5: Innerleithen Railway Cycle including a scary tunnel, ruined castle and a daredevil’s pump track
21km flat cycle along an old railway track with gentle gradients and tarmac all the way. Easy cycle for young children
Would make a great walk too!
Enjoy the rolling hills, plentiful benches for a rest and the pumptrack on the outskirts of Cardrona.
Take a small detour, drop your bikes and explore the ruins of Horsbrugh castle
Getting to the Start
Nearest postcode for the starting point is EH44 6RD, which is a one hour drive from Edinburgh. You’ll pass through the village of Innerleithen. We highly recommend No. 1 Peebles Road Coffee House for delicious sandwiches, cakes and coffees. From the centre of Innerleithen, take the B709 down Traquir Road, passed the Traquir Arms Hotel and park around 200m down that road. You’ll see the old railway path on your right. There’s blue signposts marking the path for Cardrona and Peebles. Street parking here is free and this is where you should park up and get your bikes organised.
Using Public Transport?
Borders Bus X62 for Peebles leaves the Edinburgh Bus Station every hour. After one hour and 40 minutes of a very pleasant bus journey, you’ll reach Innerleithen High Street. It’s a short walk to the start of the disused railway track from there.
Highlights
Cardrona Pumptrack
There’s a small but perfectly formed asphalt pumptrack 4km from the start of this adventure, on the outskirts of Cardrona. We encouraged our kids to be daredevils and cycle round the track. We then had a shot ourselves and realised it’s terrifying! The shelter here is useful for a little rest.
Neidpath Tunnel
Towards the end of the adventure, near Peebles, you’ll go through the Neidpath railway tunnel, which is nearly half-mile-long and pretty dark! It takes guts to cycle into this abyss…
Horsbrugh Castle Ruins
At 6.5km the path forks and you should take the left fork to Peebles. Before joining that path, it’s worth taking a quick detour to the right and parking the bikes to explore the ruins of Horsbrugh Castle. You’ll see the 16th century ruins on a prominent hill high above the path.
Cycle Description
From Traquir Road in Innerleithen, look for the blue signs for Cardrona and Peebles.
The path is very well signposted for the whole adventure. It’s a low level route with little or no climbing. Minimal traffic, and mostly traffic free.
After 3km, you’ll cross over the River Tweed and will pass lots of benches along the way if you need a rest.
Soon after passing the pump and jump track on the outskirts of Cardrona, you’ll cycle along the roads of a quiet housing estate. The road gets a little more daunting for younger kids at the roundabout and it’s a good idea to keep a close eye on them here.
The old railway station in Cardrona has been converted into a cafe and we’ve enjoyed a cold drink here before.
It’s a straightforward cycle path for the next 5km, passing by Horsbrugh Castle and the Neidpath Tunnel. When complete, turnaround and follow the path back to the start.
TOP TIPS
Cycling to the end of the route in Peebles will mean a 21km return journey and 85m total ascent. However, you could choose to stop and return at any point along the path..
You may feel that you deserve an ice cream after this adventure. We’d support you in that! Cadwell’s Luxury Ice Cream on Innerleithen High Street is highly recommended.
