Buccleuch Rides
In the heart of the Scottish Borders, the Buccleuch Rides include the Hawick Circular Riding route, and several circular routes around Ettrickbridge and Bowhill Estate, with a linear link between the Hawick and Bowhill routes.
Using a mixture of bridleways, private tracks, open country and quiet country roads, the Buccleuch Country Rides were the first dedicated riding routes to be established in Scotland. The route is clearly waymarked with blue and white horseshoe signs, many of which were replaced in 2010 to make it even easier for you to find your way.
It's up to you whether you fancy doing part or all of the 59-mile (95 km) figure-of-eight route. You could box over and do a circular day ride using part of the Buccleuch Rides, or take advantage of the superb horse and ride accommodation along the route either to do a continuous 3-4 day trail ride along the whole route, or to stay in one place and box out to ride various sections of the route during your stay. Some of the accommodation providers are happy to transfer your baggage for a fee.
You can download a map of the Buccleuch Rides from BHS EMAGIN by clicking here. From the Scotland section of "Routes by Region", scroll down the list of routes to Buccleuch Country Ride, which will take you to a street mapping scale map of the routes. The route is shown much more clearly at 1:2,500 OS scale which you can access by changing the map type on the horizontal menu bar at the top.
Further details of the Hawick Riding Route, including a detailed route description, are available on this website. Detailed route descriptions and Harvey Maps for all of the Buccleuch Rides can be purchased from Visitor Information Centres, or online. Click here for Harvey Horse Riding Maps
The Buccleuch Country Rides are now managed by Scottish Borders Council. If you have any further questions about the routes, or experience any problems using the routes, please contact their Access Team on 01835 026509.