Cycling southern Scotland coast-to-coast; Stranraer to Berwick-upon-Tweed

 Introduction

This year we travelled to Stranraer to begin our 360km ride across the borderlands to Berwick-upon-Tweed. The route was largely traffic free to Hawick, following forestry tracks and other trails, navigating our way through the many windfarms in the area. From Hawick the route was mostly on quiet lanes, passing through border towns and villages. We followed established routes when we could, including parts of The Southern Upland Way and The Romans and Reivers. We chose not to follow other C2C routes, partly due to wanting more off-road than most of them offer and partly due to the accommodation options. Accommodation was limited on this trip but we found something in every place that we needed it, from a Tibetan retreat to a granny hut and an Airbnb with the most stunning views.

Apart from the rain, the most memorable aspects of the route were the glorious, long descents. Almost everyday we would have an initial climb, followed by a sustained, gentle (but nearly pedal-free) descent. Paired with a strong tailwind, it was easy to forget about the rain and enjoy the unexpected perks.

Travel

We took the train (5 trains) from our home in Buxton to Stranraer, making use of a Two Together Railcard. It is essential to book cycle spaces on most trains but if you want to book ahead note that the cycle spaces aren’t always visible as early as the tickets. Sadly, most trains have spaces that are too small for bikes.

All accommodation had suitable bicycle storage.

The route

 

Route gradient profile

 

Day 1, Stranraer to Glentrool, 60km

We stayed at the very comfortable NeptunesRest Guesthouse, a 5 minute ride from the station at Stranraer.

We started our route, skirting north-east around Loch Ryan before taking a lane to climb steadily to Penwhirn Reservoir and beyond. At Drumley we left the lane and took a good track trending downhill to pass under the railway and over Cross Water of Luce at Dirniemow Bridge. We followed the lane for about 4 kilometres before turning right to climb steeply up Glenkitten Fell. The track was narrow and overgrown but ridable. At the top of the climb there are good forestry tracks serving one of the many windfarms we would pass through on this journey.

We’d started riding in the dry but it wasn’t long before the day turned into a typical dreich day, with a persistent light rain that managed to get you wetter than you would expect. We were starting to feel puckish but didn’t want to stop in the drizzle, compounded by the lack of wind which meant the midges were waiting for us to stop so they could come and have a nibble. Luckily, we soon spotted a roof just off the track, with a faint path leading to it. I went to check it out and found the Beehive Bothy, a Scandinavian style shelter, perfect for a lunch stop.

After lunch we continued on forest tracks, joining the Southern Upland Way, eventually leaving the forest on a quiet lane as we headed towards Glentrool and our accommodation for the first night. Little did we know but a constant theme on this ride were the long descents. After an initial climb, we would have a seemingly endless downhill; this was the case almost every day.

The self-catering accommodation at the community centre in Glentrool was booked up on our dates and instead we stayed at GallowayForest Holiday Park, at an overpriced, ill-equipped static caravan. It was comfortable enough and did the job.

Day 2, Glentrool to New Galloway, 45km

Again we started off in the dry, enjoying the footpath beside the road, with the fairy houses that led from the caravan park towards the village. After the village we turned off towards Glen Trool, cycling past the car park (where there used to be a cafe for one of the 7 Stanes MTB centres) and followed the lane to north of Loch Trool. There is an alternative cycle route that follows the southern shore. At Buchan Bridge the route goes offroad once more, following a good track to the Wrinkly Tin Café and Bunkhouse at Glenhead. This has recently opened and was a comfortable and friendly place to stop before we followed cycle route 7 up and over the saddle to Loch Dee. I’d recommend looking to stay here rather than Glentrool.

The good tracks continued with a steady climb and a feeling of remoteness. From the summit we had another long descent to the dam at Clatteringshaws Loch. At Loch Dee it started to rain; waterproofs went on but at least we’d managed the climb without needing them. We departed from the Southern Upland Way, our route now following a lane towards Clatteringshaws Loch.

From the loch we had a very short stretch on the main road before turning off to follow the Forest Drive along the River Dee. We stopped for a brief lunch at a picnic spot, keeping moving to outwit the midges. The river is beautiful and riding through the forest is pleasant but on a wet day the bikes got covered in grime from the tracks. The track undulates but generally trends downhill. We missed our side turning to climb around Cairn Edward Hill but noticed our mistake before disappearing down another descent. The track was steep but ridable and soon we were descending again. We looked carefully for the next track which took us past a small pond to join a quiet lane to Cairn Edward and the main A762 to New Galloway.

