Innerleithen
Encyclopedia
Innerleithen is a small town in the committee area of Tweeddale
, in the Scottish
Borders
.
of the Leithen
", because it is here that the river joins the Tweed
. The prefix "Inner-/Inver-" (Inbhir-) is common in many Scottish placenames, such as Inverness
. At this confluence, the Tweed flows approximately west-east, and the Leithen flows from the north.
hill fort. Crop marks from aerial photographs of the 1950s suggest the existence of a semi-permanent Roman marching camp on the flood plain by the river Tweed
at Toll Wood (near Traquair) and at nearby Eshiels.
The town is said to have been founded by an itinerant pilgrim monk called St. Ronan in A.D.737, who came to Innerleithen via the River Tweed in a coracle
. Monks would certainly have travelled the natural route of the Clyde
and Tweed valleys on their way between the religious centres of Iona
and Holy Island
. A Celtic stone carved with cup and rings/channels, known as the Runic Cross (although there are neither runes on it, nor any evidence that it was a cross shaft) was found on the slopes of the Leithen valley suggesting that a church existed during the Early Middle Ages
. The stone can be viewed in the courtyard of the parish church on Leithen Road.
In the local legend of the town's founding "St. Ronan Cleik't the Deil by the hind leg and banished him", possibly a metaphor for the monks bringing Christian learning back into these regions.
The legend was actually formalised by Sir Walter Scott
and was later instigated in a town festival called "The Cleikum Ceremonies" in 1901. This was seen as a way to prevent the legends and folktales of the region from dying out. Scott wrote about the town in his 1824 novel, St. Ronan's Well
.
The Ceremonies continue to this day as part of St. Ronans Borders Games, also known as 'Games Week' (although, in reality, this is a 10 day long festival). The Border Games date from 1827 and are the oldest organised sports meeting in Scotland. These happen in the first and second week in July and draw significant local and tourist participation.
Accounts of Innerleithen date from the 12th century, when it was recorded as "Inverlethane". It is said that a son of King Malcolm IV of Scotland
(who was staying at Traquair House
on a hunting trip), drowned accidentally in a deep pool at the confluence of the rivers Leithen and Tweed. The body was recovered by locals and taken to the church, in recognition of which the King bestowed the right of sanctuary to the land. The pool where the drowning is alleged to have taken place is still known locally as "The Droont Pool". However, it should be borne in mind that Malcolm IV is reported to have died childless at the age of twenty five, so the veracity of this claim is questionable.
Later written accounts of the town date from the 15th century when it is referred to as "Henderleithen", and at this point it is recorded as a hamlet within the Parish of Traquair, which with its major baronial house, was centre of the Parish.
The industrial revolution and wool milling saw Innerleithen outgrow Traquair and become the larger village. Innerleithen's population rose from 1130 (1861 census) to it current level of over 2500. At one point it had five significant wool mills (or hosieries
). Of these, only two remain, and these survive by producing high quality fashion knitwear and cashmere for international markets.
The industries which have supplanted the wool industry and allowed the town keep growing have been primarily tourism and secondly timber and forestry. Additionally, a significant proportion of the population now commutes to work, including to Edinburgh
some 30 miles north.
Tourist attractions within the town include Robert Smail's Printing Works
and St. Ronans Wells, and nearby Traquair House
. Popular tourist activities in the area include golfing (the town has a 9-hole golf course), walking and mountain biking with 2 excellent routes including a world standard downhill route. The area is famous for fly fishing (both trout and salmon), and there is a fish ladder near the golf course, just outside the town boundary on Leithen Road. This proves a popular stopping point for locals and visitors to watch the autumn and winter runs of salmon.
The town has several small hotels including the Traquair Arms Hotel and the St. Ronans Hotel. There are also numerous private houses offering bed and breakfast, a camp site and a caravan site. A popular stop for those passing through is Caldwell's shop, on the north side of the High Street, for some home-made ice cream from an old family recipe.
The town is also well known for its annual music festival known as the rockin banterful barry folk festival that takes place in the Memorial Hall
. In addition, it has an active amateur operatic society which stages an annual production.
To get to Innerleithen from Edinburgh, follow the A701, then A703 south from Edinburgh, and at Peebles turn east onto the A72. The town is also served by the First Bus no. 62 service which runs between Edinburgh and Melrose via Penicuik
, Peebles
, Innerleithen and Galashiels
.
Innerleithen has several bookshops, the largest of which holds nearly 19,000 titles and is one of the largest in the Scottish Borders.
