Scotland Day 6 - Rest day in Peebles

Rest days are really important. They give my legs a chance to have a pause, but also give me time to catch up with all the other aspects of life that have been waiting to rush in as soon as the walking stops. So today I've been doing choir and tour admin for most of the morning, and then some waterproofing maintenance on my boots and cagoule, as the forecast for the next fortnight is not especially encouraging. And for those who've been sending me helpful washing tips, all the laundry's done too!

But we've also had the chance to look at Peebles, which is a charming small town. It has a greengrocer and a fishmonger on the high street, which in itself feels like something special. A number of friendly independent cafes, and the pinnacle was the most amazing chocolate shop, CocoaBlack. We tried their take on a Jaffa Cake. Wow.

I loved the estate agent's window where we could have made enquiries about purchasing a house plot, a woodland, a field on which we could have built a small housing estate, and my favourite, a wind turbine site.

The church is a wonderful space, with an extraordinary wooden walkway built to allow flat access. Inside I could immediately imagine doing a concert there, with the wide pews and the balcony. Then even better, I spotted that the choir stalls' kneelers were all beautifully embroidered with old hymn tunes.

And outside the town we went to have a look at Dawyck (pronounced Doik) Botanic Garden. It comes under the aegis of the Edinburgh Botanic Garden, and is home to one of Scotland's finest tree collections. We dodged the rain for a bit, and admired the arboretum, and also enjoyed that the car park had an EV charger. Having an electric car means that you have to be a bit like the Duke of Wellington with a toilet. I'll leave that with you.

Coming back into town I took a closer look at the giant pencils at the side of the road. There was nothing visible to explain their presence. According to Peeblesshire news online they appear to have been suggested by a local primary school as a traffic calming measure. Certainly eye catching.

Business as usual tomorrow, out over the Cross Borders Drove Road in the morning.