THE BSPC PROPERTY GUIDE / WWW.BSPC.CO.UK Page 31

A lifestyle location for all seasons and reasons,Beverley Brown looks at why the area in andaround Peebles has become a Borders hotspot

Focus on thePeebles Area

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Located just 23 miles from Edinburgh and 50 milesfrom Glasgow – although it feels like a world away -Peebles has long been a favourite place for a day outwith residents of both cities who come to browse thetown’s much admired high street shops, galleries, craftcentres and round the day off with a meal in one of thetown’s acclaimed eateries.

These same attractions, coupled with the wide rangeof outdoor leisure pursuits available and new housingdevelopments that offer better value for money thanthe cities, increasingly tempt many younger people to move to the area and enjoy the lifestyle on apermanent basis.

For sports enthusiasts this part of the Borders is hardto beat. Glentress Forest, which has existed for 10,000years, is now one of the top mountain bike venues inthe UK (and the number one attraction in the Borders),with ski-style black, red, blue and green trails to suit alllevels of ability, while walkers have their own routes toensure the two never meet.

Nearby, Cardrona Adventure Centre adds quad biking,kayaking, horse riding, climbing and abseiling to the listof outdoor possibilities. And, of course, there is rugby,football, tennis, horse riding and more.

The outdoor lifestyle is one of the town’s mainattractions - and you don’t have to be an angler toappreciate the world-famous River Tweed, which flowsthrough Peebles like a silver ribbon, providing gloriousriver walks and trails for cyclists and walkers of all agesand abilities. Dawyck Botanic Garden and KailzieGardens provide a year-round kaleidoscope of colour,while nearby hills like Cademuir reward walkers withspectacular views of the town and surrounding area.

However glorious, scenery is only one aspect of whatmakes a location desirable. Other things like housing,schools, employment, health services, shops, transportlinks, and social and leisure amenities are generally whatdetermine where people put down roots. Nowhere isperfect, but Peebles scores highly right across the board – and unlike many Borders towns, is virtually self-sufficient,with ambulance and fire stations as well as an excellentmedical centre/24-hour injuries unit, sports centre,swimming pool, good primary and comprehensive schools,museum, hotels and restaurants – including OssoRestaurant, situated at the far end of the High Street, whichwas recently awarded a Bib Gourmand entry in the 2011Michelin Guide – the only Scottish restaurant entry.

Add to that Eastgate’s award-winning theatre/arts centre,which gives the town a focus for film, drama, music, artand dance, and it’s easy to see why the demographics of a town formerly associated with retired genteel folk havebeen turned on their head in recent years. But while thetown has grown with the times in many respects, it hasn’tlost sight of its heritage, which is still celebrated in annualevents like the Beltane Festival and Highland Games.

Parts of Peebles can be dated back to the 15th century,although most of the present buildings and houses in theold town are 18th century – old enough to have developedall the quirks and irregular rooflines that give traditionalproperties character in abundance. As the town expanded,so too did the size of the houses, resulting in elegant,detached villas, some built in sandstone as opposed tolocal whinstone. In contrast, there are pockets of modernbut now well-established property developments like the1960’s built villas in Edderston Road, on the south side of the town.

More recently, the creation of Cardrona, a planned newvillage bordering the Tweed on the outskirts of Peebles,has added hundreds of homes to the local propertymix as well as providing a hotel, championship golfcourse, and leisure facilities, including a popularswimming pool and spa.

Expansion within the town has continued, albeit on aless dramatic scale, with current developments offeringeverything from a two-bedroom terraced home to a prestigious detached family villa in a village-styledevelopment bordering open countryside.

Phase three is now available at Ballantyne Place, anattractive courtyard development of just 28 homessituated close to the town centre and all localamenities. Plots three and six are superb stone-frontedfour bedroom townhouses, priced in the region of£220,000, with incentives available. Call 01721 721515for more information.

Forest Park, an apt name for this beautiful leafy settingbordering the exclusive Bonnington Road area of townon the south side of the river Tweed, is a developmentof 54 detached four and five bedroom luxury villas byCala Homes. Designed around a village green andwith a children’s play area close by, this is a desirabledevelopment designed with families in mind. As aresult, only two properties remain unsold; a fivebedroom Wallace house style with double garage at£725,000, and a five bedroom Stewart, with detacheddouble garage, priced at £685,000. Both properties areavailable with 100% part exchange and stamp dutypaid. The sales office is open Thursday to Mondayfrom 11am to 5.30pm – for more details call 07831376 625.

The Old Parish Church, Peebles Mountain biking at Glentress Forest Peebles High Street

Peebles High Street

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At Kingsmeadow, on the east side of Whitehaugh Parkin Peebles, Taylor Wimpey East Scotland is currentlyoffering a range of four bedroom detached familyhomes with prices starting from £280,000. Theshowhouse is open Thursday to Monday from 10am to 5.30pm. For more details call 0845 071 7083 or visit www.taylorwimpey.co.uk

The same developer, Taylor Wimpey East Scotland, hasopened two new two bedroom showhouses, a Chesterand a Chatsworth, to highlight the choice of familyhouses now available at its latest development inPeebles – Queen’s Gate.

Situated on the edge of town, Queen’s Gate offers a choice of two and three bedroom terraced and semi-detached styles, plus three and four bedroomdetached family properties. This developmentcomplements the neighbouring Kingsmeadowdevelopment by providing a wider choice of two andthree bedroom styles than has previously beenavailable, and increase the choice of three and fourbedroom detached houses.

