Scottish Lowland Saunter

Meet at our hotel in Lockerbie, easily reached by train or car. After checking in, you'll have time to get settled, prepare your bike, and load it into the support van ready for tomorrow's transfer.

Later, we'll gather for a welcome briefing followed by a group dinner. As we'll be setting off early the next morning for the transfer to the Mull of Galloway, this evening is the perfect opportunity to make any final preparations and ensure you're ready to ride.

If you arrive with time to spare, you may wish to explore some of Lockerbie's nearby attractions:

• Dryfesdale Lodge Visitor Centre and Garden of Remembrance – A moving memorial commemorating the 270 victims of the 1988 Lockerbie air disaster.
• Eskrigg Nature Reserve – A peaceful woodland reserve just a short walk or drive from the town centre, with volunteer-maintained wildlife hides offering the chance to spot red squirrels, wildfowl and deer.
• Caerlaverock Castle – Around 30 minutes south-west of Lockerbie, this remarkable late 13th-century triangular moated castle is one of Scotland's most distinctive medieval fortresses, set within a picturesque nature reserve.

30 miles, 1,925 feet ascent (48km, 587m)

An early start is rewarded with a beautiful transfer through the rolling landscapes of south-west Scotland to the Mull of Galloway, Scotland's southernmost point. Before setting off on the ride, there will be time to wander to the lighthouse and the very tip of the Mull, a dramatic headland where powerful tides swirl around the coast and a wide variety of seabirds swoop and dive.

Today's ride is deliberately shorter to allow for the morning transfer, while also giving you time to explore Logan Botanic Garden should you wish. The route follows quiet roads through a landscape of rugged cliffs, sweeping sea views, peaceful farmland, and picturesque towns and villages.

We'll visit the charming fishing village of Port Logan, nestled around a sheltered bay, before the optional visit to Logan Botanic Garden. Thanks to the warming influence of the Gulf Stream, this remarkable garden is home to an astonishing collection of subtropical plants rarely seen elsewhere in Scotland.

We then continue north to Portpatrick, a characterful coastal town where we'll pause to enjoy the colourful waterfront, watch fishing boats come and go in the harbour and, on a clear day, look across the Irish Sea towards Northern Ireland. To end the day, we cross the headland overlooking Loch Ryan before arriving in the ferry town of Stranraer.

Highlights

• The Mull of Galloway, Scotland's southernmost point, with dramatic coastal scenery and abundant birdlife.
• Quiet coastal roads with sweeping views across the Irish Sea.
• The picturesque harbour village of Port Logan.
• Logan Botanic Garden and its unique collection of subtropical plants.
• Portpatrick's colourful seafront and bustling harbour.

46 miles, 2,100 feet ascent (74km, 640m)

After riding over to Castle Kennedy, we head onto narrow roads through the remote wilds of the Galloway Hills – to New Luce, through woods and open moorland, past wind farms and lochs, and down to Minigaff. Yet despite the genuine feeling of remoteness, the support van is never far away with snacks, supplies and back-up if needed. Keep an eye out for birds of prey including golden eagles, hen harriers, red kites and ospreys. You're likely to see far more birds than traffic!

From Creetown there are more fine views across Wigtown Bay, along with the chance to visit an evocative poetry stone circle in the local community woodland. From there we climb once more into the Galloway Hills, with superb views of Glen Trool, the Merrick (the highest hill in southern Scotland) and the distinctive range of summits known as the Awful Hand. Few roads in the UK offer such a strong sense of wilderness. The day ends with a rewarding descent into Gatehouse of Fleet.

Apart from a couple of unavoidable short stretches at the start of the day, the route avoids the busy A75 that you will have been driven along the previous day. Today's ride reveals the landscapes beyond the hills seen from the road, offering a genuine sense of just how unpopulated and wild much of Galloway remains.

Highlights

• a real sense of getting off the beaten track and into the wilds
• quieter roads than you may ever have ridden
• keeping your eyes peeled for birds of prey and other wildlife – pine martens have become re-established in this area, although they are notoriously difficult to spot
• the Eye sculpture at Black Loch
• an optional detour to the poetry stone circle known as Creehenge, a project developed by our own Cycling Development Manager with the local primary school and community woodland
• enjoying a drink in the Murray Arms in Gatehouse of Fleet, where Robert Burns apparently wrote 'Scots Wha Hae'

36 miles, 1,900 feet ascent (57.5km, 579m)

The climbs in Galloway are never especially challenging, although the landscape never ceases to roll gently up and down. There is also something almost Irish about the vivid greenness of the countryside. Today perfectly captures this character as we leave the wilder landscapes of western Galloway behind and ride into a more pastoral world of green fields, woodland and dry-stone dykes.

