Are you looking for a long, flat and fast cycle route near Edinburgh? Well, look no further… The cherry on top is the amazing landscape along the way! This is probably the least MTB route on my blog, however, it’s fun on any bike. I’d say it’s best suited for a hybrid but I’ve done it on both my road bike as well as my mountain bike. It’s about 54 km long and surface split is probably something like 50% the Union Canal route / 40% gravel / 10% road.
It starts near the South Gyle train station because that’s where I used to live but I’d happily set off from anywhere in Edinburgh to make the cycling route it even longer! If you follow the direction of the GPS track the first part of the route is the Union Canal, which you’ll follow for about 25km. It’s a really nice and easy ride! Btw. if you have a bike bell probably take it with you. It’ll make your life easier when overtaking pedestrians and slow cyclists or passing under countless little bridges. Unless, of course, you’re riding a proper mountain bike. You don’t put bells on expensive mountain bikes… I mean, you could do that but… You know…
Shortly after you get off the Union Canal you’ll find yourself in Blackness that is famous for its beautiful castle. There’s also some refreshments in the village and it’s almost right in the middle of the cycling route so it can be a good place for a short break (if you need one).
The next 20 km are my favourite because that’s where the gravel path starts and the landscape offers a lot of variety. You’ll ride through forests (and along the sea at the same time), pass by Hopetoun House and Dalmeny House with their beautiful garden parks and, last but not least, cross under all 3 famous Edinburgh bridges (Queensferry, Forth Road and Forth Bridge). Oh, and I almost forgot about the cute town of South Queensferry – great place to grab some refreshments too.
Actually writing about the Edinburgh cycle route makes me really want to ride it! It’s definitely the least challenging ride on my blog but it can serve really well as an intense exercise. It’s flat so you can just blast it for most of the time and finish it under 3 hours. On top of that, you don’t need a car for this one as it starts in Edinburgh. No brainer, mate…
Download the coordinates for your GPS device below and when you finish the ride let me know how you enjoyed it in the comments below! It’s definitely the best cycle route near Edinburgh I know of.
