Getting Around Edinburgh by Bike in Edinburgh and Edinburgh Walks

Edinburgh's a great place to see by bike - but remember some of the hills are pretty steep, so be prepared for a bit of a work out! The city is 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. Edinburgh 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.

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.

As well as the hills we mentioned earlier, 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.

Cycling for Leisure

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 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.

For other ideas you might also like to try the Visitscotland.com cycling 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 - 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 here.

For safe cycling tips, please visit www.aroundthecorner.org.uk.


Walking

Edinburgh is a compact city, so it's easy to get around on foot. Remember that the city is built on several hills, so expect a few gradients - don't worry though as most of them are easily tackled by anyone of average fitness, and the views on offer are worth the effort!

If you fancy a quiet stroll away from the traffic, the city has a number of peaceful parks you may like to explore. In the city centre itself, you'll find Princes Street Gardens where you can relax with an ice cream or cup of coffee as you take in one of the best views of the Castle there is. Outside the city centre there's The Meadows, Inverleith Park, the Hermitage and the Pentland Hills. And, not far from the Royal Mile, there's Holyrood Park, where you'll find the imposing sight of Arthur's Seat, this extinct volcano is a well-known Edinburgh landmark and is worth climbing if you're feeling energetic (we advise that you wear sensible walking shoes if you decide to do this!).

For a relaxing walk and the chance to glimpse some local wildlife, take a stroll along the Union Canal or Water of Leith walk ways.

Beyond the city you'll find some great countryside and Country Parks which are great places to take a walk. To the west of the city you'll find Almondell Country Park, Beecraigs Country Park and Polkemmet Country Park.

Head south of the city and you can explore Vogrie Country Park, Roslin Glen Country Park and the Penicuik to Dalkeith Walkway. You can find details of these and other good walks in this area by checking out the Parks and Landscape pages of the Sports and Leisure section of Midlothian Council.

East and South East of the city, you'll find stunning coastal walks, railway routes and the Lammermuir Hills - find some great ideas for walks in this area at East Lothian Council.

For more ideas for country walks in and around Edinburgh, visit VisitScotland's walking website.