The "Borders" is very different from the rugged Highlands. It is rich, rolling, well stocked farmland and with more stately homes per square mile than in other parts of Britain.

The landscape is dotted with good sized market towns, often built around an abbey with names associated with knitwear and rugby clubs - names like Selkirk, Melrose and Hawick. In any context however, for the most genteel towns in Scotland, the Royal Burgh of Peebles would surely be amongst the front runners for the title. It is a historic town situated on the banks of the River Tweed. The High Street runs parallel to the river and boasts an excellent range of individually owned shops.

Its location, in the heart of the Borders, yet less than a one hour drive from the capital makes it a great base from which to explore this beautiful part of Scotland and also fit in a full day in the capital.

On the edge of the town, on a spectacular elevated site, surrounded by woods stands the Peebles Hydro Hotel, for many years now the Ulsterbus Tours hotel in the Borders. So much so that staff and regular customers alike refer to this as the "Peebles Hydro Tour". It's origins as a Hydropathic Centre, where wealthy Victorians came to "take the waters" meant that it had lots of single room accommodation and today they can still offer us a total of 25 single rooms for each trip - at absolutely no single supplement.