Road cycling
Skinny tyres more your thing? With quiet roads, dramatic scenery and plenty of challenging routes to enjoy, the Tweed Valley is also home to some of the best road cycling in Scotland.
While mountain bikers go all giddy for the network of trails in the hills and forests all around, road cyclists get equally excited about riding on some spectacularly scenic roads that, for good reason, have hosted several stages of the Tour of Britain.
Even just a quick glance at a map will highlight a range of routes that can be pieced together to suit every level of rider. But there are plenty of classics for you to follow, too. Try the Borderloop4 – a deliciously hilly 80km circuit that starts and finishes in Peebles – or the Tweed Cycle Route which runs for 150km from Biggar to the coast at Berwick-upon-Tweed. This attractive, way-marked route runs through the Tweed Valley and beyond, with the Tweed itself as its linking theme.
For those who like a real challenge, there’s always the main Border Loop – an epic 400km circular journey that passes some of the many castles, historic abbeys and great houses that together tell the story of the area’s turbulent history – and the Kirkpatrick C2C, the South of Scotland’s Coast to Coast cycling route. Launched in 2023, the Kirkpatrick celebrates Scotland’s rich history of innovation and the South’s key role in the creation of the bicycle. The on-road route offers 400km of uninterrupted joy for experienced cyclists from Stranraer on the west coast to Eyemouth on the east coast.
One of the most popular cycle routes that passes through the Tweed Valley is the Coast and Castles South (Newcastle to Edinburgh). This cross-borders epic offers the perfect introduction to long-distance cycling, taking in several Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty, the Holy Island of Lindisfarne plus Bamburgh and Edinburgh castles. Beautiful!
Another great way to experience road riding in the Tweed Valley is to sign up for one of the major sportive events that take place each year. The extremely active Peebles Cycling Club runs the annual Tour of Tweeddale in late summer, always the perfect warm-up for the Tour O The Borders – a spectacular, closed road sportive that attracts thousands of riders every September. Starting in Peebles, the routes (Challenge, 88km; Full 120km) travel mainly over quiet, picturesque back roads, with several stiff climbs along the way – including the (in)famous Talla Wall Climb!
Tour O The Borders is taking a break in 2024 – but watch this space for more info about other road events from organisers, Hillside Outside.
The cycling pages of Scotland Starts Here are an excellent resource for route ideas, from short blasts to multi-day expeditions. Look out too for Bike Valley Trails, a one-stop-shop for cyclists looking for road, gravel and MTB routes throughout the Tweed Valley. Finally, do check out how the routes tie in with the extensive Sustrans National Cycle Network, a UK-wide network of signed routes and paths.