Drivelines
Scotland · Near Edinburgh/8 min read

The 10 best driving roads around Edinburgh.

Escape the city limits and the driving begins almost immediately. From the rolling moorlands of the Borders to the stark ridges of the Lammermuirs, the roads south and east of the capital offer immense variety.

By Drivelines·Published 06 May 2026
REGION OVERVIEW

Beyond the bypass

The geography surrounding Edinburgh is a gift to the keen driver. Head south, and the landscape opens up into the wide, sweeping valleys of the Scottish Borders, threaded by ancient, fast-flowing primary routes. Turn east towards the Lammermuir Hills, and the character changes entirely—the roads narrow, climbing sharply over exposed moorland before dropping into tight, technical glens. It’s a region that rewards smooth inputs and momentum just as much as precise car placement.

Routes mapped
10
Total distance
169km
Avg curve idx
5.2/10
Map of all 10 routes in near-edinburgh
StartEnd
Plan a drive to Barns Ness Terrace (C121)
10
Barns Ness Terrace (C121) · East Lothian · Expert
Single-trackVaried surface

Barns Ness Terrace (C121)

Finishing off the list is this highly technical, single-track ribbon near the coast. Earning its expert rating, the route is a relentless series of sharp direction changes and narrow squeezes that demand absolute focus and modest speeds.

The gravel washed onto the road from nearby verges makes the braking zones highly unpredictable.

Distance
7.4km
Drive time
0h 12m
Curve idx
8.0/10
Climb
158m
StartEnd
Plan a drive to 26403083
09
Unclassified Lane · East Lothian · Spirited
Single-trackVaried surface

26403083

A punishingly narrow single-track climb, this unclassified lane asks for constant vigilance over its five-and-a-half miles. With a surprisingly high corner count for the area, it requires you to actively manage the car's momentum between blind crests and tight technical sections.

Passing places are scarce, so you must commit to reversing if you meet a farm vehicle coming the other way.

Distance
9km
Drive time
0h 17m
Curve idx
6.9/10
Climb
241m
StartEnd
Plan a drive to Old Manse Road (C1)
08
Old Manse Road · Peeblesshire · Expert
Single-trackVaried surface

Old Manse Road (C1)

Tucked away and heavily demanding, this brief single-track route packs an immense number of corners into just five miles. The extreme curvature density and narrow width mean sightlines are practically non-existent, punishing any lack of precision.

Moss builds up on the central ridge of the lane during the colder months, making line-choice critical for traction.

Distance
8.6km
Drive time
0h 22m
Curve idx
8.4/10
Climb
170m
StartEnd
Plan a drive to Smiddyhill Bridge (B6355)
07
B6355 · Lammermuirs · Easy
Mixed widthVaried surface

Smiddyhill Bridge (B6355)

Climbing into the Lammermuirs, the B6355 feels remote despite its proximity to the capital. The fifteen-mile route is open and flowing, but the shifting surface quality means you constantly have to read the road ahead to avoid the worst of the mid-corner compressions.

Sheep frequently wander onto the unfenced sections near the summit.

Distance
24.4km
Drive time
0h 30m
Curve idx
4.6/10
Climb
327m
StartEnd
Plan a drive to Traquair Road (B709)
06
Traquair Road (B709) · Borders · Easy
Mixed widthVaried surface

Traquair Road (B709)

South from Innerleithen the B709 passes Traquair House, by its own claim the oldest continually inhabited house in Scotland, then climbs the Paddy Slacks, a steady pull of about 130 metres to the watershed before the drop to the Gordon Arms crossroads on the A708 in the Yarrow valley. It then climbs again over to Tushielaw in Ettrickdale. It is a sequence of linked sweepers with long moorland sightlines, wider on the Tweed side and narrower over the tops. Curve density is modest, so it rewards a settled pace and reading the crests.

Sheep hold the road on the Paddy Slacks and are in no hurry to move. Innerleithen is a 7stanes mountain-biking hub with a ten-day games week in July, so the Tweed end is at its busiest at weekends.

Distance
25.1km
Drive time
0h 35m
Curve idx
5.0/10
Climb
544m
StartEnd
Plan a drive to Lady Brae (B6372)
05
Lady Brae (B6372) · Midlothian · Easy
Dual-trackVaried surface

Lady Brae (B6372)

The B6372 links Penicuik to Gorebridge along the northern skirts of the Moorfoots, crossing the South Esk at Temple, the Knights Templar's principal Scottish base from 1128, before dropping into Gorebridge down Lady Brae and Powdermill Brae, the latter named for Stobsmill, Scotland's first gunpowder works. The corners are well-sighted and the gradients mild for most of its length; the interest is a rhythm of short descents into the Esk's tributaries followed by steady pulls back out, which suits smooth inputs and a settled car.

