This beautiful and varied circuit from Peebles takes in the best views from Glentress Forest - better known for its mountain bike trails. You can visit the cafe and visitor centre before the return route leads through farmland and alongside the stunning River Tweed.
Waymarked forestry and riverside paths, road with pavement.
Bus to Peebles.
Kingsmeadows car park, Peebles.
There is free parking in the Kingsmeadows car park on the south side of the Tweed - it is on the B7062. Start from here and turn right to follow the riverside path to the metal footbridge. Go over this and turn right to continue heading downstream. Soon the route comes alongside playing fields; at the end of the metal railings continue straight ahead onto the cinder path along the edge of the pitches (the riverside path off right is the return path). Follow this around the edge of the recreation field, curving left to head up to the main road (A72).
Cross the road and turn right along the pavement before taking the next road on the left - signed as a cyclepath to Glentress. Opposite the lodge house turn right into the car park for Janet's Brae. Turn left here to take the steep and rough path uphill through the trees (you can avoid the steep section by following the graded track ahead). When you emerge on the track, turn left and follow this around a bend sharp right and up along the edge of the forestry. When a junction is reached turn left, following the blue markers. The route passes the grassy site of an an iron age fort - you can visit it by a short detour to the left; there is an intepretation board and a good view back over Peebles.
Upto 30 people may have lived here in roundhouse huts. The site was inhabited at the time of the Roman invasion in 79AD when the Romans set up a temporary camp in the valley floor. Return to the blue waymarked path and follow it along the inside edge of the woods. Eventually it curves right - ignore a blue trail off left and continue until a t-junction with a track, by a picnic table. Turn left along the track. As the vehicle barrier for the Buzzard's Nest car park is reached turn right on a blue waymarked path to bypass the car park. It emerges at the car park entrance track - go straight across this, then straight ahead over a cycle path. At the next junction turn right - now on the red waymarked route (the blue markers go left). The path meanders downhill through the trees - take care where it crosses the bike trail.
When the path reaches a track turn left along it. There are beautiful views from here across the Tweed valley. Very soon turn right to keep following the red waymarked route as it heads down through the trees once more. There's soon a bench from which to enjoy those views. The path keeps right when it joins a larger path and after a small bridge and denser pines it eventually reaches the road opposite the Glentress Peel visitor centre and cafe. Cross the road and pass between the bike hire shop and the cafe, then turn right. Follow the path parallel to a road then turn right to cross the road, passing the the visitor centre. Bear right to head through the car park onto a path that descends beside a burn, crossing a footbridge to emerge on the busy A72.
Carefully cross the A72 and turn left before soon turning right down a cyclepath with the ruins of a castle in the field ahead. Follow the cycle path until it meets another at a t-junction. Turn right here, following the cyclepath signed for Eshiels; it runs along the route of the old Tweed Valley Railway. At a junction keep left on the cycle path, passing betweem the sewage works and an old railway yard.
Just before the railway tunnel (you can continue along it to return to the Janet's Brae car park) bear left onto a footpath through the trees that soon leads up steps to the A72. Turn left and follow the pavement until just after the entrance to Wirebridge Cottage turn left down steps to access the riverside field. Follow the River Tweed all the way back to Peebles, turning left after a small stone bridge to return to the riverside path which eventually leads back to the footbridge near Kingsmeadows car park at the start.
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