Inside UK town that inspired classic novel and sells unusual pies

29 August 2023 , 14:46

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Peebles in the Scottish Borders has inspired generations of poets and storytellers (Image: Getty Images)

An artsy town that was featured in the Da Vinci Code series has been named as an ideal spot for a UK getaway.

Peebles in the Scottish Borders is said by visitors to feature spectacular scenery, shopping, cafés, events and outdoor activities - as well as one very surprising local delicacy.

Locals are known to enjoy the taste of lasagne pies, a speciality served by butchers on the charming high street.

But there are plenty more claims to fame for this little town on the banks of the River Tweed, which was the setting for Richard Hannay's classic adventure novel The Thirty-Nine Steps, released in 1915.

The town was the setting for Richard Hannay's classic adventure novel The Thirty-Nine Steps, released in 1915 (Getty Images)

Peebles' famous 15th century Rossyln Chapel was never completed (Jamie Jones/REX/Shutterstock)

Peebles' famous 15th century Rossyln Chapel is built in a striking Late Gothic style, and was originally intended to serve as the choir of a much larger church that was never completed. The unique character this gives the building has drawn many admirers over the years - not least Sir Walter Scott, Wordsworth, and Lord Byron, the last of which described it as a 'chaos of ruins'.

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To modern eyes the chapel may be more recognisable from the Da Vinci Code films and books, where it features as a crucial location in the main characters' quest for the Holy Grail. Numbers of visitors to the location are said to have boomed in recent years off the success of the series, with some eccentric theorists reportedly believing that the legendary relic can be found there.

Others are drawn there by the exquisite carvings inside the chapel, and one visitor wrote on TripAdvisor: "The exterior of Rosslyn Chapel is impressive enough but the carvings inside the chapel have to be seen to be believed; I have not seen better anywhere in the world."

Other cultural delights across the town include the Eastgate Theatre, the Kalzie Gardens and the 1881 Distillery & Gin School, which offers a range of gin distillery tours and distiller experiences as the largest facility of its kind in the UK. Those after a taste of the great outdoors instead will find plenty to do in the surrounding area, with the nearby Glentress Forest offering beautiful scenic views.

The town is easily reached from Edinburgh, where buses, trains and short tours run throughout the day. Those coming from further afield may wish to book themselves a bunk bed private cabin on the Caledonian Sleeper train from London Euston to Edinburgh, which costs £410 for two people sharing a room.

Benedict Tetzlaff-Deas