Dumfries & Peebles – routes for taking Weeride?

Yay, our mini alp_boy is finally old/strong enough to go on a weeride – we’re on holiday in Dumfries and Peebles later this month, but don’t know which routes are smooth/quiet enough for first weeride outings.

Any suggestions thankfully received!!!

Berm baby berm might be good.. you’d deffo need to ride behind to fend off the speedier riders tho!

🙂 thanks, point about guarding from behind is what made me wonder about riding the trail centre routes… Guess we could go really early before the speedy riders get up 😀

Ae green/blue. The new blue DH section(Collins Folly)is smooth enough for the wee ride and not too steep. Most of the blue is forest road with some flat stuff through the trees lining the river bank. Good cafe with showers.

Mabie blue only has 2 singletrack sections which should be ok, the rest being forest roads.

If you can access the local cycle route,

http://www.visitdumfriesandgalloway.co.uk/pdf/cycling/nithsdale-cycling
http://www.dumgal.gov.uk/index.aspx?articleid=2538
http://www.gosmartdumfries.co.uk/index.aspx?articleid=9728
http://cyclingdumfries.wordpress.com/summer-rides/heathhall-explorer/

You can cycle out to Heathhall and access the forest from the cycle track. There is a short surfaced track in the forest along with a few surfaced walking tracks + some lovely rooty stuff we use for kids races.
The forest is adjacent to an old airfield where ther is a museum.
http://www.forestry.gov.uk/newsrele.nsf/WebPressReleases/6D9345A982280EA680257BD000402D2D

Not been round Dalbeattie blue but I am sure it should be ok, loads of forest road to go on anyway . Some of the red nearer the car park end would be ok. You could cycle through the forest out to Colvend then down to Rockcliffe beach and back for a good day out on the walking route(brown posts)

There is also Drumlanrig

Just a thought? Do you mean seat on bike or a wee bike?

If bike the riverside stuff at Ae, maybe carry it up Collins Folly otherwise the route is too steep climbing wise
Mabie blue would be too long but there is a small skills area
The last section of the Dalbeattie red is a favourite with kids over that way. https://www.facebook.com/specializedbicycles/posts/10201544654721661

Heathhall is perfect 😆

Ae is good. 10km up and down a nice river with some good singletrack, and very quiet. At GT, as said before Berm is good, but also the 2 green bits. The main green route from the Buzzards nest car park is really only used by families and is geat for little ones.
The lower green bits (tourist trap and the admiral) does get some other use, are also excellent, but a little short.

For a more relaxed ride, the sustrans route is now fully open from Peebles to Innerleithen. Ride there, leave the little one in Caldwells (Ice cream shop) and do a quick up/down one of the tracks, then back to Peebles?

Cheers, Trekster and chriswilk, lots of great suggestions!!

I did mean the seat on the bike, sorry, should have said 🙂

Although looking at the video on the facebook link we shouldn’t leave it too late to get him his first balance bike – as he’s not walking yet, we could even go for “cycling before walking” 😀

Cycle track cafe stops…..
http://www.kilnford.co.uk/
Gardenwise garden centre
Heathhall garden centre
Dalscone farm park
Mabie farm park
Pub ride to the Swan @ Kingholm Quay on the river Nith, nice cycle along the river bank.
You can also cyle along the river bank from here to Glencaple but there is a few bits you need to get off and hike over some flood debris, it is all flat and about 3mls. Good cafe and Nith Hotel is good for their steaks if eating out(booking advised)

Forgot Little Italy, just as you cross Moffat Rd.

another option is to go upstream from peebles on the old railway, start on either side of the river, but end up on the left once the park stops.
Take a light for the tunnel, or there is singletrack round.
Some nice paths up that way, good for a picnic by the tweed if it’s sunny.

Excellent, thank you all – we’ll report back how many routes we managed to do ;-)!!

Enjoy….. 😀

DGone is the leisure centre/swimming pool. Check web site for admission/availability due to education taking up most of the pool space as well as lessons and classes for senior citizens. Can be a pain if turning up expecting to swim and find it is unavailable 🙄

A treat for the kids……http://www.drummuirfarm.co.uk/
A wee bit further west …. http://www.thecocoabeancompany.com/

Thanks again for the suggestions for rides etc!!!

We didn’t manage as many rides with mini alpboy as we had hoped because the holiday coincided with his very first bad cold, but we did get to the stane at Mabie 🙂 He particularly liked the short singletrack sections on the green route, yay!

The old railway path from Peebles was a big hit with mini alpboy, too.

We also went to quite a few of the farmshops and garden centres near Dumfries as a family and of course went riding separately while the other parent looked after mini alpboy!