Peebles
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-> PeeblesFast, wide, tree-lined and fringed with grassy banks, the Tweed looks at its best at PEEBLES, a handsome royal burgh that sits on the north bank, about fifteen miles northwest of Selkirk. The town itself has a genteel, relaxed air, its wide, handsome High Street bordered by houses in a medley of architectural styles, mostly dating from Victorian times, and ending in the soaring crown spire of the Old Parish Church at the western end. Halfway down the High Street is the Tweedale Museum & Gallery (Mon-Fri 10am-noon & 2-5pm, Sat 10am-1pm, Sun 2-4pm; Nov-March closed Sat & Sun; free), housed in the Chambers Institute, named after a local worthy who presented the building to the town in 1859, complete with an art gallery dedicated to the enlightenment of his neighbours. He stuffed the place with casts of the world's most famous sculptures and, although most were lost long ago, today's "Secret Room", once the Museum Room, boasts two handsome friezes: one a copy of the Elgin marbles taken from the Parthenon; the other of the Triumph of Alexander, originally cast in 1812 to honour Napoleon.
Of the various walks through the hills surrounding Peebles, the five-mile Sware Trail is one of the easiest and most scenic, weaving west along the north bank of the river and looping back to the south. On the way, it passes Neidpath Castle (Easter, Whitsun, July & Aug daily 11am-6pm; £3), a gaunt medieval tower house perched high above the river on a rocky buff. It's a superb setting, and the interior possesses a pit prison and a great hall bedecked with stunning batik wall hangings depicting the life of Mary, Queen of Scots.
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