Cross Borders Drove Road « CityCyclingEdinburgh Forum

CityCyclingEdinburgh Forum » Leisure

Cross Borders Drove Road

(65 posts)

Started 8 years ago by steveo
Latest reply from I were right about that saddle

No tags yet.

12 3 Next »

steveo
Member

Spotted this the other day, its a long distance path from Harperrig to Hawick. Thought it might be a good option for some a bit of camping and some fairly gentle off roading. My plan is to set off after the kids go to bed ~1900 and ride out to little vantage and over the thieves road and bivvy for the night somewhere over the other side and head for gala in the morning. I'm undecided how biked up I'd need to be. Cross bike with hybrid tyres, MTB with more off road bias hybrid tyres or full on trail centre 2.5" tyres.

I've never ridden the first section over the pentlands before whats that like?

The next section West Linton to Peebles looks to be fairly hard packed trail should be easy enough on a cross bike.

From Peebles there are two options, the back road round to Innerleithen, road would be preferable for a cross bike. Or an off road trail round the back to Inners which adds about 15km and 500m and I suspect would require a mtb.

Form Inners you can continue over the tops on the Southern Upland way, I've ridden (and fallen off here) a mtb is definitely required, or continue on the road to Tweedbank for home.

Looking at the routes, the full off road road would probably be a bit much at the moment, 105km largely off road and 2.3km climbing with a lot of likely tiring technical descents. https://ridewithgps.com/routes/12723507

The easier option would be made somewhat more civilised if I could get away with the cross bike for the start.
https://ridewithgps.com/routes/12723609

http://www.southofscotlandcountrysidetrails.co.uk/where-to-ride/cross-borders-drove-road/

Posted 8 years ago #
redmist
Member

There is a good cycle path from Peebles to Innerleithen. No road required.

Posted 8 years ago #
Murun Buchstansangur
Member

Quite a few bothies along that route.

First section over the Pentlands would be pretty grim on anything except an MTB from Little Vantage to the saddle between East & West Cairn Hill, from there it's fine for a cross bike.

Posted 8 years ago #
steveo
Member

There is a good cycle path from Peebles to Innerleithen

Ah good shout, I forgot about that, used part of it a couple of years ago doing a bit of the borders to berwick path.

Posted 8 years ago #
redmist
Member

Have you done the bit from Romanno Bridge to Peebles before ? Looks interesting.

Posted 8 years ago #
steveo
Member

Quite a few bothies along that route.

Interesting, I've been meaning to try bothy rather than a bivvy one night.

First section over the Pentlands would be pretty grim on anything except an MTB from Little Vantage to the saddle between East & West Cairn Hill, from there it's fine for a cross bike.

Really, How come?

Posted 8 years ago #
steveo
Member

Have you done the bit from Romanno Bridge to Peebles before ? Looks interesting.

I've not but from what I can gather its fairly civilised.

Posted 8 years ago #
redmist
Member

An alternative over the Pentlands would be Balerno - Bavelaw then the "red road" then descending to Eastside Farm and then down to the A702. I'd think that would be mostly doable on a cross bike. Then you can avoid most of the main road heading over to West Linton.

Posted 8 years ago #
steveo
Member

Yeah I'd thought about that, good excuse to stick to the WOL path too and avoid a bit more road.

The 2km from the bowl to Nine Mile Burn would be pretty grim even quite late on.

Only other downside for me personally would be having to press on a bit further to beyond Romanno Bridge to find a quiet bivvy. Although if its not dark till 2200 that would be fine provided I got away sharp.

https://ridewithgps.com/routes/12726517

Posted 8 years ago #
Murun Buchstansangur
Member

Really, How come?

Boggy, then tussocky, then excessively steep. All from (walking) memory.

Some of the bothies are under the Borders Bothy Association and so you'd need a key. I was thinking of Minch Moor open bothy as well, but apparently it's been demolished.

Posted 8 years ago #
AKen
Member

Having walked from Little Vantage up to East Cairn, it's not a route I would be desperate to take a bike on. The lower sections can be very wet but might be better after a dry spell. The upper sections are not great for cycling either. I'm sure it's do-able but certainly an MTB would be adviseable.

No idea what it's like on the Eastern side of the saddle.

An alternative would be to take the more northerly crossing via Listonshiels and the Bore Stane to Carlops. Have done this on a hybrid without too much difficulty. Some of the path is on railway sleepers but at least this means it's dry.

Posted 8 years ago #
steveo
Member

Boggy, then tussocky, then excessively steep. All from (walking) memory.

Having walked from Little Vantage up to East Cairn, it's not a route I would be desperate to take a bike on. The lower sections can be very wet but might be better after a dry spell. The upper sections are not great for cycling either. I'm sure it's do-able but certainly an MTB would be adviseable.

Might not then! I might just keep that for an early morning drive and hike with the camera one day.

Some of the bothies are under the Borders Bothy Association and so you'd need a key. I was thinking of Minch Moor open bothy as well, but apparently it's been demolished.

Cool, cheers I'll investigate.

Posted 8 years ago #
steveo
Member

An alternative would be to take the more northerly crossing via Listonshiels and the Bore Stane to Carlops. Have done this on a hybrid without too much difficulty. Some of the path is on railway sleepers but at least this means it's dry.

Ah, I've seen that posted from the side of the road at the airfield but never went off to investigate. Looks like its accessible through Balerno so could still avoid the main road and it avoids the 2km on the Biggar road.

https://ridewithgps.com/routes/12726950

Posted 8 years ago #
jonty
Member

I had no idea this trail existed and am interested in it too now (although probably from a running perspective rather than a cycling one.) Any idea how you get in touch with the BBA? The bothies option sounds really interesting but they (deliberately?) don't seem to have much of a web presence.

