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So I've got 2 days to get from Kirkby Lonsdale to Comrie Croft. The Sustrans route looks uninspiring, basically following the motorways.
I can probably pick a route on B roads potentially missing out on some good riding, or go with whatever komoot suggests for moutainbiking and potentially end up with miles of exhausting hike a bike and bog.
Any suggestions?
Happy doing 100miles in a day on paved routes, so keeping each day <130miles and not too much more demanding than gravel.
Bike: SS 29er loaded with bike packing kit.
Tarmac but a lovely road - B709 from Langholm to Innerleithen. Stop for lunch at the Samye Ling. Thence to Peebles, Romanno Bridge, West Linton and over the Pentland Hills. That'll get you down to the Union and Forth & Clyde canals.
I've just asked Google Maps and yes, it just gives you roads parallel to the motorways.
I was at Comrie Croft last Thursday, it's quite an impressive setup they've got there. The bike hire bloke was very friendly and extremely talkative so I wonder if he would have any ideas?
Maybe take some inspiration from the GBduro route? Cant find the route on the website but this was Lachlan Mortons ride from the borders to Stirling https://www.strava.com/activities/2484801967
Gbduro route looks promising. Might head north on b roads from the start and follow that from Kirkby Stephen the use Scotroutes suggestion as a bailout for day 2 if time is looking tight.
Tarmac but a lovely road – B709 from Langholm to Innerleithen. Stop for lunch at the Samye Ling. Thence to Peebles, Romanno Bridge, West Linton and over the Pentland Hills. That’ll get you down to the Union and Forth & Clyde canals.
If you've got the time, from Peebles you could follow the Capital Trail North up to pentlands and Edinburgh. I did that section not long ago, it's mainly off-road and wasn't anything a gravel bike couldn't handle.
I was basically gonna suggest much of the GBduro route linked above as a goodun. A couple bits to add and variations worth considering...
You can join it by doing cruising the Eden valley lanes (nice, quiet, gentle) then up Hartside (busy road but popular with bikes of all kinds) or over Cross Fell (more direct, more fun, much harder especially if you have any gear with you). After that, down the old railway or minor roads by the river to Halty is quick and easy for a refuel, up over the wall and to Kielder makes sense. A couple of variations worth mentioning: (1) up past Gilsland Spa crossing the edges of Spadeadam miltary area and using Wark Forest into Kielder is a bit "different" if you like solitude and military debris but difficult to describe best route once you enter the trees. Plenty of gravel here though. (2) I wouldn't bother with the Bloodybush route out of Kielder but it makes logical sense. I'd do the road NW from the village itself and head vaguely towards Hawick. But the route linked on the Scottish side gets you to some good stuff too and makes more sense if you are continuing towards Falkirk. (3) IF you do go West and head for Falkirk , then it'd be rude not to incorporate the road past Megget & Talla reservoirs as you leave St Mary's Loch (classics). IF you go East and head for Edinburgh instead then I'd take the B709 to Innerleithen, then up over the Granites, Temple, Roslin etc to get into Edinburgh (also nice). In the Central Belt I'm more vague, but there are loads of fun traffic free routes through the city to N Queensferry and then some quiet if indirect ones in Fife to keep you on track. Not sure where I'd split it for a 2 dayer. I've done variations of the above (minus most of the Eden valley and finishing/starting east of Edinburgh) a few times, and even that was a pretty big day out for me. Comrie is a fair wack on top so I'd like to get pretty close to the Forth and allow an easier second day.
Cheers, the Forth might be optimistic in a day, even following the sustrans route the border is pretty close to halfway!
Cheers Bajsycle some really good stuff there.
Revised plan. As with diversions and low gearing even the estimate was creaping up to over 26h riding time. And I'm going to have to do the driving on Thursday morning now.
Gisland (Hadrian's wall makes a good starting point for a Scottish trip!).
Into Keilder Forrest (the main track appears to be a gravel road so that's nice)
Out on the border trail (signposts make navigation a bit easier)
B711 to St Mary's Loch and the reservoirs. (Earliest overnight point, halfway and the bulk of the climbing)
Off course a bit to Peebles, then the capital trail Northwards.
Ncr 754 along the canal (I strongly suspect the flat will be a relief by this point!)
From Falkirk there doesn't seem to be a 'good' route so at this point I'll just let the Garmin do it in Sat nav mode. The obvious road up to Comrie looks pleasant enough.
Google says 195miles, excluding the off road bit of the capital trail which sounds doable.
Was gonna suggest using the 100 miles from Carlisle to Edinburgh on the RTTS route, but you seem sorted now!.
Get from Falkirk to Dunblane via Plean and Torwood, nd from Dunblane the road out to Cromlix, Braco and then a left over past Cultybraggan, it's quite a nice road.
Yup, the more I dig arround, there's a plethora of routes going all over the borders, trouble is I've got more than optimal amounts of kit* and need to ride back as well mon/Tues so a few big road sections are nesecary to just get through the miles and limit off road to known rideable stuff.
*this trip will probably be the final nail in the coffin for my old winter down bag and vango self inflating mat. Could probably she'd a kilo and at least 5-8l volume between them swapping to a quilt and exped synmat.
Instead of the canal, I'd suggest going over the Forth bridge, Knockhill, Yetts o'Muckhart, nice climb up Glen Dunning, then follow the back roads.
Lots of quiet minor road options going that side which avoid the more heavily populated areas round Falkirk and Stirling.
As an engineering geek it was a toss up between the bridge and the wheel. I'll probably do the bridge when heading down again on Sunday/Monday.
N.b. by that point "a nice climb" will probably be anything but!
Komoot has found some single track between Falkirk and Comrie so I'll save what's left of my legs for that.
The wheel is far more interesting than the bridge IMO, Kelpies are ace as well, and the cafe isn't bad for a spot of grub.
Edit - geograph.org is great for checking out that potential singletrack, see if it actually exists mate!
You'll be almost home by then but there's a smashing little cafe in Braco, half way up the main street on the left.
When are you doing it? I live pretty much on the capital trail section you'll be doing so can potentially offer tea/coffee/moral support/verbal abuse as required.
Similar offer to Honeybadgerx's, I'm in Peebles, i've pmd you my number. I'm not as good with the verbal abuse, but am willing to give it a shot, 🙂
+1 here for the Gbduro route
then from Stirling, keep following the route to Callander where you'll find the gravel highlight: beautiful Glen Artney into Comrie