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Does anyone have any knowledge/experience of any bothies on the Capital Trail route from Edinburgh? I believe the bothy on Minch Moor is no longer there and have read about one called Bunny's bothy nr. Whalplaw burn (I think) but wasn't sure if it was open to the public?
I'm hoping to do an anti-clockwise (and possibly slightly abbreviated) ride of the route over this weekend with a friend coming up from down south but am trying to avoid carrying tent/bivvy kit if possible. The aim would be to start on the Southside of Edinburgh near the Pentlands and get through as much distance as possible on Day 1 with a pub meal somewhere Melrose (early if there was more riding to be done afterwards!) and then finish the rest of the trail (again probably finishing on the Southside of the city via Dalkeith, Bonnyrigg etc. rather than going all the way to Portobello) the next day. Whilst we'd like to do as much of the route as we can we're happy to tweak it to make sure we get the right balance of riding and effort with it being an enjoyable weekend rather than an epic endurance test. He is a lot fitter than me and could probably smash out the route before tea-time. I am more about the tea-time if I'm honest. If anyone has any experience of the trail or variations on the theme your suggestions would be most welcome.
Bunny's was locked when we did the CT in May. I think it's been locked for a year or two now. Minch Moor has gone.
We started at Peebles, bivvied after the first crossing of the Pentlands and then by the river at Melrose. Here's a trip report on Bearbones - https://bearbonesbikepacking.co.uk/phpBB3/viewtopic.php?f=10&t=14668
Thanks for that info. Shame that some folk have to spoil it for others. Might need to have a rethink or come up with a slight (or large) variation on the route to take in the Gameshope bothy near Talla reservoir as an alternative!
Gmeshope is a nice wee bothy if it hasn't been completely eaten by mice yet. It has no stive so can get pretty baltic!
Protip if you go further upstream there are swim able pools.
It's a bit out the way though....
If you started from Melrose or Selkirk then where we stopped for our first night is a bird hide that can be used as shelter - there was someone (a walker) in it when we turned up but we were intending to camp anyway. It could sleep four, six at a push.
Thanks for that suggestion too whitestone and thanks also for the write-up on the bearbones site, sounds like you had a good trip. I’m based in Edinburgh and my mate is coming up by train so we really need to start from there which means the bird hide option doesn’t really work for us. I think that on the basis of our options being limited we will probably go for a more conventional clockwise option and bivvy somewhere around Glentress/Peebles way so we can access evening meal/breakfast relatively easily and cut down on stove kit so there is more space for bivvy kit. Forecast looks pretty good and there seems to be enough of a breeze that midges may not be too much of a problem!
We did the CT a few weeks ago. Bunnies bothy was locked as was the loo, but it does have a big covered area which would make an easy bivvy spot. Also looking through the window there was mainly a dining table and chairs and not much else so not obviously set up for sleeping anyway. Dont recall passing anywhere else that would provide shelter. We went clockwise starting late on Friday night, bivvying at the top of the Lammenmuirs, then made it to Peebles for Saturday night. We had planned to bivvy on the way up to the Gypsy Glen but the weatehr turned filty so headed to Peebles where we slept under a freinds gazebo!
And you all got food poisoning i heard Tom!
I'm sorry you couldn't sleep in my basement but it's horrid with no flat floors!
You'd get miners lung or something.
Not all of us, I dodged it! Think it must have been the copious amounts of cow shit along the route on the lads bottles whereas I was drinking from a camelpack.
No worries regarding the basement, the gazebo was perfect!