The Community Shop at New Galloway is a gem and luckily we arrived before it closed. We bought dinner and breakfast (the best beacon and bread rolls I have ever had) and continued to our Airbnb. We were very soggy by now, having had persistent rain since Loch Dee and were ready to get indoors to warm up and dry our kit. The Airbnb was between New Galloway and St John’s Town of Dalry. It was a bit of a climb out of the village and then up the track to the hut but it was worth it! Oak Tree Hut was nestled on the side of a hill with far-reaching views to the rolling hills of Rhinns of Kells. The hut was not overlooked; a good thing when you have an outside bath😉. We spread our things under the cover of the large verandah and lit the wood burning stove in the hut. We were soon warm and cosy, watching the rain and mist from the large windows on three sides of the hut. We had stuff out to dry everywhere and made the most of the warmth and comfort of the hut.

Day 3, New Galloway to Thornhill, 60km

We woke up to a different day (thankfully). The mist was lifting from the hills in the distance and there were blue skies in all directions. We lit the wood burner again, to take the chill from the air, waking early to make the most of the light morning, enjoying the hut before leaving for Thornhill.

Again we left in the dry and cycled down to St John’s Town of Dalry. Today we followed quiet lanes with little offroad cycling. Another difference was that today was sunny all day. We headed north from St John’s Town of Dalry and then soon headed north-east to a saddle between Fingland Hill and Lochlee Hill. The scenery and views were beautiful and the riding easy after the forestry tracks of previous days. From today’s high point we had a glorious descent, on road through forestry and open country, to Moniaive. We had checked online and the café was supposedly open. On arrival it wasn’t. I guess in these tiny villages opening times can be more relaxed. This was a shame as there were picnic benches in the sun, out the back of the café, perfect for a lunch stop. Luckily, the village shop was open and we bought snacks there which we ate on benches under the shade of the cherry tree across the road. We were disappointed that the café was open when we cycled past it after eating our lunch.

After Moniaive there was a very steep, on-road climb leading to a descent to Tynron. After Tynron we chose to take a circular route to Thornhill, rather than following the main road. Although there was a lot of uphill, it was worth it for the views. We cycled though the grounds of Drumlanrig Castle where we were hoping for a café, or even just a bench for a rest. We couldn’t find either.  We dropped down to the main road and then climbed steadily up alongside Morton Wood. Although only 1.5km or so, the climb seemed to go on forever. Distances seem so much longer towards the end of the day. The road became a track, still skirting the edge of the wood. We turned towards Thornhill and our accommodation for the night, a granny hut at the dozen or so buildings that are Greenhead.

We were thankful for a dry day today; there was no space to dry any kit in the hut. However, it was comfortable and equipped well enough for a one night stay. We nipped to the Co-op in Thornhill to buy provisions for dinner and breakfast and lunch for the following day.

Day 4, Thornhill to Moffat, 46km

Today most of the route was through the forest of Ae, one of the largest woodlands in the UK. Again, we started in the dry, setting off early as thunderstorms were forecast and we didn’t want to be caught up high in a windfarm if these materialised. The route began on quiet lanes with a steady climb up to Loch Ettrick. After a brief stop at the loch we had a long descent beside Windy Hill to the tiny village of Ae, which was built to house forestry workers in 1947. From Ae we picked up the Romans and Reivers route, winding our way uphill, gaining over 200 metres in height, to Holehouse Hill. The forest trees were mature, hiding most of the windmills which meant that we checked the map frequently to save us going off-route, down a dead-end track to a windmill. This was despite the Romans and Reivers route markers as these were often placed just after a junction and usually hidden by vegetation.

We were caught in some heavy rain and hail showers but thankfully there were no thunderstorms. We enjoyed yet another beautiful descent and stopped for a snack at the edge of the forest. Expecting to be out of danger from any approaching storms, we were surprised to see a stone memorial to a young man who had been killed by lightning. The descent continued on good lanes, crossing the motorway to pick up quiet lanes once again, to avoid the A road into Moffat. We arrived early at the hostel and were able to leave our bikes and bags in the store whist we explored the town and cafes whist waiting for our room to be ready. The independent hostel is a gem.

Day 5, Moffat to Garrwalkdwaterfoot, 25km

This was a short day due to the availability of accommodation options, plus, we didn’t want to skip the opportunity to stay at a Tibetan retreat! It was also the highest day of the trip, climbing up to 537 metres.

We went back into Moffat, to stock up on supplies for the day. With no options to buy lunch on the route, or stop for cake, we bought two sticky Belgian buns to enjoy later. These were placed in a cake box, wrapped in a plastic bag to waterproof them, before being fixed to my bike rack with the bungee cord. To our delight, they remained intact for the entire journey; not too squished either!

We retraced our route from the previous day for a short while and then missed our left-hand turning before realising our error. We turned off the lane onto what looked like a driveway, but as is often the way in Scotland, it is a route that it is open to the public. We soon entered another forest and debated long enough about putting our waterproofs on that the light shower passed. A relief to climb without them on. The forest was open with wide valleys and some vegetated rather than forested hillsides, creating good views but also a feeling of remoteness. At a bend in the track we started to descend but were not too happy about this as we knew there was a big climb coming and this descent was making the climb longer.