Posted 8 years ago #
Murun Buchstansangur
Member

@jonty

Some details in this thread - no idea if they are current or not. As you will see from the thread, a tendentious issue.

http://www.scottishhills.com/html//modules.php/modules.php?name=Forums&file=viewtopic&t=16663&highlight=

Posted 8 years ago #
gembo
Member

@steveo, you can access the road to listonshiels from the rig road. Up towards thriepmuir car park take the right turn long straight intermittently smooth Tarmac on the road. Ends at a left turn to far,, right turn back down to Balerno. There is a big gate that opens to a small path. This is wet even in summer, hybrid would struggle. Best to access from the road you mention out by the airfield.

However, that is not your biggest problem. After the saddle heading down to carlops is no place for a bike. Steep, rocky, wet.

Further out at little vantage it is the other way round, boggy until the saddle but quite smooth road down to west Linton after the saddle.

Posted 8 years ago #
steveo
Member

Cheers gembo, red road it is then. It does have the advantage of me net needing any navigation aid for that section.

I'll keep one of the more difficult routes in my pocket for next time when I'm more in the mood for full off road hardship and go over the tops in the borders too.

Posted 8 years ago #
AKen
Member

I've done the Bore Stane route to Carlops. It's not great on the Eastern Side but it is passable with some effort.

Pick a dry week.

Posted 8 years ago #
redmist
Member

It would be nice to get from Edinburgh to Peebles hardly touching a road. Reading the description of the section between West Linton and Peebles it suggests there might be quite a few gates which could spoil the "flow" a little. Only one way to find out I suppose...

Posted 8 years ago #
steveo
Member

If you get to it before june redmist let me know how you get on. I've got this pencilled in for the solstice.

Posted 8 years ago #
I were right about that saddle
Member

Very interesting project. The Minch Moor bothy was alive and well when I poked my nose in a year ago on a goshawk hunting expedition.

Posted 8 years ago #
steveo
Member

I read it was rotten so had to be pulled down by the rangers.

Posted 8 years ago #
gembo
Member

There is a newish track that connects top of beech avenue to listonshiels which would avoid wet bit and indeed you discovering my bramble patch. That leaves the tricky descent to carlops. You could overshoot to cairns castle at harperrig and take the path on the south side back towards little vantage which would maybe avoid the very wet bit from the car park at little vantage.

Friends of the pentlands have connected little vantage to kirknewton by a footpath. This is straying into the hidden body hotspots but was in fact a popular Victorian day out. Train to kirknewton, walk to little vantage then west Linton then train back from there.

Walking being the mode of transport I will be using to recce most of these routes.

Posted 8 years ago #
steveo
Member

Tricky decents can always be pushed. It's a bit annoying there are few places to lock a bike in the car parks it would be handy to be able to explore on foot without taking the car or the dodgy buses.

hidden body hotspots?

Posted 8 years ago #
crowriver
Member

Presume of the "There's been a murrrrdurrr Jim" variety rather than al fresco sunbathers or romantic couples?

Posted 8 years ago #
gembo
Member

Several drug dealers or other ne'er do wells buried by their killers out that way, one towards selm muir woods the other Easter cairns farm, a third earlier one at a farm nearer kirknewton.

Definite hotspot for body disposal

Only thing in any carparks would be sign posts? Some of these cold and lonely spots if you left your bike if there was anyone wanting to steal it, then they would have hours of time with no passes by, hence the good spots for disposal of bodies as the transport links by car are fair.

Chain bike to racks outside grey horse pub and recce on foot from Balerno? Take 44 bus to terminus and recce?

Posted 8 years ago #
steveo
Member

Ach, if I need to go by foot I'll just take the car.

A couple of Sheffield stands in the busier car parks would be okay though you'd probably want a beater to leave.

Posted 8 years ago #
gembo
Member

Walked up to harlaw reservoir with the kids yesterday. There is a muddy cut through favoured by walkers. The path runs between drystane wall and forest, about fifty yards in two bikes - a Marin and a Raleigh were propped against the trees. The Marin had a lock on its crossbar, but not chained to any thing not even the Raleigh.

Both bikes still there when we came back after our walk and a stop for refreshments at the lovely kiosk outside the Rangers' centre. Kiosk is called vanilla pod. I recommend it.

Was blowing a gale yesterday. But you can shelter in the Lee of the building.

Steveo if golng to harperrig in your car pick,me up and. I will come too?

Posted 8 years ago #
I were right about that saddle
Member

I am intrigued by this talk of recon on foot. Might it not be more informative to take an MTB and just see what happens?

Posted 8 years ago #
gembo
Member

You won't get me on a mountain bike. But will walk all these paths.

The issue with all of the drove road routes is that mountain bikes were not invented when cattle were moved from Falkirk to England via the cauld stane slap? If the bottom of the listonshiels road could be joined to the route that descends from the cauld stane slap then you would have a really good gravel path route from Edinburgh to west Linton.

The routes tend to be footpaths now, I guess cows could use them but they would plough them up worse than mountain bikes.

I went by that stanedykehead route at alnwickhill road on Thursday on my way over braid hills boulevard to howdenhall. What a fantastic route I took and the stanedykehead also looked a winner.

Posted 8 years ago #

RSS feed for this topic

12 3 Next »

Reply »

You must log in to post.

// CityCyclingEdinburgh Forum

About This Forum

CityCyclingEdinburgh Forum » Leisure

Cross Borders Drove Road

Reply »

RSS Feeds

Links