Cycling in the Scottish Borders
Opportunities for your enjoyment lie all around Burnbrae.Cyclists are especially welcome. At Burnbrae, we have a lockable cycle store and we can provide you with a key for the duration of your stay. Each cottage has a heated drying cupboard. A washing machine and a tumble-drier are available on-site.
Cycling is a particular pleasure on the network of quiet lanes around Burnbrae.
In the hills are many tracks which can be cycled by those with the necessary stamina and equipment. In Glentress forest, there are extensive cycling tracks separate from walking paths.
The Borders cycling map provides you with an overview of the routes on offer in the Borders. Cycle Scottish Borders website provides a wealth of information and details on all cycling routes in the area, including maps which can be downloaded.
There are a good number of shorter trails from most of the main towns and also some longer
distance routes. Detailed below are the waymarked routes in the region.
250 mile (402km) circular Borderloop: a waymarked route along quiet country lanes that links Peebles in the west with the North Sea coast at Eyemouth in the east. It can be broken up into stages to explore the breadth of Scottish Borders history and culture. There are several possible shortcuts offering alternative itineraries.
The Tweed Cycle Route, a 95 mile (153km) linear path from Biggar to Berwick-upon-Tweed that avoids busy roads, navigating superb forest views, the magnificent Eildon Hills and a wealth of fascinating visitor attractions.
The epic Coasts and Castles Route is also well worth cycling, taking in some of Scotland's finest built and natural heritage. As part of the 3,600 mile (5,794km) North Sea Cycle Route, the Coasts and Castles section connects the Forth and Tyne estuaries with the unspoilt coastline, beautiful Tweed Valley and charming Borders towns.
Town cycling trails are available for Duns, Eyemouth, Hawick, Innerleithen, Jedburgh, Kelso, Melrose, Peebles and Selkirk
The Southern Borders Loop offers two options for cyclists. The shorter route is moderate and can easily be completed in a day. The larger circuit is hard (suitable for more experienced cyclists) with 5 significant climbs over 300m.
An 88km (55 mile) circular route linking the four main abbeys in the Scottish Borders - Melrose, Dryburgh, Kelso and Jedburgh. The route follows mainly quiet roads, although short stretches on A roads are unavoidable, a scenic route that takes in many historic interest points. An exciting programme of cycling events is planned including the welcome return of Tweedlove and the Tour of Britain. The Scottish Borders is now one of the most cyclist friendly areas of Scotland with over 38% of businesses part of the Cyclists Welcome Scheme and a growing menu of cycling products on offer to attract cycling visitors and assure them of a warm welcome.
The Southern Borders has the 173 mile Reivers Route which winds its way through some of the wildest and untouched countryside in the UK. It starts at the mouth of the River Tyne and finishes on the Cumbrian coast with a short foray into the Scottish Borders.
The shorter routes tend to be more suited to day trips and families, and the longer distance routes will require some overnight stops. Do not forget that these longer routes could be undertaken in bite-size chunks by visitors just wanting to do a section of a route over a few days rather than attempting the full distance.
Further information is available on the shorter cycling trails from Duns, Eyemouth, Jedburgh, Melrose, Peebles and Selkirk.For hire of cycles, see Christopher Rainbow
P&S Dorricott, Jedburgh tel. 01835 862423 also hire cycles.
There is a cycle sales and repair shop in Bridge Street, Kelso - Simon Porteous Cycles tel. 01573 223 692