Cicerone Guides: Border Country - Cycle Routes

About this book

The Scottish Borders and Northumberland rank among the finest and most scenic parts of Britain, and this guide brings you detailed maps and descriptions of forty original cycle routes in the area, varying in length from 15 to well over 40 miles. Most, but not all of them, have off-road sections, but there is a wide variety, and if you enjoy cycling then you should be able to find something here to suit your tastes. Some of the routes are content to wander along leafy lanes and through quiet villages, while others are more demanding and will take you to wild and remote hills and mountains. This part of the country is often overlooked by tourists, and yet its secrets are there to be discovered by those who take time to seek them out. The coastline varies from craggy cliffs, like those found at St. Abbs Head, to the miles of golden sand that are Druridge Bay. Inland, the coastal plains give way to upland areas such as the Lammermuirs, the Southern Uplands, the Cheviots and the Pennines, all of which have their own characteristics and all of which offer their own challenges. The Northumberland National Park, in particular, is in stark contrast to its neighbour on the other side of the country, the Lake District National Park. The scenery in both is quite stunning but whereas, in the Lake District it's often difficult to get away from crowds, in the Northumberland Park you can often cycle all day and seldom see a soul. The same can be said of parts of the Southern Uplands and this area has its own unique blend of both isolation and charm in equal measure.

Contents

Introduction 1 Ratho 2 Roslin 3 Pencaitland 4 Garvald 5 Olhamstocks 6 Coldingham 7 Moorfoot Hills 8 Lammermuirs 9 Norham 10 Merse 11 Lindisfarne 12 St Cuthbert's Cave 13 Tweedsmuir 14 Minch Moor 15 Yair Bridge 16 Scott's View 17 Smailholm Tower 18 College Valley 19 Beadnell 20 Duchess's Drive 21 Fatlips Castle 22 Alemoor 23 Border Ridge 24 Grey Mare's Tail 25 Salters Road 26 Amble 27 Otterburn Range 28 Kielder 29 Eskdalemuir 30 Newcastleton 31 Bloody Bush Road 32 Langholm 33 Scotch Kershope 34 Lower Redesdale 35 Stamfordham 36 Spadeadam 37 Vindolanda 38 Tyne Valley 39 Beamish 40 Deerness Valley

Customer Reviews

Biography

John Brewer has lived and worked in the Scottish Borders for over 20 years. He has a passion for mountains and remote places, and has walked and climbed in many of the major European ranges and also in North Africa and the Canadian Rockies and Pacific Northwest of the USA. Seeing the potential of modern mountain bikes to access more remote places and efficiently over long distances, John created the www.bikeroutes.org.uk website, in which he sets out to describe and map cycle routes in southeast Scotland and northeast England. The routes range from the more leisurely to the more demanding, and, in fact, this guide grew out of his search for more offbeat trails in the area.