Plans for a “unique tourism experience” linking Moffat and the Borders have been awarded a near £3million cash boost.
The National Lottery Heritage Fund support will aid proposals for a 113-mile trail from the Upper Annandale town to Berwick-upon-Tweed on the east coast.
Leys Geddes, chairman of Visit Moffat, is “thrilled to have heard the starting gun” on the scheme.
He said: “We are very supportive of the project. We are the gateway to that whole beautiful area so something like this would be tremendous for Moffat.
“Anything that makes the place more accessible has got to be a good thing.”
He added: “The Tweed is a lovely river and starts on the other side of the Beeftub so this would be terrific.
“It all adds up in the right direction.
“Our economy depends on visitors so this kind of thing would be wonderful and we are very enthusiastic about it.”
The route will run along the path of the River Tweed and the ambitious project aims to connect communities in the south of Scotland and Northumberland.
Moffat Promotions Group chairwoman Linnhe Cringean is also backing the project.
She said: “Anything that contributes to bringing people to this wonderful area we live in and allowing them to appreciate it is a bonus.
“Moffat Promotions Group not only supports local businesses and try to give people something to do, it tries to bring people to this area which is an undiscovered jewel.
“We will absolutely do whatever we can to support the project.”
The trail is part a wider initiative led by the Tweed Forum which hopes to see more than £23m invested in the area.
Forum director Luke Comins said: “Destination Tweed will deliver a unique, quality-focused tourism experience that conserves, connects and promotes attractions and communities in and around the entire length of the river, from Moffat in Dumfries and Galloway, through the Scottish Borders and into North Northumberland.
“It is an ambitious project that will respect and showcase the Tweed’s rich natural, built and cultural assets and which has the potential to bring huge economic, cultural, environmental and social benefits to the area.
“We are extremely grateful to The National Lottery Heritage Fund for this significant grant award.”
The “source-to-sea” restoration and revitalisation project has been awarded a grant of £2,980,000 towards the cost of the scheme.
And it is hoped that the creation of the trail from Moffat to Berwick-upon-Tweed could bring in up to 375,000 visitors a year to the area.
Destination Tweed will be delivered in stages and once full funding is confirmed, it is expected that the project will take five years to complete.
The project is working towards a major allocation of funding from the Borderlands Inclusive Growth Deal which has been established to unlock the potential for sustainable and inclusive economic growth across the south of Scotland and North of England.
Discussions with South of Scotland Enterprise are also under way.
