Three of Edinburgh’s best bike rides

This article is part of FT Globetrotter’s guide to Edinburgh

A city built on seven hills and known for its cobbled streets may not sound like the best place for cycling. But the attractions of the Scottish capital more than make up for its deficiencies, with an improving cycling infrastructure that ensures Edinburgh’s rich history, abundant monuments and striking landscapes can be equally enjoyed on two wheels.

New bikes lanes and dedicated cycle paths are being established around the city, partly to help it meet its goal of net zero carbon emissions by 2030. These build on the existing cycle network that often used Edinburgh’s parks and disused railway network. Indeed, all three of the routes recommended here use paths along former train lines.

These provide for safer cycling, as well as quick getaway routes out of the city, making sites such as the Forth Bridge and the East Lothian coast easily accessible. Edinburgh’s hills are also mostly manageable, as are the cobbles, as long as it is not an icy day.

I make no further comment on Scotland’s notoriously unreliable climate, falling back instead on the old proverb that there is no such thing as bad weather, only unsuitable clothing. But given that inclement conditions are common, it is advisable to fit front and rear lights, and to carry waterproofs and high-visibility clothing. A good bike helmet is also a must, although drivers in the university city are well used to sharing the roads with cyclists.

The routes here are aimed at showcasing different aspects of the city and its surrounding areas, and all should be achievable by a rider of reasonable fitness and ability.

I completed the two longer ones on my Canyon Grail gravel bike, and while some sections might not be ideal for road bikes with thinner tyres, alternatives should be available on cycle-tracking apps. My vintage Peugeot road bike did the job for the shorter urban cycle.

If you want company, the city has a vibrant cycling community, details of which can be found online. This summer I took a trip out to Rosslyn Chapel, featured in The Da Vinci Code, with the Edinburgh 20-Milers, a welcoming group that organises informal rides on the second Saturday of each month.

Various hire options are available its you are visiting the city, including Cycle Scotland and Biketrax. Edinburgh does not currently run a shared bike scheme such as those operated in other cities by the likes of Lime and Forest.

Forth Bridge and Union Canal loop

• Distance: 41km

• Elevation: 298m

• Terrain: Combination of cycle paths, roads and canal towpath

• FYI: Queensferry is a good stop for picturesque refreshments

The iconic Forth Bridge, one of Scotland’s most recognisable landmarks, is easily accessible from central Edinburgh along well-marked cycle paths, making it one of the most popular cycle routes out of the city.

This route begins in The Meadows, a popular park in the south of the city that I’ve chosen as the starting point for all the rides in this series.

Head west in the direction of Haymarket station, then divert to the Roseburn Path, a well-used green corridor built along an old railway that is popular with walkers and cyclists, but currently threatened by a proposed new tram line.

Follow the path out of the city, past golf courses and expensive housing, before crossing the River Almond. I have not marked it on this route, but there is a good diversion here towards the harbour village of Cramond.

Some of this next section runs adjacent to a busy road, and if you have time you could take the more picturesque John Muir Way along the coast. Indeed, for a longer version of this cycle, stay on the same route all the way to Linlithgow.

Turn off the main road to catch a first glimpse of the rail bridge, a red-hued wonder of Victorian ingenuity and design that stretches majestically across the Forth estuary to Fife.

The structure was the longest cantilever bridge in the world when it was completed in 1890, and every Scot knows the story of how the task of painting all 2,467 metres of its length is never-ending. Two less visually pleasing road bridges run parallel, with the combined structures spanning three centuries. The older of these, the Forth Road Bridge, has a dedicated cycle lane, although that is not part of this route.

Instead, continue on the south side of the tidal estuary to the town of Queensferry, the ideal spot to take in the view of the Unesco World Heritage Site while refuelling for the second half of the cycle. For this, head south, skirting Edinburgh Airport, to join the Union Canal at the village of Ratho.

The stretch of water, only a few decades older than the Forth Bridge, has been revitalised in recent years, helped by the opening of the Falkirk Wheel that connects to the Forth and Clyde Canal and the city of Glasgow, a roughly 90km route that is a great cycle in its own right.

There are other versions of this route that avoid the canal towpath that road bike users may prefer. But if you like waterways, as I do, then turn east at the stone bridge and take the path back in the direction of Edinburgh, with only canal boats, swans and the occasional dog-walker for company.

Fields soon give way to industry and housing, and the path becomes steadily busier. But apart from a short dismount at Slateford Aqueduct, the ride continues smoothly to the end of the canal at Fountainbridge, before a short hop back to the starting point.  

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City centre and Leith 

• Distance: 17km round trip

• Elevation: 156m

• Terrain: City streets, mostly dedicated lanes, and bike paths

• FYI: Option to take the tram to Leith and return along the river path

This route, which takes in some of the city’s main tourist sights and the redeveloped port of Leith, is designed for visitors who might only have time for a shorter ride, although it is also a pleasing one in its own right.