Penicuik sits at 180 m and catches snow Edinburgh doesn't, so it matters that the whole B6372 is on Midlothian's primary gritting routes; Powdermill Brae was shut for a fortnight of resurfacing in February 2026, so check for works before committing to the Gorebridge end.

Distance
15.5km
Drive time
0h 21m
Curve idx
3.8/10
Climb
261m
StartEnd
Plan a drive to Linglie Road (A707)
04
Linglie Road (A707) · Borders · Easy
Dual-trackVaried surface

Linglie Road (A707)

The A707 is the seven miles from Selkirk to Clovenfords: out of town on Linglie Road, up and over from the Ettrick to the Tweed, which it crosses on the mid-18th-century Yair Bridge before following the river past Caddonfoot to the A72 on the old Carlisle to Edinburgh coaching road. It is dual-track throughout but the surface is varied and the corners broad rather than tight, so the reward is settling the car over the mid-corner bumps and letting it run out of the sweeps in one motion.

Yair Bridge is a Category A-listed 18th-century crossing with a car park just east of it that Southern Upland Way walkers use for the Three Brethren; a single-vehicle crash there closed the road overnight in September 2025, so treat the bridge approach as the place to be tidy.

Distance
11.4km
Drive time
0h 15m
Curve idx
4.5/10
Climb
237m
StartEnd
Plan a drive to Biggar Road (B7016)
03
Biggar Road (B7016) · Lanarkshire · Easy
Dual-trackVaried surface

Biggar Road (B7016)

The B7016 leaves the A702 at Biggar's Municipal Hall, climbs out of town and runs seven and a half miles north-west over farmland to the A70/A721 crossroads in Carnwath, with the Clyde off to the west and Quothquan Law the one real hill in view. Its 4.8 curve score is honest: this is a road of long, open bends and continual small corrections over rolling ground, not steering lock, and the surface is mixed. Easy in the best sense, and it rewards a smooth, unhurried rhythm.

Libberton, six miles out from Biggar, is the only village on the run; beyond it the road drops towards the Medwin and finishes at the Carnwath crossroads.

Distance
12.2km
Drive time
0h 13m
Curve idx
4.8/10
Climb
211m
StartEnd
Plan a drive to A708
02
A708 · Borders · Easy
Mixed widthVaried surface

A708

This is the Yarrow half of the Moffat to Selkirk road: from the foot of St Mary's Loch the A708 follows the Yarrow Water for 14 miles through Yarrow and Yarrowford to the Ettrick confluence at Selkirk. The geometry is flowing rather than tight, but the tarmac is laid over the ground rather than cut through it. PistonHeads' write-up flagged the fierce cambers, the dips and the risk to a low sump, so the reward is reading the crests, not attacking corners. The Gordon Arms crossroads, where the B709 cuts across, is the only junction of consequence.

Sheep and farm traffic share the valley, and the 2012 Collins atlas put the A708 among Scotland's five most dangerous roads by accidents per vehicle: reason enough to keep the well-sighted straights unhurried.

Distance
23km
Drive time
0h 25m
Curve idx
3.9/10
Climb
238m
StartEnd
Plan a drive to Galashiels Road (A7)
01
Galashiels Road (A7) · Borders · Easy
Dual-trackSmooth surface

Galashiels Road (A7)

The A7 is a masterclass in long-range momentum. Wide, impeccably surfaced, and defined by generous sightlines, it allows you to settle into a deep rhythm over almost twenty miles of rolling Borders topography. The camber falls naturally into the sweeps, rewarding delicate weight transfer rather than harsh braking.

Watch out for sudden build-ups of traffic behind slow-moving agricultural machinery in the early afternoon.

Distance
32km
Drive time
0h 33m
Curve idx
2.4/10
Climb
639m
// KEEP READING
Sibling guide · Scenic
Top 10 scenic drives in Edinburgh
Parent region · Scotland
Top 10 driving roads in Scotland
Nearby · The Scottish Highlands
Top 10 driving roads in the Scottish Highlands
Nearby · Central Scotland
Top 10 driving roads in central Scotland
Nearby · The Southern Uplands
Top 10 driving roads in the Southern Uplands
Index · Every region
All Top 10 Field Guides

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