotts of Buccleuch.  Neidpath still belongs to Earl of Wemyss; the Earl’s heir takes his courtesy title, Lord Neidpath, from it.

Back in Peebles, we crossed the Tweed Bridge reconstructed in 1663 using stone from St Andrew’s Church which had been destroyed in 1548 by an English army as part of the Rough Wooing. The Rough Wooing was the eight years’ war and so named to hide the fact it was a war. The dolphin street lamps on the bridge date from 1897.

Chocolate Shop

Over the bridge we stopped at Ruth Hinks  Cocoa Black chocolate shop and café which also runs a school on chocolate.  The cakes on display were works of art but I settled for a delicious dark hot chocolate before our drive back to Glasgow. The shop was praised by the Hairy Bikers.

Many thanks to Alistair for organising and leading the lovely walk in Peebles and Cademuir Hill and for giving us such lovely weather. Also, thank you to Terry for giving me a lift to and from Peebles.

Coming attraction; Burns and Beyond

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