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Summer fun at the Dookits!

I just wanted to share some of my childhood memories of swimming and jumping into the Tweed at the Dookits near Neidpath Castle, as well as at various other spots along the river. So many hours were spent during the summer holidays with gangs of friends, floating down the river on inner tubes, jumping off […]

Net and Coble – Fishing the Tweed

Ralph Holmes has a assembled a unique history of salmon net fishing on the Tweed. As part of the Tweed Stories project, oral historian, Harry Henderson interviewed Ralph about his family’s fish merchant business, Ralph Holmes & Sons, founded in Berwick the mid-1800s. Ralph explains the company’s relationship with the net fishermen on the River […]

Riding the River

For centuries, horses and riders have been a familiar sight along the River Tweed, crossing its waters and following routes that connect communities, traditions and generations. These memories were pinned on our giant river map creating a journey down the Tweed which explores stories of riding, pageantry and local pride, highlighting places where horses and […]

Blessed are the Fishers, the Fish and the River

Vicar of St Cuthbert’s Church in Norham, Reverend Rob Kelsey explains the origins of the River Tweed blessing ceremony. As part of the Tweed Stories project, oral historian, Harry Henderson recorded Rob in the church. Click on the video for more from Rob. Years ago there was a lot of net fishing on the River […]

Minnie’s Pool, Poachers and the Human Submarine

Mary Johnstone and Peggy Ferguson share their memories of Peebles in the 1920s and 30s which were recorded in the early 2000s and are reproduced here by kind permission of The Tweeddale Society from their 2005 publication ‘Peebles Remembered’. Whitie’s Books and Crafts in Peebles have copies. Mary, We swam in the Tweed. It was […]

The Lost River Dog: Origins of the Tweed Water Spaniel

Among Britain’s many working dogs, few have a history as intriguing – and as short‑lived – as the Tweed Water Spaniel. This sturdy, tawny‑coated dog lived along the River Tweed and the nearby coastline, where salmon nets, cold surf, and rocky shores shaped it into a powerful and reliable water worker. One of the earliest […]