Innerleithen is also popular for mountain biking and, together with Glentress
, forms one of the Forestry Commission
's "7 Stanes
". It is very popular with downhill bikers and has hosted national events since the early 1990s. Current gems include the "Matador" and "Make or Break". In addition to the downhill trails, there is a long cross-country loop that climbs to the top of the Minch Moor before descending through some excellent trails. The Innerleithen XC trails are more demanding than those found at Glentress
.
There are two bike shops in Innerleithen Alpine Bikes on the High Street (also does bike hire), and I-Cycles on Traquair Road.
See also=
Tweeddale
Tweeddale is a committee area and lieutenancy area in the Scottish Borders with a population of 17,394 at the latest census in 2001 it is the second smallest of the 5 committee areas in the Borders. It is the traditional name for the area drained by the upper reaches of the River Tweed...
, in the Scottish
Scotland
Scotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...
Borders
Scottish Borders
The Scottish Borders is one of 32 local government council areas of Scotland. It is bordered by Dumfries and Galloway in the west, South Lanarkshire and West Lothian in the north west, City of Edinburgh, East Lothian, Midlothian to the north; and the non-metropolitan counties of Northumberland...
.
Etymology
The name "Innerleithen" comes from the Scottish Gaelic meaning "confluenceConfluence
Confluence, in geography, describes the meeting of two or more bodies of water.Confluence may also refer to:* Confluence , a property of term rewriting systems...
of the Leithen
Leithen Water
Leithen Water is a tributary of the River Tweed in Scotland. It joins it near the town of Innerleithen, whose name comes from the Scottish Gaelic inbhir, meaning a confluence, and anglicised as "inner" or "inver". The Brythonic equivalent is "Aber". "Leithen" is a Celtic name meaning grey in...
", because it is here that the river joins the Tweed
River Tweed
The River Tweed, or Tweed Water, is long and flows primarily through the Borders region of Great Britain. It rises on Tweedsmuir at Tweed's Well near where the Clyde, draining northwest, and the Annan draining south also rise. "Annan, Tweed and Clyde rise oot the ae hillside" as the Border saying...
. The prefix "Inner-/Inver-" (Inbhir-) is common in many Scottish placenames, such as Inverness
Inverness
Inverness is a city in the Scottish Highlands. It is the administrative centre for the Highland council area, and is regarded as the capital of the Highlands of Scotland...
. At this confluence, the Tweed flows approximately west-east, and the Leithen flows from the north.
Layout
The layout of the town is dominated by the surrounding hills. To the north the peaked hill of Lee Pen (502m), and its southerly spur Caerlee Hill (258m). To the east the rounded hill of Pirn Craig (363m) - locally known as "Rocky" - and its townward spur of Windy Knowe (155m), also known as "Pirn Hill", and to the south, beyond the Tweed, the extended of ridge of Plora Craig rises sharply from the southerly bank. Thus the town has grown in an inverted 'T' shape north up the valley of the Leithen and east-west along north bank flood plain of the Tweed.History
The area occupied by the town has been inhabited since pre-Roman times. The remains of an Iron-Age hill fort are visible atop Caerlee Hill, in the form of defensive ditchworks. Ditchworks are also visible on the hill of Windy Knowe and, whilst there is some local speculation that these belong to an unusual round Roman hill fort, they are in fact typical of an indigenous Iron AgeIron Age
The Iron Age is the archaeological period generally occurring after the Bronze Age, marked by the prevalent use of iron. The early period of the age is characterized by the widespread use of iron or steel. The adoption of such material coincided with other changes in society, including differing...
hill fort. Crop marks from aerial photographs of the 1950s suggest the existence of a semi-permanent Roman marching camp on the flood plain by the river Tweed
River Tweed
The River Tweed, or Tweed Water, is long and flows primarily through the Borders region of Great Britain. It rises on Tweedsmuir at Tweed's Well near where the Clyde, draining northwest, and the Annan draining south also rise. "Annan, Tweed and Clyde rise oot the ae hillside" as the Border saying...
at Toll Wood (near Traquair) and at nearby Eshiels.
The town is said to have been founded by an itinerant pilgrim monk called St. Ronan in A.D.737, who came to Innerleithen via the River Tweed in a coracle
Coracle
The coracle is a small, lightweight boat of the sort traditionally used in Wales but also in parts of Western and South Western England, Ireland , and Scotland ; the word is also used of similar boats found in India, Vietnam, Iraq and Tibet...
