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Duns Green Route

26 km road cycling loop378 m climbing1 h 50 minGPX

Duns, Scottish Borders, United Kingdom · Road

A hilly 26 km road cycling loop from Duns Law, Scottish Borders through Birkenside, Burnhouses and Ellemford Bridge, with 378 m of climbing. The first 25 km has no café, shop or water.

Signed route The waymarked Duns Green Route (Scottish Borders Council), traced from OpenStreetMap and measured against the terrain model; no member has recorded it yet. Ridden it? Add your recording and photos.

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At a glance

Best for
Short, climbing-heavy rides
Distance
25.7 km
Loop
Elevation gain
378 m
15 m per km
Riding time
1 h 50 min
moving time, estimated
Difficulty
Easy
Bike
Road bike
from the mapped surface
Surface
Paved
99% paved · 1% unpaved
Traffic
Some main roads
9.5 km on main roads without a cycle lane · 18.8 km where the limit is 80 km/h or more
Food & water
Longest gap 25 km
10 cafés and restaurants · 1 shop · 1 petrol station · 1 public toilet · 1 bike shop
Best months
Jun to Sep
Duns climate, 10 years
Navigation
GPX download
free, no sign-in
Start and finish
Duns Law

Map and elevation profile

Welcome to Duns Road Sign
Photo: Jennifer Petrie · CC BY-SA 2.0 · Wikimedia Commons

Elevation profile

Total ascent
378 m
Distance
26 km
0100200300400m0 km102026 km320 m · highest, at 20.0 kmStartFinish · back at the start

Route description

  1. Duns Law
  2. Birkensidekm 6
  3. Burnhouseskm 7
  4. Ellemford Bridgekm 10
  5. Rigfootkm 10
  6. Whitchesterkm 11
  7. Caldrakm 14
  8. The Hardenskm 22
  9. Langton Edgekm 22
  10. Duns Lawkm 26

This 25.7 km loop starts and ends in Duns, passing through several small places such as Birkenside, Burnhouses, and Longformacus. It climbs a total of 378 m with four main climbs: 1.9 km at 3.7% starting near 6.4 km, 2 km at 4.4% from 9.7 km, 1.7 km at 2.6% around 13.3 km, and 3.1 km at 3.4% from 16.9 km. The highest point is 320 m at 20 km while the lowest is 121 m near the end at 24.2 km.

Why ride this route?

  • Tops out at 320 m, 20 km in.

Highlights

  • Duns Law near 1.5 km
  • Peak Hardens Hill near 19.5 km
  • Longest descent 3.7 km from 20.2 km
  • Named roads B6355 and B6365 sections

Along the route

Measured from the route line, the Copernicus elevation model and OpenStreetMap.

Places passed

  1. Birkenside 5.5 km
  2. Burnhouses 6.6 km
  3. Oatleycleugh 6.9 km
  4. Ellemford Bridge 9.7 km
  5. Rigfoot 9.9 km
  6. Sunnyside Cottages 10.6 km
  7. Whitchester 11.3 km
  8. Caldra 13.7 km
  9. Longformacus 14.6 km
  10. The Hardens 21.9 km
  11. Langton Edge 22.3 km

Climbs

Climbs in ride order: where each starts, what this ride climbs, and the full named ascent
ClimbStarts atOn this rideTop on this ride
Unnamed climb6.4 km1.9 km · 70 m · 3.7 % · max 6.3 %205 m
Unnamed climb9.7 km2 km · 85 m · 4.4 % · max 8.2 %267 m
Unnamed climb13.3 km1.7 km · 45 m · 2.6 % · max 4 %233 m
Unnamed climb16.9 km3.1 km · 105 m · 3.4 % · max 6.6 %320 m

High point 320 m at 20 km; low point 121 m. Passes beneath Duns Law, Blacksmill Hill, Hardens Hill.

Traffic, surface and gradient

Measured from OpenStreetMap along the track and the elevation profile.

Expect stretches on main roads without a cycle lane (9.5 km in all) between quieter sections.

Roads
59% minor road · 37% main road · 3% road with cycle lane · 1% other roads and tracks
Main roads
9.5 km on main roads without a cycle lane — likely busier
Fast roads
18.8 km on roads with a limit of 80 km/h or more
Main roads used
B6355 (4 km), B6365 (3 km)
Surface
Paved: 99% of the route is mapped as paved, 1% as unpaved.
Gradient
37% climbing · 30% descending · 33% flat
Steep sections
2.3 km over 5% · 0.4 km over 8% · steepest 500 m averages 11.5% at 0 km
Longest descent
3.7 km from 20.2 km, dropping 194 m

Food, water and services

Within a few hundred metres of the track, from OpenStreetMap. Opening hours change — treat this as where to look, not a promise.

The longest stretch without a café, shop or water is 25 km, from the start. Along the route: 10 cafés and restaurants, 1 shop, 1 petrol station, 1 public toilet and 1 bike shop.

Food, water and shops in ride order

  1. 0 kmWhip and Saddle · pub · on the route
  2. 25.4 kmThe Co-operative Food · supermarket · 120 m off route
  3. 25.4 kmToilets · on the route
  4. 25.5 kmHungry Spot · café · on the route
  5. 25.5 kmRepair stand · on the route
  6. 25.5 kmGeorge Romanes · pharmacy · on the route
  7. 25.6 kmAitchisons · petrol station · 80 m off route

Worth a stop

  • 0.4 km — Duns Law (viewpoint)
  • 7.9 km — Mill Pond (archaeological site)
  • 19.5 km — Hardens Hill (peak)
  • 25.5 km — Mercat Cross (monument)

Start and access

Starts and finishes at Duns Law. Mapped within a short walk of the start, from OpenStreetMap.

At the start and finish

Food and coffee
Hungry Spot (60 m), Border Baguettes (60 m), Whip and Saddle (20 m)
Shops
The Co-operative Food (150 m)

Know before you go

  • 25.4 km longest stretch without café, shop, or water
  • 9.5 km on main roads without cycle lanes
  • 18.8 km on roads with speed limits of 80 km/h or more
  • 0.4 km gravel or unpaved surface

Routes are for inspiration. Roads, surfaces and conditions change — check locally and ride within your limits.

2 photographs from the road

Photo: Jennifer Petrie · CC BY-SA 2.0 · Wikimedia Commons · Photo: Barbara Carr · CC BY-SA 2.0 · Wikimedia Commons · Photo: M J Richardson · CC BY-SA 2.0 · Wikimedia Commons

About this route

Route line
Traced from the waymarked route’s relation in OpenStreetMap.
Elevation
Recalculated from the Copernicus GLO-90 terrain model every 50 m, not the device’s barometer.
Roads, surface, services
Measured along the line from OpenStreetMap extracts.
Best months
Ten years of ERA5 weather for Duns (Open-Meteo).
GPX
Generated from the route line: track points only, no timestamps or personal data.
Page added
Page last updated

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