Flooding at Eddleston Water 1984

Photo by Iain Mackay

The footbridge became an island

and houses all along the "Cuddy Burn" were inundated with water.

Priorsford Bridge in the floods of 1984

Photo by Iain Mackay

...when the bridge over Tweed had to be closed because of the high river

Night shot of the Parish Church and the Trust

Photo by Iain Mackay

The Trust is the nickname given to the Bridge Inn, next to the church

Misty morning on Tweed

Photo by Iain Mackay

View from the south

Photo by Iain Mackay

Peebles lies round Venlaw (the hill). 

The rest of the town is almost hidden behind the left side of the hill

Autumn tree in Haylodge Park

Photo by Iain Mackay

Gypsy Glen

Photo by Iain Mackay

A lovely walk at any time

Hay Lodge Park

Photo by Iain Mackay

Autumn Colours

Photo by Iain Mackay

Peebles Hydro Hotel

Photo by Iain Mackay

Taken a couple of years ago about this time

Neidpath Castle

Photo by Iain Mackay

~Passengers on the trains going through the tunnel missed the view of the castle

 

Viaduct looking west

Photo by Iain Mackay

The wider view

Photo by Iain Mackay

The view across the viaduct and downriver towards Peebles

The Viaduct Autumn 2008

Photo by Iain Mackay

Going east the train would enter the tunnel just up ahead

The old railway Viaduct

Photo by Iain Mackay

Emerging from the west end of the tunnel the train then crossed the viaduct.

Railway Tunnel - the other end

Photo by Iain Mackay

The east end of the tunnel, the Peebles end.

The old Caledonian Railway tunnel

Photo by Iain Mackay

The east end of the half mile long tunnel. 

There is a bend about half way through, at which point you can see either end of the tunnel.

The line closed in the 1950s

Soonhope Chalets

Photo by Iain Mackay

Holiday chalets in Soonhope Glen

Misty River

Photo by Iain Mackay

Peebles Parish Church

Photo by Iain Mackay

Classic view of Peebles

Photo by Iain Mackay

The Cauld

Photo by Iain Mackay

The Cauld or Weir

Smoky old town

Photo by Iain Mackay

High Street rooftops

Photo by Iain Mackay

Reflections on Tweed

Photo by Iain Mackay

Panorama of Peebles

Photo by Iain Mackay

The High Street

Photo by Iain Mackay

Good News

Well I hope you'll think this good news. I asked one of the local photographic group if I could use his photos in my blog and he has agreed, so I would like to introduce you to Iain Mackay's photos. Iain is a local man, having grown up in the town. These first photos go back about 4 years - the reason I am not using his up to date ones just now is that he will be making a presentation to the photo group in January and I don't want to use too many of the pictures he might use then. Later maybe!
So, as I don't have time to write stuff, I will just show you a photo each day, mostly with Iain's titles. Most will be self explanatory anyway. Now enjoy.... and thanks so much Iain'

Today's photo is of the centre and south west of Peebles.

A view you will have seen before - Tweed Bridge from up river beside my favourite tree!

Update2

Well, the chances are I've found someone to take over the blog! TLC - no other name given - is moving to Peebles soon and has said he/she might take it on! That would be terrific, as I didn't want to abandon it! It's just as I've said before - I just don't have the time!

Thanks for your comments, TLC. Good Luck with your move to Peebles, and if you want to take on the blog here, I'd be delighted. You can see the website of our local photographic group at http://www.tweeddalephotographic.com for info of what who where when!. See you anon then!

Taken from my garden recently, the parish churxh crown is the main landmark for the town! It's so beautiful. At night thousands of starlings fly in to roost! You should hear the noise!!!

The orphan

Taken a couple of weeks ago, the shepherd had just been up the hill and brought down a lamb whose mother had died.

Spring Green

The view I get in winter of Priorsford Bridge in the distance is hidden all summer when the leaves are fully out. This was taken about three weeks ago when the trees were just opening their buds.

Spring on the Riverside

The daffs have gone and the new leaves are coming out. Well they were a few weeks ago. The trees are in full leaf now.

Celandines

The celandines have been very beautiful too this spring.

The daffodils are well over now but they were so pretty along the banks of the river, as well as in gardens and along the roadsides on the way out of Peebles in all directions.

Bees

The bees have survived the winter and are happily humming about in the woodland between the river and the hives

River Island

The island opposite the swimming pool, above Tweed Bridge, was formed by the silting up of the river over several years. I can't remember if it ws there when I was small, but it has been there well over 25 years which is the amount of time I have actually been living here. There is talk every now and again of removing it, but I reckon it is serving a purpose. Without it I would think winter high waters would hit the bridge much harder and undermine it.

