Road · United Kingdom
Melrose Yellow Route
A hilly 22 km road cycling loop from Gattonside, Scottish Borders through Newstead, Redpath and Halidean Mill, with 231 m of climbing.
At a glance
- Best for
- Short, climbing-heavy rides
- Distance
- 22.4 km
- Elevation gain
- 231 m
- Riding time
- 1 h 36 min
- Difficulty
- Easy
- Bike
- Road bike
- Surface
- Paved
- Traffic
- Some main roads
- Food & water
- Longest gap 17 km
- Best months
- Jun to Sep
- Navigation
- GPX download
- Start and finish
- Gattonside
Map and elevation profile
Elevation profile
- 231 m
- 22 km
Route description
- Gattonside
- Newstead
- Redpath
- Halidean Mill
- Third
- Maidenhall
- Mertoun Mill
- Dryburgh Mains
- Hawkslee
- Gattonside
Starting in Melrose, the route heads briefly through Gattonside, Newstead, and Leaderfoot before rising on a 2.6 km climb gaining 82 m to 177 m near Bemersyde Hill. It continues past Bemersyde, Third, and Brotherstone, with another climb of 1.2 km gaining 47 m near Newtown St Boswells. The overall profile features 231 m of climbing with about 56% of elevation gain in the first half and a longest descent of 2.4 km. The route is mostly paved (98%), with some gravel (1%) and minor unmapped sections (1%).
Highlights
- Scott's View viewpoint at 6.6 km
- Leaderfoot Viaduct viewpoint at 3.5 km
- Peaks near route: Bemersyde Hill 229 m, Brotherstone Hill South 242 m
- Longest climb 3.9 to 6.5 km gaining 82 m
Along the route
Places passed
Climbs
| Climb | Starts at | On this ride | Top on this ride |
|---|---|---|---|
| Unnamed climb | 3.9 km | 2.6 km · 82 m · 3.1 % · max 6.8 % | 177 m |
| Unnamed climb | 18.3 km | 1.2 km · 47 m · 4.1 % · max 5.4 % | 158 m |
Traffic, surface and gradient
Expect stretches on main roads without a cycle lane (7.4 km in all) between quieter sections.
- Roads
- 52% minor road · 33% main road · 7% path · 5% cycle path · 3% other roads and tracks
- Main roads
- 7.4 km on main roads without a cycle lane — likely busier
- Fast roads
- 3.2 km on roads with a limit of 80 km/h or more
- Cycle paths
- 1.1 km on cycle paths or roads with a cycle lane
- Main roads used
- B6356 (4 km)
- Surface
- Paved: 98% of the route is mapped as paved, 1% as unpaved.
- Gradient
- 24% climbing · 32% descending · 43% flat
- Steep sections
- 1.4 km over 5% · steepest 500 m averages 6.6% at 4.6 km
- Longest descent
- 2.4 km from 7.7 km, dropping 36 m
Food, water and services
The longest stretch without a café, shop or water is 17 km, from the start. Along the route: 21 cafés and restaurants, 5 shops, 1 water point, 1 petrol station, 4 public toilets and 2 bike shops.
Food, water and shops in ride order
- 0.1 kmJack's · café · on the route
- 0.1 kmCo-op Food · supermarket · 80 m off route
- 0.1 kmWater point · 200 m off route
- 0.1 kmWight Chiropractor Clinic · clinic · 60 m off route
- 0.3 kmHardies Bikes · bike shop · 60 m off route
- 0.4 kmToilets · 120 m off route
- 15.9 kmToilets · 290 m off route
- 17.9 kmDryburgh Arms · pub · on the route
- 18 kmCo-op Food · convenience store · 60 m off route
- 18.5 kmPetrol station · 100 m off route
- 22.2 kmTwelve Triangles · café · on the route
- 22.2 kmToilets · 70 m off route
- 22.2 kmGrease Monkey Cycles Instrastructure · repair stand · on the route
- 22.2 kmBoots · pharmacy · on the route
Worth a stop
- 0.5 km — Harmony Garden (attraction)
- 3.5 km — Leaderfoot Viaduct (viewpoint)
- 6.6 km — Scott's View (viewpoint)
- 10.1 km — Whitrigbog Tileworks (ruins)
- 16.3 km — Bass Hill (peak)
- 22.2 km — Mercat Cross (monument)
Start and access
At the start and finish
- Bikes and repair
- Hardies Bikes (80 m)
- Food and coffee
- Twelve Triangles (60 m), Jack's (130 m), Apples For Jam (30 m)
Know before you go
- Longest stretch without café, shop or water: 17.1 km from 0.3 to 17.4 km
- 7.4 km on main roads without cycle lane
- 3.2 km on roads with speed limits of 80 km/h or more
- Steepest 500 m at 4.6 km with gradient 6.6%
