Peebles is a village that could only be recommended to ZDF as the setting for Rosamunde Pilcher. Small, colourful shops mingle with rustic stone houses. The pub sign is swaying in the wind, a gentleman in fishing gear cheerfully raises his rod in greeting and the long queue in front of the Fat Batard is full of relaxed chatter - Rob's famous sourdough bread is on the menu again today.
Just a few kilometres to the east, Innerleithen is no less picturesque. However, the beards there are shaggier, the trousers dirtier and - you guessed it - the bike density is even higher. "There are four bike shops for every 3,500 inhabitants," says Marc Crowley, who is responsible for developing the trail network in the Scottish Borders region - the belt in the south of Scotland that approaches the English border.
Innerleithens High Street was once in the running for the most beautiful in Scotland. Not bad for a place that was characterised by out-migration not so long ago. But more on that later. We can talk in a moment, now it's time to make the most of the window of sunshine. The Tweed Valley lies 40 kilometres south of Scotland's capital, Edinburgh, amidst cosy hills covered in sheep and criss-crossed by trails. How many? Marc snorts and shrugs his shoulders. There are the built ones, the adopted ones, the tolerated ones. Old sheep tracks across wide pastures, tricky downhill trails on Golfie, flow and jump lines in Glentress, the XC course for the 2023 UCI World Championships, countless enduro trails...
The dramaturgy of the Lowlands
At the "Park & Pedal" car parks, one fully equipped bus follows the next. Small groups pedal uphill (many with an E, but also many without) and here and there dip off to the right into the forest. We crank on, up into the treeless, moorland hills of Kirnie Law. The view of the Tweed and the waves of the Scottish Lowlands opens up, gentle and rough at the same time. Again and again, the sun shoots through the rain-soaked clouds - like a spotlight that highlights the green pastures with their white sheepskin dots. The sky over Scotland dominates the dramatic staging. In contrast, the peaty ground at our feet is pitch black. Marc waves straight ahead and we descend along wild, narrow paths into the dense mixed forest for some tree surfing. Stop, take a deep breath, brush the mud out of the corner of your mouth - and dive into the 63 bends of Flat White, one of the more relaxed trails in Innerleithen. Most of the trails here are in the black colour spectrum.
Megan Giblin grins. This is exactly why she moved to the Tweed Valley - just like Marc once did. The 28-year-old is the reigning champion of the British National Enduro Series, originally from the west of Scotland, but has settled in Peebles "because everything just fits". And the "everything" primarily stands for the tweed bike vibes. You wouldn't know it by looking at him, but Marc has a few decades more biking experience than Meg. He is 47 and came to the Tweed Valley to ride bikes in the early noughties. However, it was by no means clear that he would one day find his profession here. Marc made a career out of it. Really. As a mechatronics engineer in the aerospace industry. Not an underpaid job. "I worked for over 20 years to earn money for my hobby," he says, shaking his head. "I commuted to the Tweed Valley every weekend, sometimes even after work."
And then comes the pandemic. Marc works 60 hours a week and at some point questions everything. He quits his job, moves south and starts again at Developing Mountain Biking in Scotland - the MTB branch of Scottish Cycling. He says he hasn't regretted it for a second. As obsessive as he is on his bike, you immediately take it from him. Meg also knows a thing or two about bike obsession. When you see her pedalling down the tricky, twisty Golfie trails in her buttery-smooth style, it's hard to believe that she only got into biking five years ago.
It was so clear to me: this is it. The sport, the people, the nature - it all felt right. - Megan Giblin, reigning champion of the British National Enduro Series
A meal would also start to feel really good. We've missed lunch time, but at Findra the chef puts in an extra shift for us - partly because everything here in the Valley is very informal. Meg tidies up, disappears into the kitchen and chats at the front of the shop. Findra started out as an outdoor clothing brand for women. But after enough men complained, designer Alex Feechan expanded her collection for men - and added a pretty café to her small presentation area. While Peter lets the clouds shower outside, we make ourselves comfortable for a history lesson.
An epidemic as a catalyst
Marc takes a swipe: "I remember times when you were happy to have an instant coffee here. There was a pie twice a week in the pub, that was it." Innerleithen developed into a centre of textile production in the 19th century. Huge spinning mills and factories were built, the town boomed and the industry continued to pick up speed when the railway line was built through the valley in 1864. But at the end of the 20th century, global competition became too strong and the preference for synthetic materials too great. Innerleithen's woollen knitwear was no longer in demand and hundreds of workers lost their jobs.
The next big blow came in 2001: foot and mouth disease swept across the UK. Hiking and biking trails were no longer allowed to be used and tourism figures plummeted. "At the time, the Scottish government was looking for alternative tourism sectors in order to broaden its base," explains Marc. "And the 7Stanes eventually grew out of this." The seven trail centres, which run like a necklace around the south of Scotland, were co-financed by the government and are largely located on Scottish Forestry Commission land. To this day, they are recognised worldwide as one of the flagship projects when it comes to the sustainable and successful transformation of rural regions. And what happened to Innerleithen?
"People moved away and property prices plummeted," says Marc. But while the village emptied out, the forests filled up with trails. "And the low cost of living attracts bikers." Caerlee Mill was last used to produce cashmere for luxury fashion. The factory stood empty for over a decade. Then came the bombshell: the site was to be converted into the world's first MTB Innovation Centre. However, the renovation costs would have exceeded the budget. The plant will therefore soon be demolished and the centre completely rebuilt - including research facilities, product development and professional infrastructure for athletes.
