Eddleston Water Path

The Eddleston Water Path between Peebles and Eddleston is a fantastic traffic-free, shared-use route that not only connects local communities but also doubles as a window into ecological restoration and regional heritage.

Starting at Peebles, the route picks its way through fields before closely following the recently restored meanders of the Eddleston Water. The river is affectionately known locally as the "Cuddy."

The route's landscape is deeply tied to the Eddleston Water, a tributary of the River Tweed featuring a mix of forestry, rough grazing, and improved grassland. Historically, this environment was heavily modified; long sections of the river were straightened in the early 19th century to make way for a toll road from Peebles to Edinburgh, followed later by a railway line, embankments, and intensive land drainage. Today, however, the valley serves as a living laboratory through the Eddleston Water Project. This pioneering initiative utilizes Natural Flood Management measures, such as river re-meandering, to slow floodwaters while creating thriving wildlife habitats.

As you journey along the path, look out for a network of interpretive lecterns and informational signs sharing more insight into the environmental and cultural history: Water acts as a central theme, with lecterns in Eddleston, at the Lake Wood layby, and at Nether Kidston highlighting the pioneering river restoration project. Other signs weave in the area's industrial and agricultural past, such as a marker at Cringletie detailing the legacy of the old Peebles Railway line that once carried up to seven trains a day between Edinburgh and Peebles, and a lectern near Peebles exploring the rolling landscape's agricultural roots and its network of historic cross-country drove roads.