Even by Tweed Valley standards, this weekend is a busy one. The action begins on Friday with the start of the acclaimed Innerleithen Music Festival – a must-attend for all those with a love of Celtic music. This year’s terrific line-up sees the likes of Eddi Reader, Skippinish and the Friel Sisters steal the headlines, but there’s also the Live and Local Fringe (a chance for up and coming local talent to strut their stuff), music workshops led by some of the best in the business, street busking and plenty more besides. For more info, have a read of our festival blog.
This weekend also sees one of the biggest mountain bike enduro events in the Scottish race calendar. The Whyte Endura Scottish Open, King and Queen of the Hill features some track sections used at the Enduro World Series race in May, and aims to be the premier ‘one-off’ Scottish national level enduro race in Scotland. It’s a big one too, with more than 500 riders expected to compete over the weekend. Practice starts on Saturday, with racing on Sunday.
Many of the racers will get themselves all fired up on Saturday night with a visit to the Eastgate Theatre in Peebles to catch a special screening of unReal – the hottest new mountain bike film of the year. It’s being screened as part of a special TweedLove film night ahead of racing on the Sunday, so expect special guests and plenty of high jinks as well as the actual film.
And for those looking for rather more cerebral pursuits, this weekend also sees the always enriching Beyond Borders International Festival of Literature and Thought at Traquair House. This year’s festival offers another chance to listen, debate and engage with a range of international artists, writers and diplomats on some of the most pressing issues of our time. As ever, the festival includes some real powerhouse speakers with Scotland’s First Minister Nicola Sturgeon, Alex Salmond MP, Kate Adie, William Dalrymple and many others taking to the stage.
So, come see us this weekend and pick your pleasure!