The Cauld

Just a bit of the cauld or weir. It's flowing gently just now because there hasn't been the rain and bad weather we had in the winter.

Peebles old and new

Looking across the river to the church, with the 1980s swimming pool on the riverside, where a tweed mill stood till a fire destroyed it in the 1960s I remember the tall chimney from when I was a child, visiting Peebles with my family. The area of green on the left was probably where the original settlement of Pebyls was in prehistoric times.

Hay Lodge and Riverside House

Much the same view as yesterday's but including Riverside House, built as a hotel apparently, but transformed into retirement flats more than 25 years ago. Perhaps I'll put my name down for one of these - as long as I can have one with a river view.

Hay Lodge

This was once the home of the Hay family whose grounds became our local park. The house now belongs to the National Health Service.

Police Brae

Locally they called it Police Brae because the Police Station was on the corner at the top of the brae. It's real name is Port Brae as this was where the gate or port into Peebles was located centuries ago.

The river

Well, I still haven't had a lot of time to go out on a Peebles photoshoot, but I do have a few more pics. I just thought of course that I have more photos of Peebles on Flickr http://www.flickr.com/photos/52909343@N06/sets/72157624628402139/ though I'm not much better at posting there than here. However, maybe I can set up a few to post daily for the next few days.
Here's the river, as you look down towards the bridge and the church.

No takers?

No takers! Oh dear. What's to be done? Maybe I'll try and post several photos at once when I can, but with titles only. Of course you can still see photos of Peebles in my personal blog here from time to time!
I'll have a think about this blog though!

Meanwhile here are a few winter photos, from December. The snow started, unusually for these days, in November. First the Christmas tree outside the parish church. then fog and a bridge lamp followed by the nativity scene on the parish church steps and the parish church in freezing fog.

Update

Well, so far nothing has happened through the photographic club. Is there anyone else in Peebles who would be willing to take this on?

Big apologies

I have to offer you my apologies for letting this website lapse for so long. I am finding in retirement that I have so much to do that I really haven't got the same amount of time to get out and just take photos, then come home and write about them. You will probably notice that in my other blog too! Tonight is our Photographic Club meeting and I am going to ask if there is anyone there who would like to take over this blog.

I'll let you know what happens!
Once again - sorry! I know you enjoy Peebles along with me.

So sorry it has been so long since I posted here. You'll notice I have removed the cbox for messages. That was because there were so many folk writing inappropriate messages. So if you want to write a message, click Comment and go from there. So, it was the summer when I last showed you a picture of Peebles so let's see where we go from there.


Well, before I post anything else, I want to show you an email I received today, concerning this photo that I posted here about this time last year. See it here. Loved the description, and the bit of comparatively recent history. Thanks CD.

" Huge thanks for posting this pic, it was my best climbing tree from age 7-16. We had a rope on the branch that reaches out and we kept it up top when not in use so that it was fairly secret (though I don't think we put it there).

Rather than getting on at ground level you mounted it while standing on the wall and did what age 7 felt like a death defying leap off the wall with your legs straight out so they just missed the ground as it flew down the bank and out over the Tweed. Thrilling.

Years of tree climbing built up strong arms which came in handy as that part of the Tweed is also where aged 8-10 I was to be seen 'rescuing' rowing boats between May and August. My mum worked at 'the Boats' which were just up river at the other end of the path that this beech is on (boat shed may still be there).

There was a barrier rope to mark where people should turn back but quite often someone would struggle and end up heading towards the weir in a panic, at which point I was dispatched in a separate boat to nip down and tow them back.

Being towed by a child was especially embarrassing for men who'd taken their families out for a treat but I absolutely loved doing it. There were two jetty's, one either side of the river but the one that you set off from seems to be gone now. There was also a Pitch 'n' Put there, just below the embankment that has the stone entrance to what we were told was an ice store for Neidpath Castle in the past.

Thanks for bring back lots of great memories.
CD"

CD is right. The jetties have gone, though I now wonder if what I know as the fishing jetty was perhaps the one on the other side? CD? I only know of the putting green that used to be on Tweed Green, but I know where CD is talking about. The stone ice store is still there, but I wonder again if it was more likely to be the store for Hay Lodge, as it's quite far from Neidpath Castle? Hope to hear from you again, CD. I'd like to hear more of your stories.