The gravel track came to a stop and we had to search a little while to find our route. We knew that the next section was not on a forestry track but it was still on the Romans and Reivers route. A search of the internet claimed the route climbs a gradient of 1 in 5 for about 1km and the route was on a good path. It didn’t take long to find a narrow path amongst the vegetation and a hidden Romans and Reivers marker post. The path was solid underfoot but narrow and crowded by vegetation. It was impossible to ride and we pushed our bikes. I estimated the distance travelled, mentally ticking off every 100 metres. We were thankful that it wasn’t raining and that it wasn’t particularly warm either. Eventually the path flattened, we left the vegetation behind as we reached an open moor.

The climb wasn’t over. We had another 60 metres or so until the high point of our climb; at least we were now back on the forestry tracks. (Surely they could build a track to wind its way up the hillside instead of the steep path?) We now had a descent of over 10km all the way to the Tibetan retreat. We arrived a little early and so enjoyed walking around the grounds before reception opened and we could access our room. For a decent price we had full-board in a twin room with a sink. The monks were friendly and helpful and the food was good, with the option to refill your plate as often as you liked.

Day 6, Garrwalkdwaterfoot to Hawick, 35km

As lunch was included, we stayed for lunch at the retreat before heading to Hawick. We had another shortish day ahead but yet another climb.

We managed about 2km before putting the waterproofs on. We were still following the Romans and Reivers route, up to the site of a Roman signalling station at 449 metres high. Just before the signalling station the route was narrow and resembled a footpath, however, this time the gradient was ridable. We did walk at times as there were a lot of young tree shoots / stumps on the path that had been chopped off and looked as if they could pierce straight through a tyre. At the top of the path we joined what looked like a track on the map, however, it was a clearing through the forest but it was difficult riding with long grass and damp ground.

The track improved after the signalling station, as we began the long downhill for the day. There were some forestry operations where the large machinery had made the track unrideable for a short section. Once past the huge log pile, we were on good tracks once again. Soon after Craik we exited the forest and enjoyed a quiet lane beside Borthwick Water which we followed all the way to its confluence with the River Teviot just outside of Hawick. At Hawick we entered a country park, saving a climb and stuck close to the river, to the town centre. I believe it is possible to stay right beside the river. We crossed the River Teviot and found our amazing B&B, the Bankhouse, right on the High Street.

Unfortunately for us, it seemed many of the locals were recovering from the Common Riding festival and were not opening their restaurants on the night we stayed. We did find a lovely, authentic Italian restaurant, right on the river bank.

Day 7, Hawick to Town Yetholm, 42km

We were now out of the forests and on roads, albeit quiet lanes. The big hills were behind us and we had also had the last of the rain, so the final two days of the trip felt very different to the first six days.

The cycling wasn’t the most scenic as we left Hawick but we were advised by a local not to follow the footpath beside the river as it becomes unrideable. We passed through the small village of Denholm and had a sustained climb over the northern flanks of Dunion Hill, to drop onto Jedburgh where we stopped at the Abbey Bridge Coffee House for an early lunch. We then followed more quiet lanes to Morebattle where we stopped at the delightful community store and had a drink in the shop’s garden.

From Morebattle the route undulated gently along quiet lanes to Town Yetholm. With the easier road riding we arrived early and had a drink at The Plough, filling in time before we could get into our Airbnb room at Rubislaw B&B. The room was delightful and we returned to the Plough for dinner.

Day 8, Town Yetholm to Berwick-upon-Tweed, 56km

We woke to another sunny day and set off on our final day. We chose to ride via Kirk Yetholm before joining the main B road to Coldstream. Cornhill on Tweed has the most amazing village shop with a huge range of fresh food and other supplies. It was understandably very busy. We bought some supplies and stopped for a snack before joining the main road for a short stretch to Coldstream. This road was fast and a change from the traffic-free trails and quiet lanes; we chose to ride a stretch on the pavement. We went off-route to explore Coldstream. It is very underwhelming.

From Coldstream we were relieved to follow quiet lanes again, cycling alongside the high walls of the Upsettling estate. We stopped at Norham and had lunch in their community park beside the river. Shortly after this we paused briefly to look at the remains of Norham Castle. From here, it was quiet lanes to the chain bridge between Horncliffe and Tweedhill. From Tweedhill it was on to Berwick-upon-Tweed and our bed for the night at the YHA hostel. We stopped for our hot drink and cake at The Lookout Café; before exploring in, under and on top of the town walls. We also headed out to the lighthouse, to ensure we’d really reached the coast!

Another enjoyable cycle tour.

GPX file and map