Starting again at The Meadows, head into the city centre along George IV Bridge and cross the crowded Royal Mile to reach The Mound, which has a dedicated cycle lane. Lift your head as some of Scotland’s premier tourist attractions come into view, with Edinburgh Castle on the left, the monument to Walter Scott to the right and Princes Street Gardens on either side.

Dodge the trams to cross over busy Princes Street to turn right into George Street and pick up the cycle infrastructure at St Andrew Square that leads to Leith Walk.

This cycle path became famous for all the wrong reasons when it opened last year as part of a major £200mn transport project, with its zigzag design, sharp corners and lack of separation from other road and pavement users labelled “moronic” by reviewers, who awarded it first place in a list of the worst bike lanes in the world.

I see how it must be annoying for locals who rely in it as part of their daily commute, and for pedestrians who have to dodge speeding cyclists, but it did the job on a summer’s afternoon as I freewheeled down in the direction of Leith.

Leith, at one-time a bustling port, is now a fashionable destination area that I wrote about in another article in this series on the city’s best pubs. It is a good place on this route to stop for refreshments, particularly the Saturday farmers’ market or one of the trendy cafés by The Shore, and to lock up your bike for 30 minutes to wander its cobbled streets.

It is also the starting point for National Cycle Route 75, a fabulous route I am keen to try that stretches from Scotland’s eastern capital along railway and riverside paths to Tarbert in the far west of the country.

The first stretch of NCR75 adjacent to the Water of Leith is the highlight of this route, a verdant corridor for walkers and cyclists along another old railway. There is an easy diversion from this path to the Royal Botanic Garden and Inverleith Park, or remain on the route to the end of the path at the New Town.

From here, slip quickly into first gear for the steep climb towards Dublin Street, which leads back towards the city centre, including two of the city’s main art museums, the National Galleries of Scotland: Portrait and National.

From there, the cobbled Cockburn Street is not the easiest ride, but it is an attractive way to the famous Royal Mile. I did this cycle in August, during the annual arts festivals, and the crowds were such that I had to get off my bike and walk this stretch. Alternatively, take North and then South Bridge back to the starting point.       

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East Lothian and Portobello Beach 

• Distance: 53km round trip

• Elevation: 310m

• Terrain: Road and cycle path, but muddy in parts

• FYI: Better on a gravel or hybrid bike

East Lothian is where I grew up, and the sandy beach at Portobello was part of my childhood, so this route is special for me.

From our usual starting point in The Meadows, head along the side of the park in an easterly direction towards the Royal Commonwealth Pool to pick up the path that runs through the wonderfully named Innocent Railway Tunnel.

The tunnel was built for the railways that once brought coal into the city, although the last wagon departed in 1968. Now it is used primarily by cyclists, although the otherworldly coldness and fetid air do give way to a feeling of relief when the other end is reached.

Follow the mostly traffic-free path out through the city before crossing over the train line at Brunstane. From here the route veers south past Musselburgh (where we will return later), crossing the main A1 road towards the village of Whitecraig, where it begins to feel more rural, to pick up the Pencaitland Railway Path.

Here I was glad to be riding my gravel bike, as the path can get muddy in parts. A highlight of this particular ride was the appearance of an antlered deer, which briefly showed itself on a nearby rise before bolting out of view. Press on along the route towards the village of Ormiston, which is a good place to stop for a break.

The route then heads north along a minor road through the town of Tranent, where I went to school, to pick up another path. This passes back under the A1 near to the site of the Battle of Prestonpans, where Jacobite forces defeated the government army during their 1745 uprising.

The coast comes into view at Cockenzie, and the route turns west through Prestonpans and the larger town of Musselburgh, where there is a pretty harbour at Fisherrow.

Continue on towards Joppa, where you can leave the road to join the esplanade to Portobello. The seaside suburb, like Leith down the coast, has become a sought-after address in recent years, and on a sunny day it is easy to see why. 

Two miles of sand stretch out along the Forth, below a promenade fronted by elegant Georgian townhouses. The beach is popular with families and dog-walkers, with a flat white meets fish-and-chips vibe that creates the sense of an upmarket seaside resort.

I resist the temptation to stop for a beer and push on for the final part of the route that brings Arthur’s Seat, Edinburgh’s ancient extinct volcano, clearly into view.

The route veers around the southern side of the peak, through the pretty village of Duddingston and into the green expanse of Holyrood Park. There is one final uphill stretch, before the route ends back at The Meadows.

Do you have a favourite cycle route in Edinburgh? Tell us about it in the comments below. And follow FT Globetrotter on Instagram at @FTGlobetrotter