Prices start from £159,995 and a shared equityscheme is also available on selected plots. Thisdevelopment is also eligible for Taylor Wimpey’s partexchange scheme, which means the housebuilder willoffer a fixed price for your existing home leaving youfree to purchase one of its houses– and you can stay in your property until your new home is ready tomove into. Plus, for reservations by 30 April onselected plots, buyers can take advantage of a £99reservation fee, plus free carpets and appliances. . .Call 01383 845 745 for more information.

McCarthy & Stone’s retirement development at VenlawView on Innerleithen Road in Peebles – on the site of theold bus station – still has one bedroom apartmentsavailable, although 70 % of the development is now sold.

The high specification here is proving a winner, with securityentrance, lift, 24-hour Careline, residents’ lounge, guestsuite, energy-efficient heating, fitted kitchens and more.Prices start from £149,950 – and the company is currentlyoffering a £20,000 discount to make a retirement movemore affordable. Open Tuesday to Saturday from 10.30amto 5pm. Call 01721 729220 for more details.

Traditional properties in the old town have adaptedsurprisingly well to accommodate today’s very differentlifestyles, with many whinstone terraced houses nowsuccessfully converted to flats and maisonettes bettersuited to smaller families. Similarly, conversions of old orderelict buildings such as farm steadings, churches andschools that can be found in outlying rural areas, combinethe best of both old and new for buyers who prefersomething unique.

“The property market in and around Peebles suffered fromthe same adverse weather conditions last winter as the restof Borders region,” comments BSPC chairman DavidKilshaw. “What tends to develop from that is a logjam of properties that only begins to clear with the comingof spring and longer hours of daylight. There are now clearsigns of this happening, with increasing viewing levels andthe number of offers being received, so we anticipate abusy second quarter for 2011.”

He adds: “With financial experts predicting the only way forinterest rates is up, anyone thinking of putting their homeon the market would be well advised to do so quickly tosecure the best mortgage terms available.”

Peebles is the main town for many of the outlyingvillages, like Eddleston and Stobo, home to the world-famous Stobo Castle Health Spa.

A few miles east in the direction of Galashiels isInnerleithen. Smaller than Peebles, it nonetheless offersa good variety of shops and eateries, a nine-hole golfcourse, and a property market that comprises a similarmix of traditional, modern and new houses.

While Peebles has Neidpath Castle, neighbouringInnerleithen has Traquair, home to the Maxwell Stuartssince before the time of Mary Queen of Scots andbelieved to be the oldest inhabited house in Scotland.Innerleithen also has good schools, shops andrestaurants.

North-west of Peebles is the picturesque village ofWest Linton, a thriving community with stone-builtcottages and a history that can be traced back to theIron Age. Just off the A702, the village is only a shortdrive to the Edinburgh bypass, which makes it apopular location for commuters. West Linton has aprimary school, shops, an old tollbooth building (now a tearoom), park, a notable restaurant housed in an oldbakehouse, plus a variety of special interest groups,including a music society and a drama club.

It also has an 18-hole golf course accessed via atree-lined lane, on the edge of which is RutherfordCastle, a small development of just six, four and fivebedroom detached houses by Manor Kingdom.

Neidpath Castle near Peebles Traquair House, Innerleithen

High Street, Peebles Suspension bridge over the River Tweed at Peebles Neidpath Castle near Peebles

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To the west of Peebles, in the town of Biggar, Teviotdalehas an attractive development of just 20, threebedroom property styles ranging from terraced andsemi-detached to detached. These are currentlyavailable for sale from £169,995 – and now also forrent. Although it is within South Lanarkshire, Biggar is apopular town and ideally placed for commuting to eitherEdinburgh or Glasgow. For more details call 01721723999.

Perhaps the best reason to live in and around

Peebles is that it’s a perfect antidote to today’s

high stress lifestyles. The people are friendly, the

pace is laid-back, and the surrounding countryside

keeps you grounded and in touch with nature.

Locations don’t come much better than this.

Currently for sale at Rutherford Castle is an impressivefour bedroom Diplomat house style that has served as a showhouse.

Completed inside to an outstanding specification byinterior designer Eileen Kesson, it comes fully fitted witheverything a buyer would need – should they wish - tomove in and start living.

Features include a minstrel-style gallery landing,generous dining kitchen with a range cooker, American-style fridge freezer and wine cooler, four bedrooms- three with en suite facilities (and master also withseparate dressing room) and a luxury family bathroom.

The decor is predictably tasteful, as the furniture andaccessories, which includes chandeliers. The formershowhouse is available, fully furnished, for £899,000.

In addition, there’s an option to purchase anotherDiplomat house style – and as a special incentive forearly completion Manor Kingdom is offering aninterior design package worth £50,000, which caninclude furniture, floor and wall coverings, fixture andfittings – it’s entirely up to the buyer to decide.

This Diplomat, plus incentive, is available for £875,000with a spring entry date. Call 08442 579426 or visitwww.manorkingdom.com for details.

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Images courtesy of VisitScotland Borders, ScottishViewpoint and Digital Image

Cyclists taking in the views of the surrounding countryside near Peebles Cringletie House Hotel, near Peebles

St Ronans Wells, Innerleithen

Window shopping in Peebles high street Eastgate Theatre in Peebles

Cullen Kilshaw (CK)23 Northgate, Peebles, EH45 8RX Tel. 01721 723999 Fax. 01721 723888 Email.peebles@cullenkilshaw.com Website: www.cullenkilshaw.com

Blackwood & Smith W.S.(BS)39 High Street, Peebles, EH45 8AN Tel. 01721 720131 Fax. 01721 729804

15 Eastgate (Property),Peebles, EH45 8ADTel. 01721 721515 Fax. 01721 721865 Email.property@blackwoodsmith.com Website. www.blackwoodsmith.com