Scottish Government grants £10m for River Tweed trail development

The Scottish Government has provided £10m in funding for the River Tweed trail project, a planned 113-mile (181km) walking and cycling path. This route is designed to stretch from Moffat, near the river’s origin, to Berwick-upon-Tweed in Northumberland. Initial work, including bridge replacements, repairs, and path enhancements, has commenced, with an anticipated completion year of 2028. Deputy First Minister of Scotland Kate Forbes commented, “The trail will help further grow, develop and showcase what the region has to offer.” Additional financial contributions for the initiative have been secured from the walking and cycling charity Sustrans, South of Scotland Enterprise, and Northumberland County Council. Councillor Euan Jardine, who serves as the leader of Scottish Borders Council and co-chair of the Borderlands Partnership, stated: “The River Tweed trail is the keystone project within the £25m Destination Tweed programme and will be one of the great long-distance routes in the UK”. Supporters of the project anticipate it will attract an additional 267,000 visitors to the region over a decade, generating an estimated £27.9 million in related expenditure. Luke Fisher, the Destination Tweed project director, remarked: “The River Tweed is famed across the world for its salmon fishing, great houses and castles, literary connections and wonderful natural environment.” He added, “We want to use these rich assets to harness the area’s tourism potential, connect communities along the length of the river and support the environment and economy across the south of Scotland and north Northumberland.”