This route follows much of the Lanarkshire leg of the Glasgow to Edinburgh national cycling network (NCN 75). Avoiding busy roads it carves a pleasant route through central Scotland.

Not far beyond Bargeddie station, the route leaves the roads behind to follow the towpath by the Monkland Canal and to explore the tracks through Drumpellier Country Park and around Lochend Loch. That peace is shattered, however, when you reach your final destination – Summerlee... known as ‘Scotland’s noisiest museum.’

Highlights

Monkland Canal

Designed by James Watt in 1770, the 13-mile-long canal was built to take coal from Coatbridge and Airdrie to Glasgow. Look out for the quays and ‘windings’, where boats were loaded with coal.

Drumpellier Country Park

54 hectares of ancient, semi-natural woodland. Stop off at the visitor centre for a snack. Tel: 01236 422257.

Bank Street Basin

Bold art installations bring alive memories of the area’s iron, coal and steel industries. Look out for the stick of gelignite and Bleezin, an excerpt from a poem, recalling the sight of tens of blazing factory chimneys, by Janet Hamilton.

Summerlee Museum of Scottish Industrial Heritage

Based around the site of the Summerlee ironworks, this vividly recreates Lanarkshire’s industrial past. There are tram rides, tours of the recreated mine and working machinery. Hundreds of exhibits tell the story of the area. (free entry; open daily) Tel: 01236 638460. Read more about it here

Route

Leave Uddingston railway station and continue to Main Street. Cross at the pedestrian crossing to the right and straight over to join the cycle path on the opposite side running parallel to the railway track – signed as NCN 75, Bargeddie 3, Coatbridge 6.

At the end of the cycle path, you’ll enter a residential cul-de-sac. Continue straight on to the mini-roundabout and turn left. Follow NCN 75 (not NCN 74).

Follow the cycle route through an underpass and continue to the traffic lights at New Edinburgh Road. Go straight over and climb a moderate slope up Spindlehowe Road to the junction with Old Edinburgh Road and turn left.

At Tannochside Old Club, turn right on to Armstrong Crescent. Opposite No. 35 Armstrong Way take the short cycle path off to the right. At the end of the path turn left and follow NCN 75 along Vallantine Crescent. Continue to the junction with Guthrie Drive – second on your left – and follow to a roundabout.

Join the footpath/cycleway at the roundabout on the right as directed. Continue over Tannochside Drive and past Tannochside Business Park to take the next exit, Aitkenhead Road. Follow the cycle path down then uphill towards Showcase Leisure Park. Follow the cycle path to the right and then over a road. Return to Aitkenhead Road and continue under the M8 - signposted Drumpellier Country Park 2.

Remain on the footpath, and use it to negotiate a roundabout at the entrance to the leisure park and travel in the direction of the A752, Gartcosh and Muirhead. After a short distance, enter Bargeddie and follow the road to Bargeddie railway station (an alternative starting point).

Continue past the Langmuir Inn – using the footpath/cycle path.

At the roundabout at Bargeddie Community Centre, turn right and continue to a pedestrian crossing and across the dual carraigeway.

Travel a short distance to the left and then turn right down a lane. At the end of the lane, turn right along Maple Grove, with good views of Tinto Hill.

At the next junction, turn right into Cherryridge Drive, and follow to a roundabout. Turn right and then immediately go off to the left and join a red gravel path signed for Drumpellier 1, Coatbridge 2, Airdrie 5.

Cross a steel bridge and continue through woods to emerge at the Monklands Canal. Turn right and follow a towpath. Go under the Drumpellier Bridge and then uphill to the right and cross over the bridge. At the T-junction of paths, turn left to follow a gravel path running parallel to the railway line. After a short distance, turn right over a railway bridge and continue to the entrance of Drumpellier Country Park. Lift your bike over a specially lowered fence and turn left to follow a gravel path downhill through woodland, then to the right. Stay on the red ash path, keeping left, until it joins an access road. Turn left and continue through a gate at nursery woodland. Continue to Lochend Loch and go around the loch in a clockwise direction to return to nursery woodland (there is a visitor centre halfway round).

Leave the loch by the Country Park access road and follow uphill, then downhill past a school and playing fields. Go under the railway line and continue to the junction with Blair Road. Turn right and descend over Blair Bridge. Go through a gateway on the right signed for Monkland Canal NCN 75.

