Cycling.
The Scottish Borders is Scotland’s leading cycling destination. There are a good number of shorter trails from most of the main towns and also some longer distance routes.
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Detailed below are the longer routes in the region:
The Borderloop is a 250-mile circular bike journey along the quiet lanes that criss-cross this beautiful region, with several possible shortcuts offering alternative itineraries.
Starting at 650 ft above sea level in Biggar and finishing on the coast in Berwick-upon-Tweed, the Tweed Cycle Way is an 89 mile long waymarked cycle route running through the heart of the Scottish Borders with the River Tweed as its linking theme.
The 4 Abbeys Cycle Route is an 88km (55 mile) circular route linking the four main abbeys in the Scottish Borders, namely those at Melrose, Dryburgh, Kelso and Jedburgh.
The Southern Borders Loop is a new route, which 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. The shorter route is best undertaken in a clockwise direction and can be started from either Newcastleton or Hawick. The longer loop is best cycled anti-clockwise and could be broken with an overnight stay in Newcastleton, Hawick or Langholm, depending upon the starting location.
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 with the longer distance routes requiring some overnight stops. Don’t 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.