We start the day by heading cross-country over the Ross Peninsula, which certainly merits a return visit on another day if you've enjoyed what you've seen of Galloway so far. Before long, we make a short detour into the artists' town of Kirkcudbright, with its colourful houses, harbour and MacLellan's Castle.

Castle Douglas has proudly branded itself as a 'Food Town', and we'll make sure to source some local treats for lunch (rather than from the Tesco that caused such local controversy!). From there we follow the beautiful Old Military Road, which cuts an almost perfectly straight line through fields and small villages to the outskirts of Dumfries, the largest town in the region, on the banks of the River Nith.

Highlights

• Kirkcudbright, known as the Artists' Town thanks to the artist colony that flourished here in the late 19th century, including the Glasgow Boys. Opportunity to visit the contemporary exhibitions at the Tolbooth Art Centre
• Optional detour to the moated 14th-century fortress of Threave Castle
• the Old Military Road – built in the 1760s by Major William Caulfeild to allow the rapid movement of troops to ports serving Ireland (and also our Cycling Development Manager's favourite road in Galloway!)
• Dumfries and its literary connections – the legacy of Robert Burns is everywhere, from statues and Robert Burns House, where he spent his final years, to his favourite local watering hole, The Globe Inn. Moat Brae, the elegant Georgian house that inspired J. M. Barrie's Peter Pan, is also well worth a visit. Or simply relax by the River Nith and watch the birdlife and fish around the weir.

44 miles, 2,575 feet ascent (71km, 788m)

Having enjoyed some of the best riding Galloway has to offer, today is our chance to discover the finest roads of Dumfriesshire. Rather than heading directly to Lockerbie, which would make for a short and fairly unremarkable day, our route loops west and north before returning to the town where the tour began. The road from the outskirts of Dumfries to Shawhead, through Glen Kiln and over Speddoch Hill, is an absolute delight. Keep an eye out for sculptures (see below)!

Dunscore is a picturesque village that land artist Andy Goldsworthy has chosen to call home. The surrounding area, including nearby Moniaive, has a thriving community of artists, musicians and people drawn to an alternative rural lifestyle.

From here the route loops further north into Ae Forest (home to one of the renowned 7stanes mountain biking centres), past scenic Loch Ettrick and down the winding valley road to Ae village. The final section crosses a gentler agricultural landscape, passing through Lochmaben before returning to Lockerbie.

Highlights

• Glen Kiln – Glenkiln Sculpture Park was a pioneering open-air gallery, established in 1951 by landowner Sir William Keswick. It uniquely displayed works by Henry Moore, Auguste Rodin and Jacob Epstein in a dramatic moorland setting around Glenkiln Reservoir. Following vandalism and the theft of Henry Moore's Standing Figure in 2013, most of the original bronzes were removed for security, with replicas now in their place. Today, only Upright Motive No. 1: Glenkiln Cross remains in its original hilltop setting. Keep an eye out too for the estate cottages, painted the distinctive pink favoured by the Keswick family
  the contrast in landscape with Galloway – which do you prefer?
• Ae Forest and Ae village – home to one of the UK's shortest place names
• Lochmaben – traditionally believed to be the birthplace of King Robert the Bruce

Note - for a shorter holiday, there is the option to finish the tour here. Please email us at info@pedal-nation.co.uk for more information and pricing.

44 miles, 2,625 feet ascent (71km, 800m)

Today we cross from Dumfries and Galloway into the Scottish Borders, where the landscape changes once again – less rugged, more rounded, with deep, verdant river valleys. From Lockerbie we cross the M74 before climbing steadily towards Eskdalemuir and Kagyu Samye Ling – the first Tibetan Buddhist monastery established in the West, visited several times by the Dalai Lama.

Beyond the monastery we continue along remote single-track roads through the hills. A wonderful descent from Berry Knowe drops us into the Yarrow Valley before we climb once more over Paddy Slacks. The route then passes through the beautiful historic village of Traquair and the famous closed gates of Traquair House (see story below). Our destination for the night is Innerleithen, nestled in the broad Tweed Valley.