Lonely tours, bustling trails
Contrast programme: Marc shoos us into the lonely hinterland of Peebles the next day. In the vast heath and pasture landscape between Preston Law and Kirkhope Law, the sheep are irritated by us visitors, whom we first shoot through streams before cranking up the steep climb. At the top of the saddle, we take a breather and enjoy ourselves. The undulations of the Lowlands are the antithesis of the ruggedness of the Highlands. But even here you can lose yourself in the seclusion. We shoot down the trail along the ridge. Flanked by two stone walls that were once used to drive sheep.
Just follow Marc, left, right, into the woods, until suddenly the Tweed is there again and we roll into Peebles. After a coffee stop at the Milkman, we switch sides and pedal into the woods of Glentress. The trail centre, which doesn't want to stop growing, is buzzing. Kids are pumping over the scooters, teenagers in jogging bottoms are pulling their Whips. The higher we climb, the more chaotic the Glentress trail centre seems. According to Marc, you can easily spend a day here until you've got your bearings.
We take it easy on "Berm Baby Berm", enjoy the flow on "Electric Blue" and work our way to the other side to the "Twitcher", which lays its berms open in the wide slopes. No, one day is not enough for Glentress. And three days is not enough for the Tweed Valley. Marc grins. "Yes, a good start," he says. But he's not referring to our visit. He's referring to the development of the region as a whole.
What you need to know
The days when you had to fight your way through a Full Scottish Breakfast with haggis and black pudding in the morning are over. There have long been well-stocked coffee shops and vegetarian cuisine in the Tweed Valley.
The Tweed Valley with Peebles, Glentress and Innerleithen is located around 40 kilometres south of Edinburgh in the Scottish Lowlands. The villages are perfectly connected via a cycle path on the disused railway line. The Tweed Valley was the breeding ground for the 7Stanes trail centres. Scotland's first trail association was also founded here (there are now 22 across the country) and the valley hosted the marathon and cross-country competitions for the 2023 UCI World Championships.
Arrival
The Tweed Valley is easily accessible from Edinburgh (nearest airport). The X62 bus route from Borders Buses runs every half hour from Waverley Station to Peebles (journey time approx. 1 hour). There is a ferry connection from Amsterdam to Newcastle. From there it is a 2.5 hour journey to the Tweed Valley.
Food and drink
- In Peebles you can get excellent coffee at The Milkman on the High Street.
- Just a little further on, in a building dating back to 1711, you will find Coltman's Kitchen with fresh salads, soups and pastries in the deli and an excellent restaurant.
- One of the world's best chocolatiers, Ruth Hinks, runs her Cocoa Black in Peebles, where you can buy her creations, tea and cakes.
- Fat Batard is the name of Rob Paton's tiny bakery. Sourdough bread and other specialities are served here three times a week.
- In Innerleithen, the best place to start the day is Coffee Shop No. 1, a small café that is a meeting point for the bike scene with delicious, exclusively vegetarian food, fine coffee and relaxed vibes.
- The small shop of the Findra clothing brand has grown into a café with hot food - in what was once the city's prison ...
- A few years ago, the Traquair Arms around the corner offered just two dishes a week. Today, the pub has been freshly renovated and is known for its good food, which is open every day - and for the fun you can have at its Santa Cruz bar.
Overnight stay
Glentress offers a very special ride in/ride out sleeping area with its Forest Cabins in the middle of the forest, surrounded by trails. The log cabins look inconspicuous from the outside, but inside they turn out to be luxurious flats complete with kitchen, spacious deck and hot tube. At the entrance to the trail centre, you can also stay in more rustic pods (without a bathroom).
Bike shops
Bike and e-MTB hire, riding technique courses and guiding are available here:
- Tweed Valley Bikes in Innerleithen, tweedvalleybikes.co.uk
- Ride Innerleithen on the back of Traquair Arms, rideinnerleithen.co.uk.
- Alpine Bikes directly at the trailhead in Glentress, tiso.com
- The Bike Shop in Innerleithen also offers a shuttle service.
- I-Cycles in Innerleithen, i-cycles.co.uk
Trail centre mecca Scotland: The best 8 spots
To fully experience the famous trail building skills of the Scots, a two-week road trip through the entire country is worthwhile. And these are just the most important stops:
Tweed Valley
Located directly south of Edinburgh, the routes in the Tweed Valley are not only easy to reach, but also particularly varied. In 2023, the valley hosted the UCI World Championships marathon and cross-country events.
Dumfries & Galloway
The area south of Glasgow is not only known for its cattle, but also for its many trail centres - five of which are part of the legendary 7Stanes. From root work to relaxed trails, there is everything here.
Aberdeenshire
The rising star in Scottish biking heaven: in the east of the country, the locals have established a colourful network of trail centres and tours between the North Sea and the National Park. Around Balmoral, you may well come across the king ...
Perthshire
There is a strong (and very open) local bike scene right in the heart of Scotland. There are great tours and technical trails in Aberfeldy, Comrie Croft has one of the best trail centres in the country and there are jumplines from Alyth to Perth.
Loch Lomond & Trossachs
Scotland's second national park is located not far from Glasgow in the north and offers a wide variety of routes from the coast to the huge Loch Lomond. From enduro around Aberfoyle to XC loops, nature trails and long tours around Balquhidder.
Fort William & Lochaber
Famous for over 20 years for its Downhill World Cup course on Aonach Mòr, the region in the western Highlands (and right by the sea) now even offers flowing trails and countless long tours.
Cairngorms
Cairngorms is the largest national park in the UK and the touring material around Aviemore and Ballater is correspondingly epic. The best trail entertainment (for the whole family) can be found in the parks of Cairngorm Mountain, Glenlivet and Laggan.
North Highlands
Lonely, rugged, wide - it doesn't get much more adventurous than this in Scotland. There are the rugged trails of Torridon and Ben Bhraggie, the trail centres of Golspie and the estuary of Kyle of Sutherland - and the countless paths in between.
Information on all trail centres: forestryandland.gov.scot