Turn right and go under the Blair Bridge and up a tarred path that follows the route of the filled-in canal across West End park and then under Merryton Bridge. Follow a broad tarred path, past the artworks in Bank Street Basin. At the giant Lees’ snowballs under the railway bridge, turn left and go between barrier and bridge support to join West Canal Street

Take the first left, Heritage Way, and follow to the Summerlee Museum of Scottish Industrial Heritage.

Dalzell Estate is a picturesque location with a host of features, including ornamental bridges, exotic trees and Japanese gardens. These were the creation of former owners of the estate house, the Hamiltons.

It’s worth taking binoculars and a camera so that you can make the most of the bird hides overlooking the Baron’s Haugh, from where it’s possible to see kingfishers, teal, pochard and red wing, among others.

Highlights

Nature Reserve

RSPB Baron’s Haugh nature reserve takes the form of a flooded marshland in a bend of the River Clyde. The reserve attracts wintering wildfowl, including widgeon and whooper swans.

Old graveyard

A short detour along Chestnut Walk leads to this very spooky graveyard. Peer into the Hamilton family mausoleum and look out for their pet cemetery.

Dalzell House

The centrepiece of the estate, the impressive building is more than 500 years old. The Hamiltons of Dalzell lived here from the 17th century until the early 1950s. Apparently, at least three ghosts also inhabit the building. It is privately owned.

Covenanters’ Oak

The tree was planted by David I and it’s said to be the oldest living thing in North Lanarkshire. This oak sheltered secret religious services held by Covenanters in the 17th century.

Japanese gardens

A pocket of eastern serenity, the gardens were laid out in the 18th century to resemble those of the temple of the Buddha at Nagasaki.

White walk

This roadway was originally created so that miners making their way to work each day didn’t spoil the view from the Dalzell House.

Route

This walk follows the red route, the longest of five marked routes that explore the reserve and estate.

Leaving the RSPB car park, you follow a path signposted “to the hides”. Follow this red ash path downhill to junction with broad path.

Turn right on-to broad path. Watch out for hide on the left.

Turn left off main footpath on-to narrow path through trees.

After a short distance turn left again to join footpath by the River Clyde and follow for about one mile.

At the junction with the Chestnut Walk go through the gate. If you want to see the graveyard go up Chestnut Walk here for a couple of hundred metres, then cross a little stone bridge to the left and retrace your steps back to continue.

Walk up Lime Walk to continue along the riverbank.

At the end of the Lime Walk turn uphill away from the Clyde and go through gate.

Keep left at each fork in the path as you go uphill. Path winds through yew trees and skirts the edge of housing.

At junction with footpath (green route) turn right downhill using the steps guarded by green railing. Once over the burn and marshland the path turns uphill.

At the top of the steps turn left and continue straight on for Dalzell House.

At junction with tarmac road turn left past Dalzell House’s impressive frontage and then right downhill past the Covenanters’ Oak.

At bottom of the hill cross bridge and then turn right or follow path through Japanese gardens.

A short distance beyond the gardens turn left off the main avenue. When path forks go to the right.

Cross tarmac road (White walk) to return to car park.

The Lowther hills have been mined for gold and lead since Roman times and while the mines are now closed, there are many reminders of this past industry. While you’ll spot piles of spoil, old railway tracks and miners’ cottages, this doesn’t detract from the beauty of the hills but rather this adds interest for passing cyclists. This ride is straightforward with some steep climbs. The route follows a mix of country roads and the A702.

Highlights

Leadhills

Scotland’s second highest village.

Leadhills Library

The library was founded in 1741 by the mathematician James Stirling and the poet Allan Ramsay. It is the oldest subscription library in Scotland. The oldest man? A gravestone of John Taylor in Leadhills Graveyard suggests he was 137 years old when he died. If this is the case, he is one of the oldest people in recorded history.

Curfew bell

Hanging from a pyramid of posts in the centre of Leadhills is a bell that is dated 1770. The bell was rung to sound the end of shifts and emergencies in the lead mines

Route

Turn left (north) from car park on Carlisle Road. Leave Crawford and continue to a roundabout. 

Turn right at the roundabout for Abington to follow A702 (NCN 74) and join cycle lane on left.

Continue through Abington and then cycle to a roundabout at motorway services. ` Turn left for Douglas B7078, Crawfordjohn B740.

Rejoin cycle lane and continue to next roundabout. Turn right signed Douglas (NCN 74). ` After 0.75 mile, go left, signposted for Crawfordjohn.

Follow road to Crawfordjohn.

