A Stuart-era tower above the Tweed, visited by both Mary and James VI.
What happened here?
Neidpath is an L-plan tower house on a rocky bluff above the River Tweed, near Peebles, built by the Hay family in the late 14th century. Mary, Queen of Scots stayed here in 1563, and her son James VI followed in 1587.
What happened next?
During the Civil War, the Royalist Hays held Neidpath against Cromwell's forces in 1650 longer than any other stronghold south of the Forth, before cannon fire forced their surrender. Its position also sits on ground travelled by forces moving through the Borders during the 18th-century Jacobite risings. The castle is privately owned today and not generally open to the public.
What to look for while you're here
- The castle's dramatic position on the bluff above the Tweed — best appreciated from the road or riverside path below, since the interior isn't generally open.
- The thickness of the surviving walls, a legacy of the damage they were built to withstand in 1650.