Mountain Bike Routes

On these pages you’ll (eventually) find write-ups of some of our favourite mountain bike routes - routes you can enjoy right from the door of innerhaven as well as some of our favourites across the whole of Scotland. We’ll maybe even tantalise you with some photos if our server can take it!

In common, they all showcase just how amazing Scotland’s terrain is for mountain biking. And if biking’s not your thing, many of these routes (those marked ‘*’) make for fantastic hikes.

On our doorstep there’s the purpose built 7Stanes bike trails at Traquair (in Innerleithen) and Glentress, and for those that enjoy a bit of navigation we’ve included epics and short blasts that’ll leave you eager to explore even more of the stunning scenery around the Tweed Valley. You’ll find routes in Southern and Northern Scotland too.

Common to them all is our passion for getting out on our bikes and exploring. We hope you enjoy them as much as we did. We can provide you with OS map print outs of each route - so just ask if you’d like us to email you a route. If you’ve got any ideas for how we could make our routes even better, or if you fancy staying with us and joining one of our trips, just let us know!

A quick word on format: we note our start and finish point, a quick route summary including a rough guide on terrain, approximate distance, and height climbed. We omit the time taken because fitness, weather, and the pace you choose to set will all have a bearing.

Thanks to all those who have given us advice (much of which we’ve ignored!), or who have published routes (walking and biking) that have inspired, or formed the basis of these adventures by bike.

Enjoy!

Southern Scotland
Tweed Valley

No wonder they call it Scotland’s Mountain Biking Heaven - many of these superb mountain bike rides start straight from our door! Mix and match them, join them onto one another, pinch bits from one route and tag them onto another – it’s all possible – the deciding factor’ll be whether you want a quick hit or an epic all dayer.

Riding to Innerleithen’s 7Stanes Trails

Not really a route - just a nice way to ride to Innerleithen’s Traquair XC and downhill trails from innerhaven. There’s a couple of options:

Riverside Singletrack (a few mins ride along river bank singletrack)

This way follows a path along the right side of the Leithen Water and then branches right following the River Tweed.

1. Go left from innerhaven onto Leithen Road.
2. Go straight ahead at the junction. Ride down Leithen Crescent (river on your left).
3. After you pass a cottage on your left, immediately turn left to pick up a singletrack following the river.
4. You’ll pass by an iron bridge on your left. After this, look for the path splitting to the right.
5. Turn sharp right, then sharp left onto singletrack leading to the River Tweed. As the Tweed comes into view follow singletrack to the right skirting the field. The river will be directly on your left now.
6. Ride along rivers edge until just before bridge over River Tweed. Just before the bridge look out for singletrack on right side, veer right on this up to Traquair Road. Then cross the bridge over the Tweed and follow the road for a bit to the 7Stanes Trails car park signposted on your left.

By Road

Go left from innerhaven onto Leithen Road. Turn right at the junction and go along the High Street until Traquair Road (past the Traquair Arms Hotel) on the right. Follow the road, cross the bridge over the River Tweed. At the end of the road turn left into the 7Stanes carpark.

 

Glentress / Lee Pen Return

Start/Finish: innerhaven NT 333 368 (in conjunction with 7Stanes Trail Map for Glentress and Innerleithen)

Approx Distance: 35km (Option 1)

Approx Height Ascended: 1500m

Summary:

1. To Glentress Forest following quiet country back roads (B709 detouring through grounds of Traquair House to join B7062) to the disused railway (NT 300 391) at Cardrona Village
2. Follow this until NT 285 390 where you’ll branch right and go through gate
3. You’ll pass the old tower to your right, and emerge opposite the Glentress Hotel eager to hit the off-road proper (the entrance to Glentress is just to the left of the Glentress Hotel).
4. Once you enter Glentress Forest Park there’s too many route options to cover here, so let’s stick with two just now.
5. Option 1: Ride the RED route until you reach point 40 after the Spooky Wood Climb
6. Instead of riding the Spooky Wood Descent, follow the fire road climb which joins the Black Boundary Trail (Option 2: Ride the Black Route to this point)
7. Leave the Black trail between Shane McGowan and point 78
8. Look left through the gap in the trees to the boundary wall
9. Shoulder the bike and carry up steep path to Black Law Hill (keeping forest to your right) NT 308 421
10. Traverse moorland on surprisingly solid quad and single tracks to Black Law>Lee Burn Head>Lee Pen (the descent off of Lee Pen is very steep and rocky)
11. Meet a tarmac road which climbs to radio mast or descends to Innerleithen>lots of interesting singletrack options all over this hill – you won’t get lost - so go and explore!

Caerlee Hill / Glenormiston

Start/Finish: innerhaven NT 333 368

Approx Distance: 8km

Approx Height Ascended: 263m

Summary:

A nice spin along the banks of the River Tweed on disused railway, then a climb on farm/landrover tracks, before a cracking descent off of the lower half of Lee Pen back to Innerleithen.

[descriptions to follow]

Birks and Kailzie Hill
Priesthope
Glenbenna
Yair and Three Brethren
Cadesmuir Hill
St Mary’s Loch
Dollar Law

Ettrick Valley

Bodesbeck

Dumfries and Galloway

Durisdeer

 

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