At Crawfordjohn, take left at fork and continue past Colebrooke Arms on Main Street.

At the junction at the end of Main Street, turn left and descend past a churchyard.

Climb steeply over a pass known locally as Apache and then descend to T-Junction with B797. Turn right for Leadhills. Follow road for 3 miles.

In Leadhills, turn left for Elvanfoot (Elvanfoot Road). Follow the road for 5 miles to T-junction with Dumfries Road (A702).  Turn left and continue through Elvanfoot.

At a roundabout, follow signs for Carlisle, Beattock and Crawford off to the left and go under the motorway. At a T-junction turn left and join cycle lane (NCN 74) and then the cycle path.

 After 1½ miles, turn right for Crawford and return to start

The cycle route follows quiet back roads and uses a cycle lane along the busy A702 to link the two historic villages of Crawford and Abington.

The River Clyde is never far away as you ride first north through the Clyde valley, along the eastern side of the river and then south on the western side.

The nearby hills are the Lowthers, which have been described as God’s Own Treasure House thanks to the naturally occurring gold.

The hills have been mined for this precious mineral since Roman times and while the mines are now closed plenty of reminders remain, including mining villages and miners’ cottages, piles of spoil and old railways.

Highlights

Mercat cross There is a mercat cross (market cross) at Crawford. The origins of a mercat cross – they can be seen all over Scotland – is that it was erected as a symbolic representation of the right to hold a regular market or fair. It served as an indication of a town’s relative prosperity.

Crawford Castle

Also called Lindsay Tower, the castle is now a ruin, but in the 16th century it was the location for a dinner between King James V and the French ambassador. The king, who was about to be married to Magdalene of France, presented his guests with cups full of gold pieces.

Abington

The village was strategically important for the Romans and there is still evidence of forts and settlements in the area. Just north of the village, earthworks date from the 12th century.

Upper Clyde Parish Church

Located in Abington, a grey-and-brown stone church, which is edged in red, has a foundation stone that was laid on August 9, 1898.

Route

Turn left as you leave the car park (heading north)

Follow the road uphill to pass Crawford’s mercat cross, located on a red-chipped traffic island.

Turn right on to Camps Road, signed for Camps Reservoir and  Lindsay Tower.

Once over the River Clyde take first left uphill.

Continue for a couple of miles then turn left at Mountview Caravan Park and continue uphill to Abington.

At the fire station in Abington turn left.

Follow A702 and join the cycle lane.

Continue to a roundabout at Crawford where you take the first left and descend into the village on Carlisle Road to return to start.

The Kilsyth Hills form the continuous bluff along the northern edge of the Central Lowlands that hides the Highlands from view. Climbing Tomtain and Garrel Hill, the highest points in North Lanarkshire, however, reveals all.

From the summit of Tomtain there are excellent views over the Carron Valley of the Southern Highlands and across the central valley to the Southern Uplands.

Nearby Kilsyth is one of only two official “Walkers Welcome” towns in Scotland.

Highlights

Colzium House

Eighteenth century Colzium House is at the centre of Lennox estate, which is also home to the ruins of 15th-century Colzium Castle. It’s here that the 1645 battle of Kilsyth, fought between the Royalists and the Covenanters, took place. The parklands feature a walled garden and one of the world’s oldest curling ponds.

Ice house

Near Colzium Burn is an old ice house, which was built in 1680 to preserve meat and game.

Grannies Mutch

Located at the top of Colzium Glen, the mutch was built as a shelter and rest spot. The weight and precision of the masonry of this small semi-domed structure are impressive.

Chapmen’s Graves

The graves are marked by two cairns, located a short distance from the summit of Tomtain. Chapmen were travelling salesman, who feature in folklore as murderers or victims of murder. In this case, one Chapman murdered the other and when the murderer was executed, he was buried alongside his victim.

Note: To visit the Chapmen’s graves and climb Garrel Hill (small cairn) continue along the stone dyke (wall) to the west from Tomtain.

Route

The Kilsyth Hill range sits to the northern edge of the Central Lowlands and a walk to Tomtain at 1486ft above sea level (453m) – and one of the highest points in North Lanarkshire – reveals beautiful and wide sweeping views of over the lush Carron Valley and north towards the Scottish Highlands.

Starting at Colzium House, go to the right but do not cross the bridge.

Go to the left to follow signs for ice house, glen nature trail and Granny’s Mutch.

The path follows a burn upstream.