. Monks would certainly have travelled the natural route of the Clyde
River Clyde
The River Clyde is a major river in Scotland. It is the ninth longest river in the United Kingdom, and the third longest in Scotland. Flowing through the major city of Glasgow, it was an important river for shipbuilding and trade in the British Empire....
and Tweed valleys on their way between the religious centres of Iona
Iona
Iona is a small island in the Inner Hebrides off the western coast of Scotland. It was a centre of Irish monasticism for four centuries and is today renowned for its tranquility and natural beauty. It is a popular tourist destination and a place for retreats...
and Holy Island
Lindisfarne
Lindisfarne is a tidal island off the north-east coast of England. It is also known as Holy Island and constitutes a civil parish in Northumberland...
. A Celtic stone carved with cup and rings/channels, known as the Runic Cross (although there are neither runes on it, nor any evidence that it was a cross shaft) was found on the slopes of the Leithen valley suggesting that a church existed during the Early Middle Ages
Middle Ages
The Middle Ages is a periodization of European history from the 5th century to the 15th century. The Middle Ages follows the fall of the Western Roman Empire in 476 and precedes the Early Modern Era. It is the middle period of a three-period division of Western history: Classic, Medieval and Modern...
. The stone can be viewed in the courtyard of the parish church on Leithen Road.
In the local legend of the town's founding "St. Ronan Cleik't the Deil by the hind leg and banished him", possibly a metaphor for the monks bringing Christian learning back into these regions.
The legend was actually formalised by Sir Walter Scott
Walter Scott
Sir Walter Scott, 1st Baronet was a Scottish historical novelist, playwright, and poet, popular throughout much of the world during his time....
and was later instigated in a town festival called "The Cleikum Ceremonies" in 1901. This was seen as a way to prevent the legends and folktales of the region from dying out. Scott wrote about the town in his 1824 novel, St. Ronan's Well
St. Ronan's Well
St. Ronan's Well is a novel by Sir Walter Scott. It is the only novel he wrote with a 19th century setting.-Plot introduction:The novel concerns the rivalry of two men: Valentine Bulmer, the Earl of Etherington, and his half-brother Francis Tyrrel. Both wish to marry Miss Clara Mowbray, who is the...
.
The Ceremonies continue to this day as part of St. Ronans Borders Games, also known as 'Games Week' (although, in reality, this is a 10 day long festival). The Border Games date from 1827 and are the oldest organised sports meeting in Scotland. These happen in the first and second week in July and draw significant local and tourist participation.
Accounts of Innerleithen date from the 12th century, when it was recorded as "Inverlethane". It is said that a son of King Malcolm IV of Scotland
Malcolm IV of Scotland
Malcolm IV , nicknamed Virgo, "the Maiden" , King of Scots, was the eldest son of Earl Henry and Ada de Warenne...
(who was staying at Traquair House
Traquair House
Traquair House, approximately 5 miles southeast of Peebles, is claimed to be the oldest continually inhabited house in Scotland. It is built in the style of a fortified mansion, and not strictly a castle...
on a hunting trip), drowned accidentally in a deep pool at the confluence of the rivers Leithen and Tweed. The body was recovered by locals and taken to the church, in recognition of which the King bestowed the right of sanctuary to the land. The pool where the drowning is alleged to have taken place is still known locally as "The Droont Pool". However, it should be borne in mind that Malcolm IV is reported to have died childless at the age of twenty five, so the veracity of this claim is questionable.
Later written accounts of the town date from the 15th century when it is referred to as "Henderleithen", and at this point it is recorded as a hamlet within the Parish of Traquair, which with its major baronial house, was centre of the Parish.
The industrial revolution and wool milling saw Innerleithen outgrow Traquair and become the larger village. Innerleithen's population rose from 1130 (1861 census) to it current level of over 2500. At one point it had five significant wool mills (or hosieries
Hosiery
Hosiery, also referred to as legwear, describes garments worn directly on the feet and legs. The term originated as the collective term for products of which a maker or seller is termed a hosier; and those products are also known generically as hose...
). Of these, only two remain, and these survive by producing high quality fashion knitwear and cashmere for international markets.
The industries which have supplanted the wool industry and allowed the town keep growing have been primarily tourism and secondly timber and forestry. Additionally, a significant proportion of the population now commutes to work, including to Edinburgh
Edinburgh
Edinburgh is the capital city of Scotland, the second largest city in Scotland, and the eighth most populous in the United Kingdom. The City of Edinburgh Council governs one of Scotland's 32 local government council areas. The council area includes urban Edinburgh and a rural area...
some 30 miles north.
