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Sweetheart Abbey Ruins – Ae Bike Shop & Café loop from Closeburn

Sweetheart Abbey Ruins – Ae Bike Shop & Café loop from Closeburn

Hard

riders

Sweetheart Abbey Ruins – Ae Bike Shop & Café loop from Closeburn

07:45

171km

1,550m

Road cycling

Hard road ride. Very good fitness required. Some segments of this route may be unpaved and difficult to ride. The starting point of the route is accessible with public transport.

Last updated: July 10, 2026

Tips

Includes a segment in which cycling is not permitted

After 47.8 km for 215 m

Waypoints

Start point

Bus stop

Get Directions

5.97 km

Holmhead Wood

Forest

32.1 km

Sweetheart Abbey Ruins

Highlight • Historical Site

Good tea room in New Abbey, or take the road to Beeswing at the bridge. the Loch Arthur tea and coffee shop has super homemade cakes and you can have a bottomless filter coffee refilled as much as you like. Closed on Sunday.

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37.2 km

View of the Nith Estuary from Drumbrun

Highlight • River

Great viewpoint out over the Nith Estuary. On a clear day you can see across to England. The road surface running parallel to the coast is pretty good too.

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47.9 km

Heugh Wood

Forest

90.7 km

Kirkcudbright Quay

Highlight • Settlement

Pretty and lively quay with loads of restaurants and cafes. There's a good view of the bridge(s) and Maclellan's Castle so it's a nice place to stop for a break.

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159 km

Ae Bike Shop & Café

Highlight • Rest Area

No need to stop elsewhere to stock up. Great cafe and nicely priced too. Two coffee's, chocolate cake, roll and ice cream for just over a tenner.

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159 km

Valley Road

Highlight (Segment) • Viewpoint

So this isn't Mennock Pass or Devil's Beef Tub, but it is something of a lesser known gem. Passing through the watershed of the Nith and Annan catchments, it's approximately a 200 metre ascent from Ae to Loch Ettrick. A steady incline, but the real fun is the descent. It's fast but not technical - long sweeping bends and little-to-no traffic.

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