Peeblesshire

Scotland > South of Scotland > Peeblesshire

The ancient county of Peeblesshire lies to the south and west of Edinburgh. To the north lies Midlothian and Edinburgh, the the east Selkirkshire, the the west Lanarkshire with Dumfriesshire to the south.

The River Tweed, one of the best salmon rivers in Europe flows through the county from west to east through the county town of Peebles as well as Innerleithen and Walkerburn.

Apart from fishing, the river has been utilised as a source of power over the centuries, recently to drive the woollen mills along its banks. But market forces being as they are, the textile industry has suffered over the last 20 years and many of the old mills are now closed.

The county, for local authority political purposes, has been amalgamated with Selkirk, Roxburgh and Berwickshire to form the Scottish Borders Council.

There are some delightful valleys in Peebles-shire offering some superb walking especially in Glentress where ospreys are back in residence. The mixture of fertile land and hills lends to a very rich and diverse environment popular not only with humans for leisure purposes but also with wildlife.