The best cycling routes around Walkerburn And District

The tarmac cycle path following the river Tweed from Glentress makes Innerleithen super accessible which in turn provides you with free range to pedal the ‘old’ XC & DH trails, it also provides easy access to the current ‘trendy’ gravity orientated hot spot of Golfie, named so, as it’s situated above the golf course. First off the Old XC, (starts from the carpark over the bridge by the river) it was very sad to see the current trashed & sorry state of what appears to be the forgotten XC Trail, after having ridden it many times since the early eighties! The long climb at the start is currently cut short & diverted with no access up to the top from what I could see? The remainder of the trails are just trashed with the mighty Caddon Bank DH a shadow of its former self. Golfie is an easy pedal across the village with some great coffee stop opportunities enroute. One in particular Findra on the high st deserves a Big shout out, it’s stylish, MTB rider (muddy bum) friendly, sells fantastic coffee & food has uber cool curated music. Oh it also sells very cool artisan made clothing. There are others in the village which all look fab but Findra was the one we stopped at. The Findra staff ride mountain bikes, are super friendly & great for local riding knowledge 😉👍 Golfie is a short pedal through the village towards the Golf club & then a longish pedal up a Forest road with ‘natural’ trails spilling off the side of the hill in varying degrees of difficulty. Be prepared for full on gnar, chunder, roots, very steep drop offs & lots n lots of muddy gloop if the weather has not been kind. No manicured trails here! If you keep pedalling you’ll eventually reach the old reservoir where the views are magnificent & several trail go off in several directions. My advice, if it’s your first time riding Golfie try & take someone who’s ridden it before as some of the trails start off very benign but then transform like Dr Jekyll & Mr Hyde! Wear body armour that allows you to pedal, but all the same wear body armour😜👍

Connecting the 7 staines. You can bike from Walkerburn, Innerleithen and Glentress on this path.

A must visit post ride on a sunny day!

Pie shop is a must to visit!

The River Tweed, or Tweed Water (Scottish), is a river 97 miles (156 km) long that flows east across the Scottish Borders and into northern England. Tweed is an Old Celtic name meaning "border" and tweed cloth derives its name from its association with the river, on account of the hundreds of mills powered by the river at one time. The Tweed is one of the great Salmon rivers of Europe and generates a large income for the local Borders region, attracting anglers from all around the world. It is one of the best Salmon rivers in Scotland.

Elibank was formerly known as Eliburn and overlooks the River Tweed from a commanding position high on its steep right bank. The late 16th century fortress is rudely built without any dressings and comprises an oblong main-block, with a square wing attached to the east corner. The remains are in a dilapidated state. In 1511 Elibank, or Eliburn as it was then, was in the hands of the Liddale family. However the ruined building that we see today was probably built by Sir Gideon Murray of Glenpoit who acquired Elibank from John Liddell of Halkerstone in 1594-5. The castle was already a ruin in 1722. Elibank is reputed to be the home of “Muckle Mouth Meg”. In the waning years of the 16th century, the Laird of Eliburn despaired of finding his daughter Meg a husband as she was no beauty and was not called “muckle mouth” without reason. One moonless night towards the turn of the old year the laird and his household were alerted by cries and a shot from the darkness beyond the castle. The laird, careful of his cattle and goods, and being no stranger to the ways of Reivers himself, kept a watch who had surprised a band of rogues that had forced a way into his barnekin and were attempting to drive off his livestock. In the ensuing confusion the laird’s men captured one of the thieves and flung him into the dank dungeon below the castle floor. In the morning the prisoner was brought before the laird, who evidently thought the lad worthwhile, and offered him a choice. He could hang or he could marry Meg. Horrified at the prospect of marrying Meg, for her fame was widespread, the lad chose the gallows. Meg’s father was not to be cheated of a husband for his daughter however, so he returned the unwilling suitor to the evil prison cell to reconsider. The lad, who it turned out, was Walter Scott from nearby Ettrick eventually reconsidered his choice and he and Meg were married. Surprisingly enough it seems that he and Muckle Mouth Meg got along well, she mellowed and he settled down and the marriage was something of a success in the end.

Peel House used to be part of the Peel Hospital. The mansion house of the Peel was designed by the Edinburgh architect John Kinross. It was one of his important country houses. At the outbreak of the Second World War it was handed over to the Department of Health by its owner Lord Craigmyle for use as an Emergency Medical Scheme hospital. The standard huts were built in the grounds and after the war the hospital continued as a civilian unit. An administration block was built in 1949, new operating theatre in 1957 and new Mortuary and Post‑ Mortem rooms added in 1963. An out‑patients’ department was added in 1969. The hospital was finally closed in 1988. The mansion house was carefully partitioned to provide accommodation for the hospital staff. This was done so that the house could be restored to its former state with relative ease. When the house was gifted by Lord Craigmyle many items of furniture were included. There was some fine plasterwork within the house and the staircase balustrade was based on one at Kinross House. [Sources: D. Mays, Life and Works of John Kinross unpublished PhD thesis, University of St Andrews.]

The clouds were very low when approaching Innerleithen early morning. The hill tops can not be seen. It is a nice sight to see