Photo Gallery
Tourist leaflets
Ettrick and Yarrow Valleys are lovely for tourists to visit and stay a while. We have prepared some leaflets and maps which we hope you find useful.
cycle routes
Off-Road Cycle Routes
These are a linked series of projects aimed at creating off-road cycling routes into and around the Ettrick and Yarrow Valleys.
In recent years both road cycling and off-road cycling have become extremely popular and every year the valleys play host to a wide variety of cycling events such as the Tour o’ the Borders (a closed road sportive event), the Selkirk MTB Marathon, and duathlon and triathlon events based around Bowhill and St Mary’s Loch, as well as less taxing events such as the Ettrick Valley Leisure Ride.
However we recognised that there was a need for good, recognised routes that could be promoted to those off-road cyclists wishing to explore the valleys outwith these organised events.
In collaboration with recognised trail designers a series of off-road routes were devised to both link the valleys with the wider Borders, and also to provide good circular and linear routes within the valleys, as follows:
Yarrow to Bowhill House, via Ettrickbridge (14 km): this route uses the Middle Swire single-track road to pass over the heights from Yarrow to Ettrickbridge and then follows estate roads and tracks in the Bowhill Estate to finish at Bowhill House. This route, combined with the one above, form a fascinating circular route.
Selkirk to Bowhill House (7 km): this route starts at the main car park in Selkirk town centre and goes through the Haining House grounds, roughly follows the Border Abbeys Way to the footbridge at Oakwood Mill and finishes at Bowhill House.
All these routes are described in the Route Maps (above)..
The routes have been all professionally assessed and have had detailed feasibility studies completed and costs estimated, but the routes may have not yet been fully agreed with the relevant landowners nor funding obtained to complete them. So although sections of the routes are presently useable they should not be regarded as complete.
We will update this website as these projects develop, so please keep checking this website for news of progress.