Health & Wellbeing
In this helter-skelter world, we all need time to relax, recharge and stay fit and healthy. From spa retreats to yoga, swimming sessions or time spent in nature, the Tweed Valley offers a chance to restore body and mind.
In the Tweed Valley, you can do as much or as little as you like – with plenty of options at the more relaxing end of the scale.
A visit here opens up a whole world of pampering, from customised treatments to spa packages.
Once famed for its hydropathic remedies, the impressive Peebles Hydro Hotel now offers a wealth of soothing experiences at their award-winning PURE Spa & Beauty.
The hotel is also blessed with a gorgeous swimming pool, perfect for a pre- or post-treatment soak. And there are mindful experiences on offer too in the hotel’s grounds – including the opportunity to take a friendly alpaca for a peaceful, woodland stroll.
Facials, massages and nourishing body wraps are just a few of the treatments on offer along the valley at Macdonald Cardrona Hotel Golf & Spa.
Unwind in the pool after a day in the hills – or a day on the golf course – and enjoy some thermic healing in the hotel’s sauna and steam rooms.
The beautiful pool and grounds at Barony Castle will always help rejuvenate body and soul – and look out too for details of Cedar Hus, a mobile, Nordic sauna offering authentic sauna experiences in beautiful locations across the Scottish Borders.
For many, the very best antidote to stress is time spent outdoors in nature. The new Forest Holidays lodges at Glentress offer the perfect balance of outdoor adventure and relaxation, with easy access to biking trails and woodland walks, running routes and more. Each stylish cabin has the added luxury of a soothing hot tub – and peaceful, forest views.
For a change of pace, the John Muir Trust offers a range of volunteering opportunities at its Glenlude site on the edge of the Southern Uplands, near Traquair. Here, you can help the Trust in its mission to rewild a former sheep farm and conifer plantation by getting involved in a variety of conservation tasks.
And there are more active options on offer at Peebles Swimming Pool and nearby Gytes Leisure Centre.
The pool hosts a range of splashy sessions for tots and families – including inflatable and float sessions in the school holidays – and plenty of lane swimming for those with distance to cover.
A little further along the banks of the River Tweed, the Gytes Leisure Centre is home to a state of the art gym with fitness suites and large sports hall (the perfect space to burn off energy when the weather turns Scottish!) along with bookable indoor tennis, badminton, basketball and football courts, plus an outdoor, five-a-side football pitch.
For those visiting with wee ones, the Gytes also houses Tumbliboo – a small but perfectly formed soft play centre guaranteed to keep little bodies busy.