Tourism
Robert Smail's Printing Works
Robert Smail's Printing Works is a fully functional Victorian era letterpress printing works in the small Scottish Borders town of Innerleithen, now preserved by The National Trust for Scotland as an Industrial Heritage museum showing visitors the operation of a local printer around 1900 while...
and St. Ronans Wells, and nearby Traquair House
Traquair House
Traquair House, approximately 5 miles southeast of Peebles, is claimed to be the oldest continually inhabited house in Scotland. It is built in the style of a fortified mansion, and not strictly a castle...
. Popular tourist activities in the area include golfing (the town has a 9-hole golf course), walking and mountain biking with 2 excellent routes including a world standard downhill route. The area is famous for fly fishing (both trout and salmon), and there is a fish ladder near the golf course, just outside the town boundary on Leithen Road. This proves a popular stopping point for locals and visitors to watch the autumn and winter runs of salmon.
The town has several small hotels including the Traquair Arms Hotel and the St. Ronans Hotel. There are also numerous private houses offering bed and breakfast, a camp site and a caravan site. A popular stop for those passing through is Caldwell's shop, on the north side of the High Street, for some home-made ice cream from an old family recipe.
The town is also well known for its annual music festival known as the rockin banterful barry folk festival that takes place in the Memorial Hall
Memorial Hall
Memorial Hall may refer to:in the United Kingdom* Memorial Hall is part of Workingman's Institute and Memorial Hall also called "Memo"* Memorial Hall, Manchesterin the United States...
. In addition, it has an active amateur operatic society which stages an annual production.
To get to Innerleithen from Edinburgh, follow the A701, then A703 south from Edinburgh, and at Peebles turn east onto the A72. The town is also served by the First Bus no. 62 service which runs between Edinburgh and Melrose via Penicuik
Penicuik
Penicuik is a burgh and civil parish in Midlothian, Scotland, lying on the west bank of the River North Esk. The town was developed as a planned village in 1770 by Sir James Clerk of Penicuik. It became a burgh in 1867. The town was well known for its paper mills, the last of which closed in 2005....
, Peebles
Peebles
Peebles is a burgh in the committee area of Tweeddale, in the Scottish Borders, lying on the River Tweed. According to the 2001 Census, the population was 8,159.-History:...
, Innerleithen and Galashiels
Galashiels
Galashiels is a burgh in the Scottish Borders, on the Gala Water river. The name is often shortened to "Gala" .Galashiels is a major commercial centre for the Scottish Borders...
.
Innerleithen has several bookshops, the largest of which holds nearly 19,000 titles and is one of the largest in the Scottish Borders.
Innerleithen is also popular for mountain biking and, together with Glentress
Glentress Forest
Glentress Forest is located near Peebles in the Scottish Borders, about 30 miles south of Edinburgh. Part of the Tweed Valley Forest Park along with Traquair Forest in Innerleithen, it is the home of a mountain biking centre which is one of the 7stanes mountain bike trails operated throughout...
, forms one of the Forestry Commission
Forestry Commission
The Forestry Commission is a non-ministerial government department responsible for forestry in Great Britain. Its mission is to protect and expand Britain's forests and woodlands and increase their value to society and the environment....
's "7 Stanes
7stanes
The 7stanes are seven mountain biking centres spanning the south of Scotland, from the heart of the Scottish Borders to Dumfries and Galloway. They are on Forestry Commission land and along with schemes in Wales are regarded as the benchmark by which further trails in the UK should be developed...
". It is very popular with downhill bikers and has hosted national events since the early 1990s. Current gems include the "Matador" and "Make or Break". In addition to the downhill trails, there is a long cross-country loop that climbs to the top of the Minch Moor before descending through some excellent trails. The Innerleithen XC trails are more demanding than those found at Glentress
Glentress Forest
Glentress Forest is located near Peebles in the Scottish Borders, about 30 miles south of Edinburgh. Part of the Tweed Valley Forest Park along with Traquair Forest in Innerleithen, it is the home of a mountain biking centre which is one of the 7stanes mountain bike trails operated throughout...
.
There are two bike shops in Innerleithen Alpine Bikes on the High Street (also does bike hire), and I-Cycles on Traquair Road.
See also=
- AuchentiberAuchentiberThe hamlet of Auchentiber is in North Ayrshire, Parish of Kilwinning, Scotland. Auchentiber is NE of Kilwinning on the Lochlibo Road, from the hamlet of Burnhouse and from the village of Barrmill. Grid Ref. NS3647. Some new housing has been built, but the settlement is still very much a hamlet...
- The 'Cleikum Inn'. - Damside