Cross a stone bridge and continue upstream. At the top waterfall, cross a bridge and go immediately right to follow path to a road.

Turn right and follow Tak-Ma-Doon Road uphill to reach a car park and viewpoint. This is the highest point on the road, and there is a viewpoint with spectacular views of Lanarkshire and beyond to the south and east.

Walk downhill, still on the road, and then turn left at green gate to gain a footpath.

Follow the footpath alongside a fence and stone dyke that skirts forestry to reach the summit of Tomtain.

Retrace your outward route to return to Colzium House.

The walk explores historic Carmichael Estate and traces the footsteps of Clan Carmichael back to the 14th century. The route offers a pleasant, family friendly walk with fantastic views to Tinto hill and across the surrounding countryside.

Highlights

Carmichael Visitor Centre

The centre includes a heritage exhibition and a farm shop.

Carmichael House

Built in 1734, the house replaces a tower destroyed by Oliver Cromwell. The corridor linking the two wings was added later and removed the need to have a carriage on stand-by to provide transport between them.

Dovecot

Built in 1750, the ornate stone dovecot would have provided the estate with eggs and meat.

Hyndford memorial

The monument sits on top of Carmichael hill and remembers the 2nd earl of Hyndford, who was a distinguished diplomat.

Barracks

The building dates from the time when major landowners where required by the crown to maintain a battalion.

Route

From car park make your way to the Carmichael Visitor Centre. Walk through to the courtyard and on your right hand side is a children’s play area. You can pick the estate walk from here.

Go round the fenced enclosure on to a red gravel path.

Follow the red gravel track as it cuts through a strip of woodland.

Follow track through woodland and turn steeply uphill past a red-brick cottage to reach a T-junction.

At main drive, turn left. Follow the main drive around a walled area. Continue to follow the road to round a left bend, where you will be greeted with views of the Carmichael House ruins.

Continue along the track past the front of Carmichael House and then along the gravel track past a dwelling on your right hand side.

You will come to a crossroads with entrances to fields to your left and right. Take the track on the right.

Pass through a gate and follow the quad bike track uphill.

Continue to follow rising ground to Hyndford monument.

From monument, make your way to strip of conifers. Go round the top of the strip and follow a deer fence steeply downhill.

At the bottom of the hill turn right (second sign on the route)and go round to right at barracks on the gravel track, where you will come to a T-junction.

At the T-junction, turn right to return via outward route past red brick cottage.

Carluke is an old market town at an important crossroads between central and southern Scotland, where old and new roads converge. Once out of Carluke the road is lined with beech and hawthorn.Good views in every direction, especially to Tinto and across the Clyde Valley to Blackhill.

Highlights

Major General Roy

In 1956, a monument in the form of a Trig Point was erected by Ordnance Survey in honour of surveyor and map-maker Major General Roy. The memorial is located at Multonhead, near Carluke, where Roy was born. The plaque reads: “Here stood Miltonhead the birthplace of Major General William Roy 1726-1790 from whose Military Map of Scotland made in 1747-1755 grew the Ordnance Survey of Great Britain.”

River Clyde

The River Clyde starts at an altitude of 472 metres in the Lowther Hills in South Lanarkshire and trails more than 100 miles to the sea. It flows north through South Lanarkshire then turns west and passes through the former industrial village of New Lanark. Here, the river cascades through the Falls of Clyde before the Clyde heads north-west through Clydesdale and on to the city of Glasgow where it widens and forms the Firth of Clyde.

Fiddler’s Gill

A stream rushes through the surprisingly dramatic wooded gorge, which is also a Special Site of Scientific Interest (SSSI).

The Clyde Walkway

A 40 mile/65km riverside footpath from the centre of Glasgow to the Falls of Clyde at New Lanark.

Route

Start in Carluke at the junction of Market Place Road and High Street. Continue along High Street to a roundabout then take right on to John Street

At the junction of John Street and James Street, take the left turn staying on John Street. You will cross a burn and head uphill. This eventually turns into Old Lanark Road.

At the junction of Wilton Street, cross the road going diagonally left into the new houses at Balcastle Cres.

At the “V” in the road, take the right fork and continue straight ahead on the path between the houses to join Old Lanark Road.

Eventually, you meet crossroads with Goremire Road. Go straight ahead on Old Lanark Road. (This looks more like a track than a road and is not suitable for cars.)

At crossroads with Boghall Road continue straight ahead.

Continue until another crossroads. The road naturally bends to the left. At this point, turn right and go through a gate.

