The Lowdown: Tweed Valley

Getting there: From the south, take the M6 then A74(M), exiting at junction 15 for the scenic route to Peebles through the amazingly-named Devil’s Beef Tub. The town is an hour’s drive south of Edinburgh and its airport. A taxi from there costs around £45. You can also catch a train to Galashiels, 18 miles away. A sleeper service runs from London (www.sleeper.scot).

Accommodation: We stayed at the Glentress Hotel (www. glentresshotel.com) with MTB Beds (www.mtbbeds.com), a holiday company owned by passionate riders with a decade of industry experience. They personally recce every trip they sell and utilise local knowledge to create the perfect package. There’s free parking and wi-fi, bike storage, a bike wash, tools and a workshop area, plus e-bike charging and rental. You even get a goody bag with kit from Peaty’s, Fox and TrailMaps.

Riding: There’s everything from the waymarked green, blue, red and black XC trails at Glentress to some of the hardest and steepest tracks in the UK at the Golfie and Caddon Bank in Innerleithen. MTB Beds can guide you, while Adrenalin Uplift (www.

adrenalinuplift.co.uk) take the strain o your legs. Highlights include ‘Decade’ in Cademuir Forest (steep, technical, loose and rocky), ‘High Definition’ in Thornielee Forest (through Caledonian pines, with incredible views), ‘Feed The Pony’ at the Golfie (a long and demanding EWS race stage) and the ‘Quarry Descent’ from the Three Brethren (flat out!).

Bike shops: You can pick up spares at Alpine Bikes at Glentress (www.tiso.com/alpine), Bspoke in Peebles (www.bspokepeebles.co.uk) or i-Cycles in Inners (www.i-cycles-a-bike.myshopify.com).