River Tweed trail lands £3m funding support

Plans for a "world-class long-distance" route along the path of the River Tweed have landed a grant of nearly £3m.

The National Lottery Heritage Fund (NLHF) support will aid proposals for a 113-mile trail running all the way from Moffat to Berwick-upon-Tweed.

It is part of a wider Destination Tweed project which hopes to see more than £23m invested in the area.

It aims to deliver environmental, social, economic and educational benefits along the river's route.

The River Tweed rises in the Lowther Hills a few miles north of Moffat.

It passes through a number of towns including Innerleithen, Peebles, Galashiels, Melrose, Kelso and Coldstream before it reaches Berwick where it flows into the North Sea.

Destination Tweed describes itself as a "source-to-sea restoration and revitalisation project" focused on the river.

Led by the Tweed Forum, and working with Scottish Borders Council (SBC), landowners and other partners, it includes the creation of the long-distance trail through southern Scotland.

The project will be delivered in stages and is expected to take five years to complete.

Tweed Forum director, Luke Comins, said it was extremely grateful for the funding for its "ambitious project" aiming to "respect and showcase" the river's assets.

Caroline Clark, NLHF director for Scotland, said the scheme could bring together and benefit communities "from source to sea".

"Destination Tweed offers a real vision for connecting communities along the length of the river, supporting the local environment, infrastructure and economy," she said.

SBC leader Euan Jardine said it was a "major step forward" for the plans.

"We believe that this significant project, which makes the most of the River Tweed as a national tourism asset, will be completely transformational for our area," he added.