Dalkeith

Innerleithen to Dalkeith via Carrington

Those who like climbing hills like the next section best. The B709 (at the bottom of Innerleithen High Street, on the left) often sees more cyclists than cars and takes you into a truly wild and magnificent part of the Borders and Lowlands. It follows the Leithen Water for some 8km, past the golf course and up between Black Knowe and Dod Hill, where it parts company with the river. Purists will say that this is the best part of the ride, not least because they are usually masochists, but also because it affords some of the most stunning views in southern Scotland. Look across at distant Edinburgh from just beyond Longshaw Law, or back across the rolling fastness of the Borders. It is breathtaking.

Keep following the B707 until it becomes the B7007 just beyond Garvald Lodge, some 16km from Innerleithen. Go through Middleton and wind your way past the outskirts of Temple village along a brief stretch of the B6372. Watch out for the signs and take a right to Carrington Mill and continue to Carrington village. Just out of Carrington the OS map offers a diversion to the right, going towards Gorebridge. The recommended route ignores this, and heads up to Aikendean and Upper Dalhousie. 2km beyond you reach the B704. Here you have two alternatives: 1) Turn left for 2km before going right down the traffic-free path. At the end, just after crossing the A7, take a sharp right then a sharp left and follow the path around Eskbank. Or: 2) Go straight across the B704 and continue until you get to the busy A7. Here you go left for 0.5km (on the footpath, if you prefer), until the sign takes you off to the right, then first left and on to the aforementioned path around Eskbank.

Dalkeith

The route now takes you around the centre of Dalkeith, through some fairly uninspiring conurbation. Once beyond Dalkeith, the path follows a former railway line down to Whitecraig, where you take a left then a right down to where the path goes under the A1. It follows the river Esk for 300m. Go over the footbridge and bear to the right, following the path down to the railway line, where it veers to the left. You are back with that old friend, the main East Coast line, whose presence provides an occasionally thundering backdrop to the Northumberland section.

As you emerge from the passage under the railway you will see the handsome 18th century spire of St Michaels Church, Inveresk. Go Ferguson Drive to the Monktonhall roundabout and straight across. 50m on it dog legs, heading left then right through some mini-soccer pitches, following a line of lop-sided pylons that look like a procession of Horatio Nelsons. The signage is shoddy, but if you stay alert you will see the red Route 1 stickers. At the end of Macklets Avenue follow the sign for Newcraighall and Niddrie, and go over the rail bridge at Musselburgh rail station. You now get a good view of Arthurs Seat.






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