Beyond Edinburgh Bike Tour. Led by The Cycling Scot
- Cycling through a disused railway tunnel
- Stunning views of Arthur's Seat and Holyrood Park
- Craigmillar Castle, Edinburgh's 'other castle'
- Newhailes House, a beautiful stately home
- A secret garden with loch views
- Beach promenade
- An opportunity to buy some ice cream from S.Luca, one of Scotland's most famous ice cream producers
- Guided by Colin a travel blogger specialising in exploring Scotland by bicycle
This tour is for those with their own bicycle. We will cycle from Edinburgh city centre to the seaside at Musselburgh using a network of dedicated cycle paths. Along the way we will visit some of Edinburgh's lesser known sites, including the Innocent Railway, Craigmillar Castle, Newhailes House, and a secret garden at Duddingston. The highlight of this ride will be the beach promenade at Musselburgh followed by an ice cream from of Scotland's most famous cafes. The ride will be led by Colin who blogs and writes about cycling in Scotland.
This bike ride takes you away from Edinburgh city centre to explore the cycle paths that lead to the seaside at Musselburgh. You will be amazed at the variety of things you can see just a short distance from the city.
We begin on the dedicated cycle lanes in the Meadows. We follow the cycle paths in the direction of Musselburgh, mainly on a disused railway line, so seperated from traffic. There is a short onroad diversion to visit the impressive Craigmillar Castle where there are breathtaking views of Arthur's Seat and the city skyline. We rejoin the cycle path to reach Newhailes House, a beautiful stately home. A short onroad section then takes us to the beach promenade at Musselburgh. We travel the quieter roads of the town to reach the famous ice cream cafe of S.Lucca. From here we join a bicycle path alongside the River Esk. There is an opportunity to make a brief diversion to the very pretty village of Inveresk before beginning the return route to Edinburgh. Before reaching the city centre we make a visit to a secret garden at Duddingston which is a beautiful spot to end our tour.
Outside Starbucks on Middle Meadow Walk.
Outside Starbucks on Middle Meadow Walk
- Your bicycle
- Helmet
- Water
- Snacks
- Wet weather clothing, in case of rain
- A guide with extensive knowledge of cycling in Scotland
- Bicycle hire and helmet
- Drinks and snacks
The pace of this tour will be average with frequent stops to look at the sites. It is ideal for leisure cyclists with a moderate level of fitness.
This distance of this tour is around 20 miles. It is mostly flat, although there are some hilly sections. These include the short section to Craigmillar Castle, leaving Duddingston and the final stretch of the Innocent Railway path on the return to the city.
The road surface is mainly paved, although the route into the grounds of Newhailes House involves a path in a field that can be muddy if it has been raining.
The route is mainly on cycle paths, but there are some short sections where we need to cycle on the road. These are not very busy roads, but do have steady volumes of traffic.
On the way to Craigmillar Castle we are on a main road for about 5 minutes and have to cross a junction that is controlled by traffic lights. If you are not comfortable with crossing the junction there is the option to get off the bike and walk across, using the pedestrian crossing. The section to Duddingston also involves a main road for about 5 minutes. This road is wide, so there is plenty of space for vehicles to overtake us. When we reach Musselburgh there is short section on a main road using a cycle lane that is seperated from the main road by a dotted white line. In Musselburgh we use quiet back roads with low traffic volume and avoid the busy High Street. We will cycle single-file with the guide at the front.
Please get in touch if you would like more information about the cycling terrain and levels of traffic and if there is anything I can do to help just let me know.