I took part in the first day of the first River Tweed Festival at Peebles (31 October 2025), which was a joyful celebration of watery creativity and inspiration. The forecast downpours held off long enough for participants to gather beside the Tweed and take a moment to connect to the river, its landscape and its unpredictable weather! Under Kat Gollock’s cheerful guidance, a gaggle of us meandered along the riverbank in the watery sunshine, learning how to use our phone cameras more effectively to take and share unique snapshots of autumnal nature – patterns, textures, long views and tiny details – beside the Tweed.
The weather closed in after lunch, but the brilliant ladies of Tweedsmuir made our small group welcome and kept us warm for storytelling and a (soggy) garden visit at The Wee Crook. We took sunshine-orange calendula blooms from Crook to Kirk, where we drank floral tea, listened to music, sang local songs and wove Tweed Valley sheep’s wool into a marvellous tangle of connecting threads. It was well worth getting utterly drenched to enjoy steaming gently dry among such inspiring and insightful company.
Where can I sign up for next year’s festival?
