Help me plan a mini tour from Edinburgh

[fimm]

My boyfriend and I are thinking about a bit of lightweight touring and I wondered if anyone on here had any suggestions.
I'm thinking that getting a train somewhere and cycling back would be fun, but other options would be considered.
Criteria are

• 3 days
• accessible by train from Edinburgh (can't see us starting and finishing here)
• about 60 miles per day
• staying in hostels or (possibly) B&B
• somewhere to buy lunch and evening meals + breakfast
• we're on road bikes, so tarmac surfaces please (I've been really nervous taking the road bike along short sections of landrover track)

Thoughts? I know that "somewhere near Edinburgh" is very vague! Do feel free to share/link to stories of tours that fit some if not all of the above, other people's trips make good starting points for planning, I find.

Thank you.

 

[aberal]

Did you see this thread? Newcastle to Edinburgh Another option (and a mini tour of the same sort of distance) would be to take the train to Aberdeen and cycle back. The trip up Deeside and through Glenshee is really lovely. I would go Aberdeen-Braemar, Braemar-Perth and Perth-Edinburgh via Kinross.

 

[hubbike]

I've collected some ideas for weekend cycle trips in these posts:
Cycling weekends in Scotland
More Cycling weekends in Scotland
Even More Cycle Trips!

look at a route back to edinburgh from dunkeld or pitlochry

also this website has some interesting ideas
http://www.bikeroutes.org.uk/locatmap.htm

 

[fimm]

I've collected some ideas for weekend cycle trips in these posts:
Cycling weekends in Scotland
More Cycling weekends in Scotland
Even More Cycle Trips!

look at a route back to edinburgh from dunkeld or pitlochry

also this website has some interesting ideas
http://www.bikeroute...uk/locatmap.htm

Wow, hubbike, there's some great ideas there! Thank you!

 

[middleagecyclist]

Hi

Just back from a 3 day, 184 mile trip along the Coast and Castle route from Edinburgh to Alnmouth. This is a link to my post and video of the trip.

Lovely cycling, mostly on road. One short section from Berwick to Holy Island is off road but more than passable on a road bike with appropriate tyres. You could take the A1 or go even further round on some B roads if you must have tarmac.

Loads of B&Bs about although none I could recommend as I camped. Melrose is about 60 miles from Edinburgh and then Berwick is another 50 ish or if the tides are right you could go to Holy Island and stay there overnight.

It would be nice starting around Alnmouth (there is a rail station) and cycling back to Edinburgh as the hill climb is a little easier going north than south and you get to see Edinburgh laid out in front of you (if the weather is OK!).

Good luck whatever you choose.

 

[HJ]

Telemark and I have done quite a few short tours to and from Edinburgh, some of which I have written up, hope you find something useful there...