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Local Cycle Route RR

23 km road cycling route167 m climbing1 h 37 minGPX

Ratho Station, City of Edinburgh, United Kingdom · Road

A rolling 23 km road cycling route from West Craigs, City of Edinburgh through South Gyle, Sighthill and Juniper Green, with 167 m of climbing. Most of it (12.7 km) is on main roads without a cycle lane, 1 km where the limit is 80 km/h or more.

Signed route The waymarked Local Cycle Route RR (local route), 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
Rolling day rides for confident riders at ease in traffic
Distance
22.7 km
Point to point
Elevation gain
167 m
7 m per km
Riding time
1 h 37 min
moving time, estimated
Difficulty
Easy
Bike
Road bike
from the mapped surface
Surface
Paved
97% paved · 1% unpaved · 2% no data
Traffic
Mostly main roads
12.7 km on main roads without a cycle lane · 1 km where the limit is 80 km/h or more · 2.6 km on cycle paths or lanes
Food & water
Regular
87 cafés and restaurants · 33 shops · 4 petrol stations · 9 public toilets · 1 bike shop
Best months
Jun to Sep
Ratho Station climate, 10 years
Navigation
GPX download
free, no sign-in
Start → finish
West Craigs

Map and elevation profile

Gogar : Roadside
Photo: Lewis Clarke · CC BY-SA 2.0 · Wikimedia Commons

Elevation profile

Total ascent
167 m
Distance
23 km
050100150200m0 km510152023 km182 m · highest, at 9.8 kmStartFinish

Route description

  1. West Craigs
  2. South Gylekm 1
  3. Sighthillkm 3
  4. Juniper Greenkm 5
  5. Colintonkm 6
  6. Alnwickhillkm 12
  7. Southhousekm 13
  8. Gilmertonkm 15
  9. Millerhillkm 19

The route starts at West Craigs and passes through South Gyle, Broomhouse, Sighthill, Wester Hailes, Baberton, and Juniper Green before reaching Bonaly and Colinton by 6.4 km. The profile features two climbs: a 1.8 km ascent gaining 55 m averaging 3.1%, starting near 3.7 km, and a 2.1 km climb gaining 46 m averaging 2.1%, beginning near 6.4 km. The highest point is 182 m around 9.6 km, near Galach Law (205 m).

Highlights

  • Climb of 1.8 km gaining 55 m at 3.1% avg
  • Climb reaching 155 m at Colinton
  • Highest point near Galach Law at 182 m
  • Finishes near Fisherrow at 10 m elevation

Along the route

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

Places passed

  1. Broomhouse 2.4 km
  2. Sighthill 3.3 km
  3. Wester Hailes 4.1 km
  4. Baberton 4.4 km
  5. Juniper Green 4.9 km
  6. Bonaly 6 km
  7. Colinton 6.4 km
  8. Oxgangs 8.5 km
  9. Fairmilehead 9.8 km
  10. Alnwickhill 12.1 km
  11. Mortonhall 12.4 km
  12. Burdiehouse 12.5 km
  13. Southhouse 13 km
  14. Gracemount 13.2 km
  15. Gilmerton 14.7 km
  16. Danderhall 16.6 km
  17. Newton Village 17.9 km
  18. Millerhill 18.7 km
  19. Old Craighall 20.4 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 climb3.7 km1.8 km · 55 m · 3.1 % · max 3.8 %125 m
Unnamed climb6.4 km2.1 km · 46 m · 2.1 % · max 3.3 %155 m

High point 182 m at 9.6 km; low point 10 m. Passes beneath Galach Law.

Traffic, surface and gradient

Measured from OpenStreetMap along the track and the elevation profile.

This is not a cycle-track route: 56% is on main roads without a cycle lane, 1 km of it where the limit is 80 km/h or more. Riders should be comfortable sharing the road with faster traffic.

Roads
56% main road · 16% minor road · 10% road with cycle lane · 9% quiet street · 9% other roads and tracks
Main roads
12.7 km on main roads without a cycle lane — likely busier
Fast roads
1 km on roads with a limit of 80 km/h or more
Cycle paths
2.6 km on cycle paths or roads with a cycle lane
Main roads used
B701 (11 km), B6415 (3 km)
Surface
Paved: 97% of the route is mapped as paved, 1% as unpaved and 2% has no surface data.
Gradient
24% climbing · 25% descending · 51% flat
Longest descent
2.6 km from 15.4 km, dropping 63 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.

No stretch is longer than 15 km without a café, shop or water. Along the route: 87 cafés and restaurants, 33 shops, 4 petrol stations, 9 public toilets and 1 bike shop.

Food, water and shops in ride order

  1. 0 kmToilets · 190 m off route
  2. 0.2 kmMorrisons · supermarket · 210 m off route
  3. 0.3 kmVaccination Centre · pharmacy · 220 m off route
  4. 0.5 kmMorrisons · petrol station · 60 m off route
  5. 1.1 kmThe Glass Cafe · café · 180 m off route
  6. 6.6 kmMunro · café · on the route
  7. 6.6 kmToilets · 50 m off route
  8. 8.8 kmAldi · supermarket · 90 m off route
  9. 13.2 kmGordons Chemists · pharmacy · on the route
  10. 14.4 kmSpar · convenience store · on the route
  11. 14.7 kmNana's Cafe · café · on the route
  12. 14.7 kmToilets · on the route
  13. 20.7 kmBP · petrol station · 100 m off route
  14. 20.8 kmToilets · 180 m off route
  15. 22.4 kmCompany Bakery · bakery · 80 m off route
  16. 22.4 kmTesco Extra · supermarket · 350 m off route
  17. 22.4 kmAce Bike Co · bike shop · 500 m off route
  18. 22.5 kmBoots · pharmacy · 420 m off route

Need to bail out?

  • 4.2 km — Wester Hailes (station), 160 m off route
  • 18.4 km — Shawfair (station), 520 m off route

Whether bikes are carried depends on the service — check before relying on it.

Worth a stop

  • 9.4 km — Caiy Stane (archaeological site)
  • 14.8 km — Gilmerton Cove (attraction)

Stay after this ride

  • Musselburgh High Street Apartments · apartment · 950 m from the finish
  • Arden House · guest house · 1.6 km from the finish
  • Craigesk · guest house · 1.8 km from the finish

Start and access

Starts at West Craigs. Mapped within a short walk of the start and finish, from OpenStreetMap.

At the start

Trains and ferries
Edinburgh Gateway (200 m)
Food and coffee
Costa (400 m), Morrisons Cafe (320 m), Greggs (410 m)
Shops
Morrisons (280 m)

At the finish

Food and coffee
Company Bakery (210 m), Eskview Fry (370 m), Happy House (390 m)
Shops
Tesco Extra (470 m)

Know before you go

  • 12.7 km on main roads without a cycle lane
  • 1 km on roads with speed limits of 80 km/h or more
  • Longest stretch without café, shop or water: 3.6 km from 17.1 to 20.7 km
  • Short gravel or unpaved sections covering 1% of route

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

2 photographs from the road

Photo: Lewis Clarke · CC BY-SA 2.0 · Wikimedia Commons · Photo: Richard Webb · CC BY-SA 2.0 · Wikimedia Commons · Photo: generalising from Cambridge, UK · 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 Ratho Station (Open-Meteo).
GPX
Generated from the route line: track points only, no timestamps or personal data.
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