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That is what happened when I visited the Cardrona Hotel, Nr Peebles part of the Macdonald Hotel Group. Although I knew where it was located on the map nothing prepared me for the beautiful location of this hotel which nestles on the banks of the flowing River Tweed, in a beautiful valley just three miles east of Peebles. Situated on the edge of the first village to be built in the Borders for over 200 years, this is an area of natural beauty and to think I would be playing golf in such a location the following morning was something to really look forward too.

The hotel lies at the heart of an 18-hole challenging golf course and offers luxurious accommodation. To get to the entrance I had to drive along side the course and could see that although reasonably flat it was quite a long course, in-fact the yardage for the men is 6,555 and ladies 6,139!

Immediately I entered the hotel I was greeted with the same warm Scottish hospitality that I had experienced previously at St Andrews, and after checking into my delightful bedroom overlooking the course and the Border hills, went down to meet up with the Golf Events Manager, Marney Waddell for a briefing where I learnt that the golf course was four years old and the hotel two years. I quickly mentioned that the course looked rather long to walk and accepted the offer of a buggy most gratefully.

Whilst chatting I was charmed by the panorama I was overlooking from my comfy sofa in one of the big bay windows. For all I could see from any of the windows was rolling countryside and was soon itching to take a stroll along the Tweed River and again in beautiful weather. Who said it always rains in Scotland?

Having decided to take dinner in the hotel’s Renwicks Restaurant and try out the award winning chef Ivor Clark’s well promoted food using the finest local ingredients I refreshed myself and returned for a pre-dinner drink in the Cocktail Bar where snacks are available throughout the day. the atmosphere was very relaxed with guests exchanging their day’s adventures with each other.

The dinning experience was just as enjoyable with more serving staff than I have seen in a long time and all working well as a team, nice to see. I was informed that the view I was taking in was unrivalled in this part of Scotland and I could believe it.  I got the impression there were as many walkers as golfers and all from different parts of the world which added to the atmosphere.

Checking in at the professional shop the following morning I learnt that this par 72  course was designed by former Ryder Cup Player Dave Thomas which told me I was in for a treat and treat it proved to be. The course has been designed to harmonise with the beautiful scenery around it; Cardrona is the perfect balance between the golfing challenge and the natural aesthetics of this superb Borders location.  It is a woodland and parkland course which although remarkably flat, given the surrounding rolling hills there are plenty of wooded and sandy surprises! I was glad I had chosen to have a buggy.

At the end of the golf I had built up an appetite for lunch which I took in 19^th hole, Spike’s Bar which offered an excellent selection of food with an option to eat in or out. However as there was a news flash of another bout of attempted bombs in London on the news decided to stay and catch up with the events, and pinching myself on how lucky I was to be there and not suffering the worries of people living and working in our capital city.

With the remainder of the afternoon stretching in front of me I decided to check-out Peebles Golf Course just three miles away which proved a good move as this turned out to also be in a most picturesque situation again shadowed by the rolling Border hills and Tweed valley, set high above the town of Peebles and a little less in length measuring 6,160 yards long par 70.

Although I did not play this parkland course I was allowed to wander round and noticed that the opening holes are quite tough but balanced by a more generous stretch where the eighth and ninth lead you back down the hill towards the clubhouse. The back nine starts off fairly gently until the difficult fourteenth hole, culminating in a very testing finish to an enjoyable round of golf.

The £¾ million clubhouse opened in October 1997 offers excellent catering facilities throughout the bar, lounge and restaurant all in a friendly and welcome atmosphere. The balcony overlooks the par three first holes and provides an excellent location to relax after your round. It also has a fully equipped professional shop, practice area and putting green.

Again there are other courses in the area but these were the only two I had time to visit, as I decided to spend the rest of the afternoon visiting Peebles. ‘Peebles for Pleasure’ is what the locals say and it’s easy to see why! Peebles offers plenty of ways to enjoy the great outdoors with a variety of activities besides golf. Walking, fishing, horse riding and mountain biking mainly spring to mind. Peebles spacious High Street offers interesting shopping and welcoming tearooms and even has its own theatre only opened in 2004 with a year-round selection of theatre, music, dance and art exhibitions. There is an excellent Tourist Information Centre in the town with staff happy to be of assistance.