Biking the Borders.
The borderlands of Northumberland and the Scottish Borders could have been made for mountain biking.
The region boasts some of the most challenging biking trails in the UK and have become a must visit destination for bikers everywhere.
Over 400,000 bikers head to the borderlands every years to test their skills along the 7Stanes network of trails in southern Scotland, at Glentress, Innerleithen and, south of the border, around Kielder Forest.
And recent announcements, backed by a £19m investment fund, aim to establish the Scottish Borders as the mountain biking capital of Europe. It will help create the world’s first Mountain Bike Innovation Centre to support businesses to develop world class products and services for the cycling sector.
At the same time plans are taking shape to establish an integrated Bike Park and Trail Lab at Innerleithen, a global first catering for tourism and innovation.
One of the most popular events on the mountain biking calendar is the Tweedlove festival, a week of open races, guided rides, ride-outs and a hugely popular apres rides social programme of film and concerts.
For the perfect cycling experience The Tweed Cycleway wends its way from Biggar to Berwick-upon-Tweed, an 89-mile journey that takes in Peebles, Melrose, Kelso and Coldstream.
Experienced cyclists in search of an exhilarating new challenge are in for a real treat with the UK’s newest coast-to-coast cycle route in the South of Scotland. One of the longest coast to coast routes in the UK – the Kirkpatrick C2C stretches almost 250 miles from Stranraer in the west to Eyemouth on Scotland’s southeast coast.
Other popular cycle route include the 4 Abbeys, Coast and Castles and the Border Loop covering 250 miles of rolling hills and country lanes. The SouthernBorders Loop offers a shorter 50-mile route through Hawick, Bonchester Bridge and Newcastleton.
Northumberland National Park has a fine selection of cycling trails including the Sandstone Way from Berwick-upon-Tweed to Hexham, and bike hire services.
Find out more at…
www.tweedlove.com
www.cyclescottishborders.com
www.northumberlandnationalpark.org
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