100 Climbs Route: Day 22, Perth to Otterburn

In August 2018, three Cycling UK members - Dominic Millar, Graham Salisbury and James Findlater – cycled a 3,300-mile, 29-day route around Britain to take on all 100 hills featured in Simon Warren’s book ‘100 Greatest Cycling Climbs’. This route plots day 22 of the journey, 114 miles from Perth to Otterburn, with no feature climbs.

With Scotland’s hill ticked off, today’s ride follows a pretty straightforward route south, back into England. It’ll take all day to get there, though, especially if you stop to enjoy any of the various examples of historic Scotland that you pass en route.

The first stint in the saddle shadows the M90 and takes you straight down to the Forth Road Bridge, which has it’s own dedicated cycle lane. With most of the heavy traffic using the relatively new Queensferry Crossing, the old road bridge is actually quite a nice ride, especially with great views of the Forth Rail Bridge to the east.

Once back on terra firma, it’s only a short ride until you’re in the heart of Edinburgh, one of Britain’s friendliest cities whether on foot or by bike. For a capital city, visitors shouldn’t find navigation too overwhelming and there’s no shortage of sights, such as the famous castle or Arthur’s Seat. It’s also a perfect place to pick up a late breakfast or early lunch.

From Edinburgh, the route now heads south-east, through a succession of Scottish towns and villages. By the time you reach Tweedbank and Melrose you’re in the Borders, which is fantastically pretty countryside with wonderfully historic towns and villages. If you want to detour a little way from Melrose around the northern bank of the River Tweed you can enjoy Scott’s View – a charming point to see the river below and reputedly the favourite spot of Sir Walter Scott.

Head onwards to another Border town, Jedburgh, then Camptown, and cross back into England at Carter Bar. Although you should be used to climbing by now, it’s a fairly long drag up to the border and the A68 is a busy road, so be aware. However, the view from the top, especially looking back the way you’ve come is quite beautiful.

Enjoy the descent down the other side, then ride past Catcleugh Reservoir and finish not far down the road in Otterburn.