Peebles hotel popular with Sir Walter Scott is sold
The Cross Keys hotel in the Scottish Borders country town of Peebles has been sold for close to £395,000.
The 17th century inn was a popular haunt of author Sir Walter Scott when it was called the Cleikum Inn and it has featured in some of his novels.
It is also believed to be haunted by then-innkeeper Marion Ritchie (described as an 18th century Delia Smith) who was the inspiration for the character of Meg Dodds in Scott's novel St Ronans Well.
Along with five bedrooms, the inn has a public and a lounge bar, a 56-seat restaurant, a 40-seat breakfast/function room and a two-bedroom owners' flat.
The business has consent to convert a little-used second function room into a two-bedroom flat for the owners, freeing up the existing owners' flat to be turned into extra letting bedrooms.
The new owners are local business couple Ewan and Irene Gowrie.
The Edinburgh office of Colliers Robert Barry sold the inn on behalf of Eileen Legg, who is retiring.
By Angela Frewin