Hi All

I’m doing ‘Chase the Sun North’ in June which finishes in Prestwick. I need to get back to Edinburgh for train home and rather than hurry there by train and bike I wondered if it was nice cycling country to do over two days ?

Road bike so no trails and looking to take it easy.

Any locals with the knowledge ?

Thanks !

I live in Prestwick, gimme a shout if you want to post stuff up or need a hand with anything, no probs. There’s a few decent options, NCN 7 goes all the way from here to Glasgow, but it ain’t the most direct to be honest.

I’d go round past the airport, up Kerrix road to Symington, onto Kilmarnock, then follow the old A77 which now has a big cycle lane up to Newton mearns, then it’s a fairly straight descent right into the city centre.

Someone else can direct you from there on I’m afraid!

Glasgow to Edinburgh on the canal tow path is relatively easy as long as you’re not on 25mm tyres.

It kinda depends what you want to do after you presumably cycled quite alit before!

If you via Glasgow from there to Edinburgh you can use various routes with loads of bail out ops for the train.

Not sure on the feasibility but you could head more direct and cross country via Biggar etc? Ayrshire and Lanarkshire backroads always strike me as quite pleasant roads to be cycling.

There is some awesome road biking in Ayrshire, but it’s not the easiest to get cross country, as the only real options are arterial routes like the A70 or A71, neither of whcih you’d want to cycle on. It’s entirely feasible to stitch together a route on minor roads, it’ll be a lot less direct.

Yes, I’ll have done 200 miles the day before but doesn’t seem right rushing straight back. (Might feel like that on the Sunday though !)

Canal sounds good but will be on skinny road tyres.

Thanks for offer Nobeerinthefridge and Yes, I couldn’t see a straightforwardish nice route as everything going in/ out of the big cities.

Following the train route thereabouts might be a good shout !

It’s not a bad cycle path tbh, gets a bit lost due to lack of signage between kilwinning and glengarnock, then it’s the old railway line right through Johnstone and paisley, gets a bit tasty there, but the canal into Edinburgh does too tbh.

If you do follow the canal (or thereabouts) my recollection is that the the surface east of Linlithgow and certainly around Winchburgh wasn’t the best. Could do worse than head from Linlithgow on country roads to South Queensferry, grab an ice cream and head through Dalmeny estate to cramond brig. Then drop down to cramond village (track by the river is muddy, but OK apart from a set of steps) and head along the coast until you hit the cycle network heading back into the city.

I’ve done the canal on 23s it’s not that much fun, bit of a loop out rather than direct and if the wind is in the wrong direction it’s a total bastard but totally doable.

Lots of the canal has been resurfaced. Tarmac from Falkirk all the way into central Edinburgh. Haven’t been west of Falkirk on it for ages so can’t remember the surface

Pedal for scotland took a 113 mile route from glasgow centre to haymarket so perfect for train

It headed down the old 77 so you could link from prestwick easily enough

https://connect.garmin.com/modern/activity/220772098

Feel free to take info etc. From this

If you are looking for a scenic two day return trip, I’d head south and east through Galloway then over the mennock pass, then pick up the ride to the sun route to Edinburgh.

Try Prestwick, Carsphairn, Wanlochhead, stop in Moffat, then to Edinburgh the next day.

Some good ideas and need an evening with a map now.

Cheers all for suggestions.

Another suggestion would be the cycle path to Kilwinning, follow the coast up to Largs then up the old Glen Road towards Greenock. After that you can follow the river (pretty sure there’s a path) or stitch together the back roads to Bishopton and the Erskine Bridge (if you had meatier tyres I’d have suggested the gravel track to Kilmacolm but it would be brutal on 25c). Cross there and you can either join the canal or continue north to Bearsden and the road to Kilsyth via Strathblane. I’m lost after that as its a choice of either the canal or back roads. I did the tak me doon over to Bannockburn at that point (a good climb!) which gives a lot of Descent and can get you to Stirling in one direction or Falkirk in the other after the first drop.

Largs from Prestwick is about 30 miles max, Stirling another 60. The canal is tarmaced but it’s rough as, I did it on 40c Nanos and felt every bump (probably didn’t help I was on a Dew)

Did the cyclepath from Johnstone to Falkirk wheel on my road bike with 25mm tyres the other day. No probs. Also done the ride from Johnstone through to Edinburgh on the same bike a few years ago and it was fine. That’s be my choice for the Glasgow-ish to Edinburgh bit unless you want to do a nice detour into Lanarkshire type areas. I’d pick one of the cycle routes from Ayr up to Glasgow, either via lochwinnoch or Newtonmairns, but loads of choices. The old Largs road over to Greenock and then picking up the cyclepath to Glasgow is also a good option. Loads of choices for quiet roads and cyclepaths. I’d stay off main roads as much as possible, but you don’t need me to tell you that.

YoKaiser suggestion is a good un, country lanes out from Prestwick to Straiton, lovely wee climb up and over to Dalmellington. Then you’d have 7 or 8 miles on the A713, it’s an A road but pretty quiet and I see folks ride on there regularly, to carsphairn. Cracking wee lumpy road from there via Moniaive to Drumlanrig, then up Mennock pass and over via Wanlockhead to M74. Lots of options to get back to Edinburgh from there, I only really know the RTTS route, which was good, you could pick that up.

To be honest I don’t think would be much value diverting from the rtts route. It’s quiet enough and wide enough. There are nicer roads but at the expense of distance/navigation requirements.

There is no get out clause though so I wouldn’t start that option unless you are happy with seeing it through because there is heehaw public transport although if its after the 18th June I’d come and rescue you if you needed it.

Aye, once through Wanlockhead, through to Elvanfoot then folow the old A74 which runs parallel to the M74 down and pick up the RTTS route at the start of the Devils beeftub. I loved that route, even though I’m really not a roadie!.

Gimme a shout if ye need any supplies at Prestwick end or even a feed, no worries.

Lovely back roads from Prestwick/Cragie/Sornhill/Newmilns/Hareshaw/Strathaven – after that I’m lost though and that looks like it’s only just over a 3rd of the way.