Introducing Tweedsmuir & Broughton
Tucked away in the spectacular Upper Tweed, the villages of Tweedsmuir and Broughton are steeped in literary history – and a dash of locally brewed ale.
Scotland is home to 40 National Scenic Areas, each representing some of the country’s finest landscapes. The Tweed Valley is lucky to have one at its very heart in the form of Upper Tweeddale, a remarkably diverse landscape characterised by rugged hills, expansive moorland, steep ridges and a scattering of ancient ruins.
Nestled beneath theses hills and ridges lie the neighbouring villages of Tweedsmuir and Broughton.
Tweedsmuir, the smaller of the two, lies roughly 18 miles west of Peebles. A settlement synonymous with the River Tweed – its source rises just a short distance away at Tweed’s Well – the village has a rich and storied history with treasures dating back to 2000BC.
The Tweedsmuir standing stones, three ancient relics believed to have been part of a wider cluster in the area, straddle a minor road connecting the village to Fruid Reservoir (main image). The largest, Giant’s Stone, is shrouded in local legend, with the 1845 Statistical Accounts of Scotland recalling the heroic efforts of Little John – a man of diminutive stature – who brought down a lawless, troublemaking giant across the Tweed from the shelter of the 5ft stone.
More ‘giant’ battles lay ahead for Tweedsmuir and surrounding communities in the centuries to follow. The ‘killing time’ of the 1680s saw the brutal suppression of covenanting ministers and congregations opposed to King Charles II’s interference with the Scottish Presbyterian Church, with 5,000 covenanters said to have met illegally at nearby Talla Linns in 1682. Renowned local covenanter, John Hunter, was dramatically shot at Devil’s Beef Tub a few miles south of the village three years later, and memorial stones commemorating his activities still stand at Tweedsmuir Kirk today.
No visit to Tweedsmuir would be complete without a stop at one of the oldest licensed premises in Scotland: The Crook Inn. A coaching inn for over 400 years, if the Crook’s walls could talk, they would have some lively stories to share! During its lifetime, the inn hosted many a celebrity gathering with the likes of Sir Walter Scott and even a travelling Robert Burns – who wrote the scandalous Willy Wastle’s Wife in the Crook’s kitchen – stopping by for refreshment.
Last orders were called at the Crook in 2006, and the estate is now carefully managed by the local Tweedsmuir Community Company. Exciting plans to bring the storied site back to life as a bunkhouse and glamping hub on the River Tweed Trail, a long-distance walking route currently in development, are well underway. For now, the fabulous Wee Crook café is already recharging the batteries of weary hikers returning from nearby Broad Law (the highest summit in the Scottish Borders), anglers and paddlers heading out for a day on the River Tweed, and road and motor cyclists enjoying the beautiful routes all around.
Travel just eight miles north of Tweedsmuir along one of these attractive routes and you will arrive in the picturesque village of Broughton. Sitting close to the confluence of Biggar Water and the River Tweed, the village is best known for two of the Scottish Borders’ greatest exports: John Buchan and Broughton Ales.
Novelist John Buchan’s maternal grandparents, the Mastertons, lived at Broughton Green House in the centre of the village. Buchan and his siblings, including Anna, whose acclaimed novels were published under the pseudonym O.Douglas, holidayed in the village as children in the late 1800s. The hills and glens around would inspire many of John Buchan’s stories, including The 39 Steps and his atmospheric novel Witch Wood, set against the backdrop of civil war and covenanting in the early 1600s.
Battles and black magic aside, the village is celebrated for the 13-mile walking route between Peebles and Broughton that carries the author’s name. The John Buchan Way is an especially scenic hike that follows well-established hill tracks through the Peeblesshire countryside, taking in Iron Age settlements at the top of Cademuir Hill and expansive views of Culter Fell and Tinto on the final descent.
Walkers and cyclist finishing the John Buchan Way in the village can be assured of a warm welcome and nourishment at the cosy Laurel Bank Tea Room – but for those in need of something a touch stronger, there are beery tipples to be enjoyed locally from the nearby Broughton Brewery.
Established in an old sheep station in 1979, Scotland’s first independent craft brewery continues to go from strength to strength. Its legendary Greenmantle and Jock ales were joined in recent years by a new range of HOPO IPAs and lagers, a selection of which can be bought at Broughton Village Store – or in stores in and around Peebles and Innerleithen. Cheers to that!
Further info
Looking to stay in Upper Tweeddale? The historic Hearthstanes Estate offers five, self-catering cottages on a working hill farm powered entirely by renewables. It’s the perfect base for exploring the Upper Tweed with great access to hill walking, road cycling, stalking, fishing, wild swimming, farm tours – and the last remaining 9-pin bowling alley in the UK.
Photo credits: VisitScotland; Wee Crook; Rich Rowe.