Scottish Lowland Saunter

Quiet roads through southern Scotland

The stretch of country south of Glasgow and Edinburgh — Dumfries and Galloway, the Borders, East Lothian — is quietly excellent cycling territory. The hills are gradual rather than savage (the name "lowlands" undersells them; there are real climbs in the Southern Uplands, just paced sensibly), the lanes are mostly empty, and the landscape settles into a deep green that has more than a passing resemblance to Ireland. It is also resolutely off the main tourist circuit, which means the towns you pass through — Kirkcudbright among them, long known as the artist's town — feel lived-in rather than performed.

This trip is led by Pedal Nation's Cycling Development Manager Lucy Burnett, who grew up riding these roads. Rather than following the established Kirkpatrick cycle route, the route is her own.

From Portpatrick to North Berwick

You start in Portpatrick on the west coast, reached by transfer from Lockerbie. The first ride is a there-and-back run down to the Mull of Galloway, the southernmost point of Scotland, where the sea swirls around the cliffs in a way that earns a long pause. From there the route works its way east through the rolling B-road network of Galloway and the Borders towards East Lothian and the coast at North Berwick. The closing miles bring Bass Rock out to sea and Tantallon Castle on its red sandstone headland — the kind of finish that justifies itself. The trip ends with a transfer into Edinburgh for the final night.

Daily distance and climb are pitched to be genuinely manageable rather than punishing. The hills are real but the gradients are kind, and the area is criss-crossed with B roads that actually take you somewhere.

Accommodation, meals and the support van

Nights are spent in comfortable hotels and good bed-and-breakfasts on a twin-share, B&B basis. The aim is to keep the group under one roof each night, though in smaller towns that isn't always possible. Single rooms are available for a supplement.

Breakfast comes with the room. Lunch is a pack-up assembled by the support crew that day — sandwiches, pasties or whatever the local bakery is doing well — eaten by the roadside in fair weather, in a café when it isn't. Evening meals are at your own cost and tend to be eaten communally, though no one minds if you'd rather have your own night. The support van carries water, fruit, energy bars and emergency gels; bring your preferred riding nutrition if you have one.

Bookings and the 2027 departure

The departure runs from 8 to 15 August 2027 at £1,500 per person, indicative at the time of writing. The route is still in the final stages of development and bookings have not yet opened — Pedal Nation is keeping a list of people who'd like to know first, reachable on info@pedal-nation.co.uk. A bike transfer service from their Sheffield base can be arranged for riders who'd rather not drive their own.