Mar 1, 2019

Cycling Selkirk

Discover the best road cycling routes at the heart of the Scottish Borders with this free downloadable PDF guide from The Five Turrets.

The Scottish Borders is home to some of the finest road cycling in the UK, and Selkirk's location at the heart of the region makes it the perfect base for exploring.

With the help of Borders cyclist and trail designer Pete Laing we've put together 10 routes ranging from leisurely family outings along dedicated cycle paths, to challenging adventures in the glorious hills of the Southern Uplands.

Each route starts and finishes at The Five Turrets near the centre of Selkirk and comes complete with downloadable GPX data from Strava - plus an OS Maps version - for use on most GPS devices.

You can also try out our interactive Google Maps version of the routes.

And if you like the look of the routes, why not book a break in the Borders to get a few under your belt?

The routes

Yair Circular

Grade: Leisurely

Distance: 15 km (9 miles)

Total ascent: 241 m

View route

A leisurely 15km loop out from Selkirk, crossing the Ettrick Water and Rover Tweed. With added bees.

Selkirk to Melrose return

Grade: Leisurely

Distance: 25.4 km (16 miles)

Total ascent: 337 m

View route

A lovely ride from Selkirk to the pretty Borders town of Melrose, mainly on dedicated cycle paths. Good for families. And fans of bagpipe-playing pigs.

Bowhill and Yair Brig circular

Grade: Leisurely

Distance: 25.4 km (16 miles)

Total ascent: 360 m

View route

A scenic 16 mile loop along the course of the River Tweed and Ettrick Water around Selkirk. With an added battlefield.

Ettrickbridge and Newark Castle

Grade: Moderate

Distance: 33.1km (21 miles)

Total ascent: 624m

View route

A moderate 21 mile circuit south and west of Selkirk in the Scottish Borders. With a castle and a peel tower - a defence against the notorious Border Reivers - thrown in for good measure.

Lindean Loch and Midlem circular

Grade: Moderate

Distance: 26.6 km (16.5 miles)

Total ascent: 505 m

View route

A moderate 16.5 mile circuit heading east out of Selkirk and uphill to picturesque Lindean Loch before looping south of the town.

Ettrick Forest circular

Grade: Challenging

Distance: 62.6 km (39 miles)

Total ascent: 924 m

View route

One of the finest road circuits in the Scottish Borders, largely on single track roads, through spectacular upland scenery, taking in lochs, hills and rivers.

Megget, Talla and Peebles

Grade: Challenging

Distance: 112.4 km (70 miles)

Total ascent: 1,260 m

View route

A gorgeous - and challenging - 70 mile circuit through spectacular upland scenery, with three lochs, a botanic garden, a couple of castles and the River Tweed along the way.