Welcome
Imagine following in the footsteps of Roman soldiers who marched this way thousands of years ago .... riding across the Cheviots over the border to England .... enjoying a picnic high on the hills above Peebles looking down on the Tweed winding through the valley below ....... cantering for miles along the firm grass turf of former drove roads ......
Welcome to South of Scotland Countryside Trails (SOSCT), a 350km network of routes developed specifically for horse-riders and walkers, linked to quality assured horse and rider accommodation. This website also includes various other promoted riding routes in the South of Scotland, some of which link with SOSCT.
SOSCT routes are clearly waymarked, most of the gates are easy to open (for riders that means without dismounting), and the drainage and other improvements which have been undertaken through allow you to walk or ride these routes with confidence that you won’t get stuck in a bog or have to turn back when you find your way blocked. You can find out more about how the project developed on the About SOSCT section of this website.
Sections of old Roman road, farm tracks and newly created path links offer a good variety of circular routes around Peebles and Innerleithen in the Tweed Valley, and around West Linton on the Pentland Hills south of Edinburgh. For those with more time, or looking for more of a challenge, there are endless options for longer distance rides on the Cheviot hills, across to Kielder Forest in Northumberland, or between Moffat and Hawick. The SOSCT network links directly with many long distance routes including the Southern Upland Way, Border Abbeys Way, St. Cuthbert’s Way, Border County Ride, and the proposed northern extension of the Pennine Bridleway.
What are you waiting for?