Looking Down the Tweed Valley at Innerleithen.

Sunday's ride took me down to the Borders (again). While breezy, I chose an anticlockwise route.

Almost made it more difficult for myself by leaving my drink at home. The ride over the Moor road into the wind always requires a bit of an effort, and you need to hydrate before continuing. Thankfully the Co-op in West Linton had a bottle of water that fitted quite snugly in the bottle holder on the bike.

It was quite nice storming down the road after that. West Linton to Peebles in less than 40 minutes. Brilliant.

This picture was taken on the B7062 between Cardrona and Traquair, just before the midpoint of my ride. Innerleithen is in the middle there.

From Innerleithen I head up National Cycle Route 1 to the Piper's Grave and the Granites. There's a nice descent back into Midlothian, which is just as well as the ride from Middleton west to Gladhouse and Mount Lothian.

Once you reach the B7026, I can recover a little before tackling Auchendinny Brae, the last steep incline.

113 and a bit km in the end, just over 70 miles. Cake and coffee are calling.