Follow a track (Meadow Road) all the way down to the railway.

Cross the railway bridge and continue. You’ll be able to see Tinto Hill from here.

At the main road (A73), cross the road, (take care with this crossing on a busy road). Head down Auchenglen Road. This goes some distance and through Fiddler’s Gill.

When you reach the house at the bottom, take the path to the right and follow a sign to Birkhill Road.

At a junction of Birkhill Road with Nemphar Moor Road, turn right and then left onto Braidwood Road. Cross the road and continue into Crossford.

Just before the river, there is a big signpost to the River Clyde Walkway. Turn here and take the path right. Keep going. At one point the path splits. You can take either side as they join together again.

Continue on the Walkway before coming back up on to a road.

Note: There are some bits of broken boardwalk (diversion in place).

Look for a large house at Milton-Lockhart. There are signs stating where the public can go and where is private. These should be adhered to.

On reaching Milton Road, continue ahead and pass a monument for Major General Roy.

From the monument continue along Milton Road to the junction of Station Road, then turn left on to Station Road.

As you turn into Station Road, on the right there are new paths. These are a nice addition if you want to do more and loop round.

Continue on Station Road, passing Carluke station to a junction with Kirkton Street, where you turn left.

At a main junction, turn right back on to High Street to reach the start point again.

A walk of two halves, the route starts in beautiful Calderglen Park, where there are plenty of attractions and diversions for things to do. The second part of the walk heads across Langlands Moss Nature Reserve.

Highlights

Calderglen Country Park

A lovely park with a children’s zoo, playparks, woodland walks, gallery and the Courtyard Café. It is also the home of historic Torrance House (not open to the public). The northern section of the park is a Geological Site of Special Scientific Interest.

Wooded glen

A scenic wooded glen forged out, by the Rotten Calder River, which is a tributary of the River Clyde extends more than three miles and has many attractive waterfalls and important geological features.

Historic burial ground

The burial ground of the Stuarts of Torrance is situated Crutherland Glen, a short way east of Crutherland House (now the Crutherland House Hotel).

Langlands Moss Nature Reserve

A raised bog was formed around 10,000 years ago at the end of the last Ice Age. Retreating ice left behind hollows where pools of water formed. Over time, dead plant material built up in the water, slowly decaying and creating peat layers. As the peat increased, plant roots were unable to reach the water and died. The only serving plants were mosses. Today, the reserve is home to sphagnum mosses and heather. In summer, the heather is very colourful. It is also a huge carbon store and an important wildlife and insect hub.

Route

Start at Calderglen Country Park. There are several woodland trails to follow through the park.

The Calderglen/Langlands Moss trail follows the “Tor Trail” markers, winding down into the trees and along the river.

The first waymarker directs you to Horseshoe Falls to the left, if you want to walk down to the pretty waterfall.

You can loop back round to join the path, which leads to Langlands Moss.

Otherwise, go right and follow the path through the trees. It is peaceful and quiet.

You might catch a glimpse of Crutherland House, now a hotel, through the trees on the opposite bank of the River Calder.

The track opens up as you walk alongside Torrance House Golf Club.

Follow it down to walk under the road beneath the two bridges. There is an old bridge and the New Flatt Bridge, built in 1999 as part of the Strathaven Road improvements.

Look out or different birds and wildflowers, butterflies, and snails.

Normally the path would continue along the riverside, but a significant part of it has collapsed, so there is a diversion in place. Laminated signs lead the way.

The path joins the main road through Langlands Industrial Estate and it is here you would normally cross into Langlands Moss for the next portion of the route.

However, two malicious fires which destroyed the boardwalk over the Moss and current tree-felling and re-planting works have substantially altered where you can walk.

At this point you can simply retrace your steps and head back into Calderglen via the route you came, perhaps choosing a different trail once inside the park if you want to vary your walk.

If you choose to walk on, there are still parts of Langlands Moss to explore.

As you follow the path from the road, you will pass the Moss itself on your left. Part of the boardwalk remains in place, so it is possible to admire this incredible beauty spot from this point.

However, you can’t cross the Moss via the boardwalk and signs point you to a new woodland walk, approximately 100 yard along the path.

Follow the signs and cross a small wooden bridge over a burn to continue on the woodland walk.

The track takes you along beside the remaining trees and up a slope to the other side of the boardwalk.

From here, you can turn right and walk through the woodland to join the road into Auldhouse village, or retrace your steps down the slope and back out on to the path.