Highlights

• Kagyu Samye Ling monastery – we'll stop at the tea rooms, with the option to visit the stunning temple, richly decorated in the traditional Tibetan style
  mile after mile of quiet, scenic single-track roads, with the support van never far away
• Traquair House – Scotland's oldest continuously inhabited house, with a history spanning more than 900 years. Originally a royal hunting lodge, it has welcomed 27 Scottish monarchs, including Mary, Queen of Scots. It is also renowned for its 18th-century working brewery and the famous Bear Gates, which the Stuarts vowed would remain closed until a Stuart monarch returned to the throne (they are still closed today)
• Innerleithen – a charming Borders town that has become an internationally renowned cycling destination thanks to the world-class mountain biking on its doorstep
• the Tweed Valley – the River Tweed is surely one of Scotland's most beautiful rivers, renowned for its salmon fishing and increasingly popular for wild swimming

46 miles, 2,400 ft ascent (74km, 732m)

There is a real sense of achievement in riding coast to coast across Scotland, and today's ride finishes at Dunbar on the North Sea. But first there's more wonderful cycling on the quiet roads that have characterised the tour. The Granites climb out of Innerleithen offers superb views in every direction without ever becoming especially steep, before a fun, flowing descent on the far side.

Heriot lies in the heart of the Moorfoot Hills and is reputedly the place where the last wolf in Britain was shot. Look out, too, for the remains of ancient hill forts on the surrounding summits. We then cross the Lammermuir Hills, with magnificent views towards Edinburgh, the Firth of Forth and the coastline of Fife. The final miles flatten out across the fertile East Lothian plain as we approach the coast and the characterful town of Dunbar.

Highlights

• scenic riding through the Moorfoot and Lammermuir Hills, including the wonderful opening climb from Innerleithen
• keep an eye out for wolves around Heriot... just in case!
• magnificent views across the Firth of Forth, the Lothian and Fife coastlines, and distant glimpses of Edinburgh to build anticipation for tomorrow's finish
• the distinctive East Lothian houses with their red pantile roofs, originally brought from the Low Countries as ballast in returning merchant ships
• Dunbar – a historic East Lothian coastal town with dramatic castle ruins, beautiful sandy beaches and a thriving independent high street. Thanks to the shelter of the Lammermuir Hills, it also enjoys one of Scotland's sunniest climates and is often known as the "Sunshine Capital of Scotland"

38 miles, 1,325 ft ascent (61km, 404m)

Is there a more beautiful capital city in the world than Edinburgh? If there is, we don't know of it. And what better way to finish this unforgettable tour than arriving in the city at the height of festival season, via a final lap of honour around Arthur's Seat, the volcanic hill that rises above the city centre? Much of this holiday has been defined by remoteness; by contrast, Edinburgh is a vibrant hub of culture, music and street life during the Festival and Fringe.

First, though, we have to ride there...! East Lothian's flat roads are a favourite training ground for Edinburgh cycling clubs, so today's terrain feels noticeably gentler than the rest of the tour (although we can't promise a tailwind...). Our loop around the coast to North Berwick offers magnificent views across the sea to the iconic cone of Bass Rock. We then follow quiet inland roads, well away from the A1, to the attractive village of Aberlady – now a prosperous commuter village for Edinburgh and close to the internationally renowned links of Muirfield.

The former industrial settlements of Port Seton, Cockenzie and Prestonpans tell a very different story, with histories rooted in salt panning, coal mining and fishing. The distinctive chimneys of the now-demolished Cockenzie Power Station are gone, but the area's industrial heritage still provides a fascinating contrast to the elegance of Edinburgh itself. We finish our ride by following cycle paths around the back of Arthur's Seat before arriving at our hotel, ready for a final evening of celebration.

Highlights

• bring your binoculars for the spectacular seabird colonies on Bass Rock
• beautiful East Lothian beaches and sheltered coves along the North Sea coast
• the various "Laws" – not legal ones! Names such as North Berwick Law derive from the Anglo-Saxon word hlāw, meaning a hill, mound or burial place, a term that has survived in Scots
• Arthur's Seat – the road encircling this volcanic hill offers panoramic views across Edinburgh and one last taste of wild landscapes before plunging into the excitement of the city
• Edinburgh – one of Europe's most beautiful cities and the perfect finale to the tour. Soak up the atmosphere of the Festival and Fringe as you explore on foot, or extend your stay for a few extra days and catch a few shows.

This morning we offer an optional bike transfer back to Lockerbie for anyone wishing to return there to collect their car. Booking and paying for the train journey is your responsibility, but we'll recommend the most suitable service and coordinate your arrival with our support van. Alternatively, our usual Sheffield bike delivery and collection service is also available.

If you're not travelling back to Lockerbie, you can check out of the hotel at your leisure. Or why not extend your stay in Edinburgh for a few days? Catch a few Festival shows, visit the castle and galleries, and lose yourself in the streets, closes and alleyways that give this ruggedly elegant city so much of its character.