Biggar to Broughton Railway Path

Cycling along the Biggar to Broughton disused railway path

Until 1950 trains used to run between Biggar and Broughton and on to Peebles. This disused line is now a path that is more suited to walking, but you can cycle it. It's only around 5 miles, the scenery is incredible and there is a brewery at the end of the route.

You can find the path south of Biggar High School, adjacent to the caravan park. To reach Biggar itself you will find a route guide on my blog about cycling to Biggar.

​The start of the old railway path is a good surface and easy to cycle on, but it doesn't stay that way!

The start of the Biggar to Broughton path has a good surface that is suitable for cycling on

The Biggar to Broughton path is overgrown in places, which makes it challenge to cycle along.

The path soon becomes overgrown to the point that you feel like you are cycling across a field on tracks left by a tractor. It becomes unrecognisable as a railway line. There are very few reminders that this was once traveresed by steam trains- the main infrastructure is the occasional small bridge with rusting ironwork. 

There is not much evidence that the Biggar to Broughton path was once a railway; just these small iron bridges

​I confess to being surprised by how incredible the scenery is on this path.  I fell into the trap of assuming that north is the direction you need to go in Scotland to find the best scenery, but it is simply not true. The more that I travel in the south of Scotland the more I appreciate that it's just as beautiful here. 

​For the entire path there is a horizon of hills and I was lucky to have a day where the sunlight was golden and the sky blue and full of fluffy clouds. There are also hills on the right, some with incredible formations. It is a landscape sculpted over hundreds of millions of years from a time when these hills were once mountains as high as the Alps.

The hilly landscape surrounding the Biggar to Broughton railway path

It must have been a dream to be an engine driver on this line and have this view from the cab. 

The line began operating in the 1860s, but passenger volume never reached anticipated levels and it was closed in 1950. Freight traffic continued until 1966. 

The Biggar to Broughton path

​There was one small section that was completely impassable on my bike. It was too narrow and too muddy and I could not get any traction. I had to push my bike through nettles and got stung several times. 

​Arriving at Broughton there is a nice surprise- an old style railway signal. 

The old railway signal in Broughton

The end of the route is adjacent to Broughton Ales, the first microbrewery in Scotland. It was established in 1979 and produces a varied range of beer, stout and lager. There is a shop where you can stock up on supplies. 

My bike parked at Broughton Ales

The brewery shop at Broughton Ales

I have written a review of the brewery's strong ale, Old Jock. The bottle label features Scottish flags and a bearded man wearing tartan standing in front of a backdrop of hills. A more 'Scottish' looking beer label you will be hard pushed to find. I love the bottle art of the cleverly named Hopopotamus pale ale. It features a hippo that has a keg of beer as a body!

The quirky bottle label of Broughton Ales' Hopopotamus

Returning to Biggar
You can go back on the railway path, but if you found it tough to cycle you could use the B7016. It is a quiet country road and there are no nettles!

Exploring Biggar
​My Biggar blog is packed with ideas of things to see and do in Biggar, including the museum and independent shops.

Somewhere to Stay
​If you are spending the night in Biggar read my review of the Elphinstone Hotel.