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Cycling in Edinburgh and the Lothians

cyclists walk their bikes along a cobbled Edinburgh street

Cycling in central Edinburgh

Edinburgh and the Lothians is a great place to see and explore on two wheels, thanks to its great cycle network, free maps and scenic routes.

The city is very cycle friendly. At peak times, cyclists are allowed to share the buses' green lanes in and around the city centre which means you can keep moving. The city also has about 50 junctions with advance cycle stop lines.

There's also an extensive network of traffic-free cycle routes in Edinburgh, often running along old railway lines. Cycle campaign group Spokes have excellent maps of them; for more info, check out the Spokes website. The Innertube Map project is another excellent source of information and advice for getting around the city on two wheels.

Away from the city centre, you can generally avoid heavy traffic by using quieter side streets instead of the main roads. A map or A-Z guide of the city will help you find your way and it's a great way to see a new side of the city.

It's also worth remembering that some streets in the Old and New Towns have cobbles, which, while perfectly safe for cyclists, may take some getting used to if you've never cycled on this kind of road surface before.

Great days out by Bike

If cycling is more of a hobby than a way of getting around, you can enjoy some great days out in and around Edinburgh. Within the city, the Union Canal Path and some sections of the Water of Leith walkway are easy routes with great scenery. For the more adventurous, there's some great mountain biking terrain in the Pentland Hills Regional Park.

The area around Edinburgh has some great scenic routes of varying levels of difficulty, so you don't necessarily have to be super fit to make the most of them. Find out more about these bike routes on the Bike Routes website.

Spokes cycling maps also contain loads of useful information for cyclists planning to explore the city and surrounding areas. View these on the Spokes website for more information.

Both the National Cycle Network and the North Sea Cycle Route run through Edinburgh and you can find out more about the National Cycle Network's Edinburgh routes from the Sustrans website.

If you want to explore beyond the city, you can take your bike on Scottish trains for free, however on many routes you will need to make reservations in advance, so remember to book ahead. Find out more about taking your bike on the train.

For safe cycling tips, please visit the Around the Corner website.