The Path
This particular route is a bit out of town - it's not particularly easy to reach without vehicular transport - requiring travel along some fairly busy roads.
The Pencaitland Railway path runs from near Cousland to West Saltoun via Pencaitland. It is fairly rough in places and not suitable for road bikes. Hybrids and mountain bikes are fine. Much of the surface is compacted shale, although there is a short tarmac section and also some rather more traditional track at the West Saltoun end. It is about 6.5 miles long with ample car parking space at either end. There are various interpretive notice boards along the way to give a flavour of the history.
The railway was originally built to serve the various mines that are dotted along its length. There are stone markers for many of these mines along the way giving their date of closure.
There are various access points for the path - and a couple of alternative routes that can be taken that take in Elphinstone.
Being an old railway, the gradient is pretty flat - although there is a bit of an incline at the West Saltoun end.