But we persevered, pushing our bikes along the first section from Hay Lodge Park along the banks of the River Tweed. It was a gloriously sunny day, but we soon headed into the trees, from where we got our first glimpse of Neidpath Castle.

Once out of the trees the path descends to the grassy flood plain of the Tweed, with Neidpath Castle perched high above on a rocky outcrop.

Dating back to the 13th century, the present castle is largely 14th century, although alterations were made in the 17th and 18th centuries. It is L-plan in shape, although the upper floors of the smaller projecting wing have fallen.

There are small, rounded caphouses on the north-east and south-east corners, overlooking the entrance to the east.

Interestingly the “corners” of the castle are rounded, giving it a softer look than the more usual crisp, sharp lines.

After rounding a bend in the Tweed and heading south, the track joins up with the old Symington, Biggar and Broughton Railway. The path climbs up onto the old railway line via steps, so more carrying of the bikes ensued. But once up onto the embankment there was a good track for cycling. Crossing the Tweed on the Neidpath Viaduct (in the direction of Peebles) brings you to an old railway tunnel.

There is a story that the Royal train was stored here while the King George VI and Queen Elizabeth inspected bomb damage in Glasgow, but whether or not this is a tale based on fact is unclear!

Originally I had planned to continue along the old railway to where it crosses the Lyne Water, and return past Barns Tower.

However the prospect of lifting two bikes over more gates and up and down more steps didn’t really appeal on such a hot day, so instead we left the railway at the confluence of the Tweed and the Manor Water, crossed the Tweed, then crossed the Manor Water on the Old Manor Bridge, built in 1702.

Having opted for a seemingly less strenuous route in the name of self-preservation, we were then faced with a steep climb, but the views south-west across the Tweed made it worthwhile.

As the road finally levelled off we were rewarded with another great view, this time to the north-east over Peebles.

It was pretty much downhill all the way from there, freewheeling our way back to Peebles. After crossing the Tweed we stopped to have a look at the site of Peebles Castle, which once stood at the west end of the High Street.

The site is now occupied by the Old Parish Church of Peebles, and while nothing of the old castle can be seen from the front, if you start to cross Eddleston Water you can see that the church stands on a raised mound, which is probably the remains of the castle’s motte.

Harlaw Reservoir is situated at the foot of the Pentland Hills, but driving there it feels like you never leave built-up areas, passing almost seamlessly from Edinburgh to Juniper Green, then through Currie and Balerno, before finally reaching farmland at Harlaw.

The reservoir was built between 1843 and 1848, along with its larger neighbour Threipmuir Reservoir, by the Edinburgh Water Company, to supply water to Edinburgh. It is now a favourite haunt of dog walkers, cyclists, bird-watchers and fishermen.

A muddy track runs all the way around the reservoir, and while there are more tracks off to Threipmuir and into the surrounding hills, this was enough for us on this cold, wet and misty day!

I stopped and watched as seven or eight Ferraris passed by, then continued on my way to Tantallon Castle.

In the car park at the castle were around twenty Ferraris from the Ferrari Owners’ Club!

After a good while admiring the Italian thoroughbreds I set off once more, stopping to take another picture of Tantallon Castle with the Bass Rock as a backdrop.

Further on I stopped to take a picture of the interesting anchor-shaped Scoughall Farm sign.

As I was standing at the junction I heard the unmistakable sound of high-performance engines approaching, and was lucky enough to see all the Ferraris round the corner one by one, many of the drivers beeping their horns and waving at me as they passed by at speed.

This was to be my last sighting of the Ferraris today. My next stop was the church in the small village of Whitekirk – despite the village’s name the church wasn’t white but built from red sandstone.

From Whitekirk there is a long, straight road which climbs gradually, crossing the River Tyne before reaching the A1. This major road was obviously an important route thousands of years ago, as there are a couple of standing stones beside it. The first, Kirklandhill is square in section and slab-like.

The second stone, Pencraig Hill, is a similar size but is more triangular in section. It stands directly between the forts of Traprain Law and North Berwick Law.

I had planned on carrying on to Dunbar but I was conscious that the sun was starting to go down, so I started back the way I had come, making good progress in the still evening air. Back in the car I drove along the coast to Edinburgh, stopping at Gosford Bay, where the beach was silhouetted against the sea and sky.

Closer to home Arthur’s Seat was also just a silhouette against a red-tinged twilight sky.

The road twists its way through the glen, past the Gleneagles Hotel and on through Muthill to Crieff. I realised I didn’t have any change for the car park, so I continued on to a layby beyond Ochtertyre and parked there instead. After assembling my bike I headed back towards Crieff, turning north towards Hosh and the Famous Grouse Experience at the Glenturret Distillery.

The road climbs steeply as it follows the Turret Burn, and it wasn’t long before I stopped for a rest. It’s such a tranquil place, with views down Glen Turret towards the Knock of Crieff. Sitting down on a grassy bank beside the road, there was a rowan tree behind me covered in juicy red berries.

In front of me was a flock of curious sheep, watching to see what I was doing.

I got back on my bike and continued on the unrelenting climb, eventually reaching the hydro-electric dam at the end of Loch Turret.

There’s a path to the east of the loch which ultimately leads to Ben Chonzie, a path I took a couple of years ago. But I had never been on the path to the west of the loch, so I went that way. However, rather than follow the path around the loch, I headed south, following the line of the trees, in hope of good views over Strathearn. And I wasn’t disappointed.

After sitting enjoying the peace and quiet for a while, I made my way back along the track to the dam, then started the long, fast descent down to Hosh, and back to the car.