Tweed Valley events: six of the best

We’ve already had a couple of fantastic events in the Tweed Valley this year, with hardy competitors braving the snow and ice in the Bowhill Duathlon Series in January, while hundreds more were inspired and entertained at the recent Peebles Outdoor Film Festival.

And the events just keep on coming in the months ahead. Here are six very good reasons to join us in the Tweed Valley this year:

1. The Mighty Deerstalker, 12 March

A wet, muddy and by now infamous romp through the Tweed Valley, starting and finishing at Traquair House. Runners can choose from the 5km route (it’s a bit more than that), or the more extreme 10km route (actually a LOT longer than that, much of it in darkness). Dressing up is encouraged – expect plenty of tweed, fake antlers and deerstalker hats – while the routes feature a range of fiendish obstacles. For those with any juice left in the tank, the after party is pretty good, too. Check out a review of last year’s event in The Guardian here

http://ratrace.com/mightydeerstalker2016

2. TweedLove Bike Festival, 14-30 May

Quite simply the biggest, friendliest bike festival in the UK, with a fortnight of exhilarating events including something for every age and ability of rider – from tots on balance bikes to grizzled pros. TweedLove may not have the Enduro World Series coming to town this year but it does have the brand new Shimano TweedLove International Enduro race weekend, plus plenty of other highlights. For a taste of what TweedLove is all about, have a look at last year’s highlights here

http://tweedlove.com

3. Shakespeare at Traquair, 1-4, 8-11 June

The theatrical group’s 21^st annual production sees a unique promenade performance of Shakespeare’s classic comedy, Taming of the Shrew. Watching Shakespeare performed outdoors in the grounds of Traquair House is a magical experience. See our blog about last year’s very special performance of Hamlet here

http://www.shakespeare-at-traquair.co.uk

4. Borders festivals, Various dates in June and July

Visitors from elsewhere might not completely understand what is going on, but that hardly matters: from West Linton’s Whipman and Peebles’ Beltane Festival to Innerleithen’s Games Week and Selkirk’s Common Riding, the various Border town festivals always offer a spectacular feast of local legend, history and tradition. Well worth getting involved.

http://returntotheridings.co.uk

5. Innerleithen Music Festival, 19-21 Aug

A must for all those with a love of Celtic music. Last year’s programme saw the likes of Eddi Reader, Skippinish and the Friel Sisters steal the headlines, but there was 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 much more. Expect the same high-calibre of performer this year (full programme coming soon). See our earlier Q&A interview with the festival’s Robin Dempsey here

www.innerleithenmusicfestival.org

6. Tweed Valley Forest Festival, 21-30 October

If you go down to the woods in the Tweed Valley in October, you might be in for more than just a big surprise. Marking its 11^th anniversary in 2016, the Tweed Valley Forest Festival returns with a lively celebration of the area’s woodland culture, local produce and ancient Halloween rites – including an outstanding Wood Market, the Scottish Conker Championships, and hopefully the return of Carvefest, which sees some of the UK’s best chainsaw carvers involved in a spectacular two-day event.

www.forest-festival.com

And that's just scratching the surface! For much more on what’s happening throughout the Tweed Valley in 2016, please have a look at our events page