StuE’s OH here.
I rode the southern leg earlier this summer. Escaping the royal wedding, as it happens. We had a night at Rosedene in Dunstan – very friendly, if anything too anxious to please! Sweet couple, he picked us up from pub at Craster as it was quite a walk in the dark.
Second night at Kelso, slap bang in the middle but I can’t remember the name…. Bike parking turned out to be a covered area in the open, where you could lock your bike. We ended up sneaking ours up to our rooms as it just didn’t look very secure. Quite the opposite of Dunstan – no one showed any interest in us, which was useful for bike sneakers.
I rode it all on my road bike – including the coastal sections! It was a bit surprising but the bike seemed to take it in its stride. The weather had been very dry, otherwise I might have been in bother.
Some long climbs, but always worth it in beautiful scenery. The climb from Innerleithen goes on forever, but the hills are so amazing it somehow seemed easy. I’m used to Yorkshire Dales hills and nothing was as steep as that.
Look out for the lovely little suspension bridge (well, it would be hard to miss) somewhere or other. Forget where but it would be a shame to know in advance as it’s such a nice surprise.
A lovely ride in a part of the country I hadn’t visited before. Recommended. Worst bit, unfortunately, is getting through the outskirts of Edinburgh. Picturesque it ain’t.