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My pals have moved to Lauder, and I'd like to cycle down to see them.
However, there is no chance I'm cycling down the A68 as I like being alive.
But I can't really see any alternative routes on the maps that doesn't involve A68 or A7...
Anyone a bit more knowledgeable about the area able to give me some tips? Have a CX bike so can go off road.
Most of capital trail/lammermuirs is fine on cx/gravel bike. You’ll need to do some A697 road
Depends where in Edinburgh.
But there are back road options to heriot then minor road runs parallel to A7 to stow, then I we the top to Lauder.
Get to Musselburgh however you see fit (road, off road, cycle path all feasable). then join the pencaitland railway track (either through Whiteinch via cycle path or up past Carberry estate on the road). follow to Saltoun woods, right through and up to Stobsheil where you enter the Lammermuirs behind Stobsheil farm. and over tha Lammies to Lauder.
Might be up for joining you from Pencaitland(ish) if you want company.
I used to do this reasonably frequently a few years back and think the obvious options are covered already. But anyway, for my 2p...
From the South side old railway lines to get you to roughly Bilston/Roslin area - Back roads Carrington - Temple - over the Granites to Heriot - old road to Fountainhall & Stow - decent climb over the moor into Lauder. All road bikeable and idiot proof navigation.
Or (ideally from east of Town) out to Longniddry - Haddington (up to at least here is doable on old rail lines too) - Gifford - then loads of options to get lost on estate/wind farm tracks through the Lammermuirs but possibly (memory a bit sketchy) head on road towards Whiteadder res, hang a right on a minor junction, lose a fair bit of height on the road descent then just after a bridge take a R onto a decent track that takes you into one of the big areas of wind turbines. Loads of possibilities for a wrong turn after this so follow tracks roughly SW, ideally with a map until you hit the main road. With a bit of meandering it's possible to drop into Lauder via Thirlstane area to avoid the main roads. For me this one much less likely to go wrong if done in reverse (i.e. Lauder- Edinburgh, I always ended up going wrong heading S through the Lammermuirs somehow, but not going N). CX/wider tyres for this one.
[Edit} just to add as looks like you aren't that familiar with it - basically the first route is a less busy way to Innerleithen that is a popular road run you may already know . But it cuts east to Heriot instead of descending all the way down following the river past the Golfie etc. The start of the second can be varied with all the options geex mentions for getting out of town - tonnes of roadie loops go out this way so assumed you'd know some of them to get you though the worst bits already.
Capital Trail route from city centre out to Portobello and goes through Lauder - mixture of tracks and quiet roads once out the city - you can ride back home via the Southern Uplands Way, Inners and Glentress 😉
Anyone care to divulge what "Capital trail route" is?
or is it a gravel/fat bike secret handshake club thing? 😉
Bloody hell going to Lauder via Gifford and Whiteadder is some detour. Might as well make a big day of it and go rond the coast to Dunbar, over the crystal rigg road to Duns while you're at it 😉
Ok, I think I know the road route to Heriot.
You do a big climb after temple, then take a left after a few miles of downhill?
I know the paths out to haddington and pencaitlaind, and the roads out to whiteadder reservoir but don't know the tracks in the Lammermuirs at all. My Garmin has off road maps so can probably work it out on there...
The capital trail is a bike packing event... An unnsuported 2 day thing. I've not done it, but do have a gpx somewhere... If that goes through Lauder I can just load it on the Garmin
Or get the bus and spend more time with your friends. Plenty of pubs in Lauder.
Capital Trail is a ITT/bikepacking route developed by Markus Stitz -240km loop starts at Portobello and does a big loop through before heading back via Pentlands into the city. You’ll find a .gpx route online
Easiest way is the Roslin- Carrington-Temple-Granites (B7007) -Stow route. FWIW the A7 is a lot quieter than you might think. Nowhere near as busy as the A68.
@55.8129266,-3.142591,10.5z/data=!4m9!4m8!1m5!3m4!1m2!1d-3.0427942!2d55.7645893!3s0x4887966e526e506f:0x55115697531853a9!1m0!3e1?hl=en">i'd probably go this way without the spurious diversion !