Innerleithen: here be Giants...
...and Oranges and Konas...
In fact, you'll see a lot of fancy mountain bikes in Innerleithen on race days, because for those in the know, the town now sports some of the best trails and courses in the UK. And much more besides.
Innerleithen has had a chequered history, and the quiet little high street has seen all sorts of characters over the years. The spa at St Ronan's Wells was immortalised in one of Sir Walter Scott's novels (Scott's home town of Selkirk is just a few miles away).
One of Scotland's most historically significant houses, Traquair, lies only a mile or so from the town, on the other side of the river Tweed. Scotland's kings and queens, noblemen and courtly ladies would have known the countryside that now hosts countless bikers and hikers every weekend.
One of the best examples of a printing works from yesteryear makes for a fascinating morning or afternoon. Robert Smail's is a little-known National Trust for Scotland property on the high street, where "children of all ages" can try their hand at type-setting and see the old presses still in service.
Of the many long-distance walks in the UK, the Southern Upland Way is one of the least trammelled. Stretching from coast to coast, from Portpatrick in SW Scotland to Cockburnspath in the east, the 212-mile Way passes close by Innerleithen. In no time at all you can be up on the high tops with unbroken views across beautiful country, surely a great antidote to the stresses of work.
Forest Enterprise maintains a vast network of trails, long and short, and the rich fauna and flora of the Borders is never far away: buzzards, deer, otters, and if you're really lucky a glipse of a kingfisher or an osprey. Even without the wildlife, the countless miles of hedgerows and quiet lanes will keep any keen nature-lover or rambler happy, and the winding roads are popular with motorcyclists too. Get back to the great outdoors!
Amenities, alternatives & the area
While we're unashamed to wax lyrical about the abundance of places to go and things to do, we know that when you're self-catering you need to know what's what with the more mundane things in life too, and what happens if it rains!
Caddon View has its own licensed restaurant where we can provide evening meals to guests staying in the Lodge.
There is a supermarket, petrol station, garage, post office, tennis courts, children's swing park, butcher, grocer, several take-aways (Italian, Chinese and Indian) - all within five minutes walk of the Lodge. If you really want to just unwind and leave the car in the driveway, you needn't worry!
Edinburgh is less than an hour away, but Peebles (6 miles) has quite a few shops if you need a quick fix; Galashiels (12 miles) is a bigger town and has a cinema, yet more shops, and bigger stores too . The nearest public swimming pool is in Peebles .
If you want (or need) to just stay in during your stay, see what the Lodge itself is equipped with - have a look at our self-catering facilities.