Turn left and walk down through the industrial estate, where you can cross the road and rejoin the walking route back to Calderglen.

The walk through Langlands Moss is not the prettiest at the moment, but significant works are underway to improve this important natural and return to its former glory.

This route follows these lanes through peaceful hamlets into forgotten corners of the Pentland hills, South Lanarkshire where Covenanters hid out in the 17th century.

Highlights

St. Mary’s Church

A collegiate church, St Mary’s, signposted from High Street in Biggar, dates from 1545 and was built before the Reformation and is the the last collegiate church in Scotland.

Cadger’s Brig

Situated in Biggar and towards the end of this cycle route, the stone, single-arch footbridge is said to originate in the 13th century. Its name derives from it traditionally having been crossed by William Wallace, disguised as a cadger (hawker) on his way to where the English were camped, near Biggar.

Dunsyre Kirk

Mid-way in the cycle route, look out for the iron jougs set into the wall of Dunsyre Kirk. Offenders would be sentenced to wear the iron collar around their neck. It was set at such a height as to make uncomfortable to sit or stand.

Little Sparta

This is the exotically named poetry garden, near Dolphinton, of the late artist Ian Hamilton Finlay. littlesparta.org.uk

Mercat cross

Located in Newbigging, the cross is topped with a stone sun and dated to 1693.

Route

Note: Public Toilets are well signposted at Corn Exchange in Biggar and on road south out of Broughton. Free parking is signposted throughout Biggar.

From the Corn Exchange on High Street in Biggar go left downhill and then go right for Carnwath, B7016. Look for the signposted junction on right after the pedestrian crossing.

Ride uphill out of Biggar and continue for less than a mile. Take the road on the right on a bend to leave the B7016.

Follow the quiet road to a crossroads with A721 and go straight over.

Follow road for just over a mile and you will come to a junction. Turn right, continue straight for 2.5 miles passing straight through Walston.

Coming into some woodland you will see a give way sign and a junction. Turn left here for Dunsyre.

Pass through an old railway bridge and go uphill and round to the left in Dunsyre.

Follow the road for 3 ½ miles to Newbigging.

At a T-junction with A721, near the Mercat Cross, turn left and head out of the village and go downhill.

After a mile and at the foot of the hill, on a bend, turn right on to a quieter road again.

Follow a quiet road steeply uphill. From the top of the hill, a fast downhill takes you to a T-junction with the B7016.

Turn left and then after a short distance (through an “S” bend) turn right for Thankerton and Quothquan. You’ll join the Shieldhill road.

Follow the road into and through Quothquan and after 5 miles from last junction take the fork that is left and slightly rising.

Continue along this road for 1.25 miles until you get to a Y-junction.

Turn left and continue through Cormiston. At the foot of a steep downhill (look for road on left) turn left on to Lindsaylands Road and follow into Biggar. There are blue cycling signs to Biggar here.

At a T-junction at the Cadger’s Brig, turn left to return to start.

This route heads east into the Borders to the village of Broughton where it is claimed the magician Merlin was laid to rest.

Highlights

Biggar

Biggar offers two good opportunities for discovering more about local history, including the Biggar & Upper Clydesdale Museum and Biggar Gasworks Museum.

St. Mary’s Church

A collegiate church, St Mary’s, signposted from High Street in Biggar, dates from 1545 and was built before the Reformation and is the the last collegiate church in Scotland.

Broughton Ales

Broughton Brewery, in the village, has been brewing craft beer since 1979.

Route

Note: Public Toilets are well signposted at Corn Exchange in Biggar and on road south out of Broughton. Free parking is signposted throughout Biggar.

From the Corn Exchange on High Street, turn right and head eastwards for a few 100 metres.

After the shops end – and where the road drifts left – turn right at the junction signposted “Broughton 5 miles, B7016”.

Follow this good rolling road through picturesque farmland to Broughton.

At the T-junction with Broughton Main Street, turn right. There is a coffee shop, Laurel Bank, with outside seating.

Follow Main Street (A701) through Broughton. As you start to climb out of Broughton, turn right.

When the road veers right, stay right and follow for Hartree. The road climbs past Pyatknowe Farm and once over the crest, cycle downhill to the right and then follow the road into Biggar.

The road then climbs and rolls past numerous farms, before a more noticeable steeper uphill and downhill. After 3.5 miles, you’ll join three roads.

Stay right again and follow the road into Biggar. At the T-junction on Station Road and High Street, turn right to return to start.