My wife would like to get back into road riding and has a pal who’s new to it to go riding with. Neither are particularly fit, and my wife absolutely hates hills. When we lived down south we would ride at Clumber Park which is mostly flat and almost entirely off the public road network, but is still tarmaced. This is the sort of thing she’d like to do while she’s getting back into it- is there anything like this within an hour’s drive of Edinburgh?

To qualify it, she has a Giant Avail (the women’s version of the Defy) with 23c tyres so things like the canal towpath are a no go.

Anyone got any tips?

The majority of East Lothian is a safe bet. Stay away from the main trunk routes and it’s about as quiet as you’ll get. Lots of club road riders out here from Edinburgh and further afield. I don’t ride specifically on the road but it’s a necessary evil for me. The drivers round these parts seem to be aware that there’s likely to be pedestrians/horses/agri traffic etc and mostly drive accordingly.

my wife absolutely hates hills

Anyone got any tips?

Move to the Netherlands?

North Edinburgh path network? Roseburn to Leith & other bits. Depends how far you want to go.
The canal towpath is now tarmac for about 10 miles out of Edinburgh

Out to the Ferry,across the bridge then Fife coastal path or out to the ferry then keep going towards Boness/Linlithgow/bathgate hills.

Innocent railway path out to Musselburgh then back streets of Musselburgh towards the racecourse and as far down the coast as you want or there’s the new cyclepath from Shawfair to Roslyn Glen.
Is there anything in Vogrie Park or Dalkeith Country Park?

What the last two said, depending on where you stay. Come into the shop and pick up one of the spokes maps, best fiver I spent when first moved to Edinburgh

Glasgow via the canal?

Stay of the pink roads and she’ll be fine.

East Lothian Cycling

South of the A1 is hillier than north.

Loads of stuff. North Edinburgh cycle network, out to Portobello, Musselburgh and back South to Penicuik. All NCN stuff. Get a spokes map or check Sustrans website.

A favourite Road(bike) ride is a circuit of Edinburgh on largely offroad surfaced paths.

What fast haggis said using the cycle paths. I wouldn’t head north east on the cycle path in Fife though, that gets a bit rough. South West suits a road bike better.

If you/she are happy to drive, then the circuit of Loch Leven (Fife) is pleasant – there’s free parking and a few eateries of differing character on the way around. It isn’t tarmac, but plenty of people seem to manage on road bikes.

Also keep a watch out for the Edinburgh Festival of Cycling in June, which will have guided rides, which might help with confidence as well as ideas.

Luke, Jimmy n I have a 100k loop of Edinburgh that takes in pretty much all the quiet bits.

The busy bits can be dealt with by an early start. The loop can be cut short at any point easily too to make it shorter. It’s pretty good and mainly flat.

We start at fairmilehead, out through Morton hall, cross danderhall at the bypass, then on to musselburgh, head west along the coast all the way to dalmeny using paths and small roads, through dalmeny estate onto Queensferry, then cycle path up to kirkliston, ratho, back roads to Balerno, up back of Balerno to reservoirs (just doable on 23c…) Then passed my place, Colinton, back to Fairmilehead. You could sub sections out from Balerno and use WOL etc.

Anyway, I can map it for you and you can look at sections suitable for you and L-Unit.

M

If you want to stay off road, the cycle path from Bathgate to Uddingston is tarmaced and pretty flat because it follows the railway route.
If you want to go a bit further, most of the route around the Forth via Kincardine can now be ridden on cycle path or quiet minor roads. You would have to use some of the canal between Grangemouth and Edinburgh to stay off road, but that should be OK on your wife’s bike. Most of the surface is fine if you are not using lightweight racing tyres.

From what ojom says, check dis;

https://strava.app.link/cBoylFMpsU

The only Road section I’m uncomfortable with is from Ratho onto and along the A71. There are plenty options to shorten, stay closer to the city and therefore avoid that. Or take the canal path out to Balerno instead, which is very nice. Giving me ideas…

Thanks everyone. The coastal section of Jimmy’s route looks like a good place to start.

Anyone any idea what the coastal path around Aberdour and Burntisland is like? Road bikeable?

I’m not sure what she’d make of riding her road bike along the canal- she manages on her hybrid but I suspect everytime there were cobbles (which is under almost every bridge) she’d want to get off and walk.

Is there anything further afield, down in the Borders perhaps? The Peebles to Innerleithen cycle path looks suitable now it’s all tarmac, and looped with the B7062 looks like it’d be a generally quiet and flat route.

Dalgety Bay to Aberdour goes through a section of trails and woods. It doesn’t turn to all tarmac until the path from St Bridgets Kirk to Aberdour. From Aberdour to Burntisland it’s mostly hard packed trails with little tarmac until you reach Burntisland itself.

Anyone any idea what the coastal path around Aberdour and Burntisland is like? Road bikeable?

Been a while, but I think so.

Will the Avail not take 28mm tyres? That might help on some of the non-smooth sections, but finding long tarmac rides with zero to little traffic (and no hills) is always going to be a problem.

The Peebles to innerleithen cycle path now goes to walkerburn and you are still able to pop onto the back b road. Or from Peebles, go to cademuir then up the manorhead valley. It’s a there and back dead end route. Hope for a headwind there, and you absolutely fly back.. awesome.

The Peebles to innerleithen cycle path now goes to walkerburn and you are still able to pop onto the back b road. Or from Peebles, go to cademuir then up the manorhead valley. It’s a there and back dead end route. Hope for a headwind there, and you absolutely fly back.. awesome.

Not having a car, my wife and I have taken the train to Galashiels, cycled along to Innerleithen/Peebles and back to Galashiels. It’s a pleasant, flat, easy day out.