Monday September 21st 2026
Scottish Borders Council headquarters
Written by Midlothian View Reporter, Liam Eunson
More than £3.4 million has been secured for active travel projects across the Scottish Borders, including a feasibility study into a potential walking and cycling connection between Peebles and the Midlothian boundary.
Scottish Borders Council has been awarded £3.46 million from Transport Scotland’s Tier 2 Active Travel Infrastructure Fund to support the design and construction of projects across the region.
The Peebles to Penicuik project will use part of the funding to investigate a potential active travel connection between the two towns, building on existing infrastructure linking Peebles with Eddleston and Shiplaw.
The funding will also support projects designed to make walking, wheeling, cycling and horse riding safer and easier, while improving connections between communities.
Councillor Jenny Linehan, Scottish Borders Council’s executive member for environment, sustainability and transport, said the funding would help make active travel a more realistic option for residents and visitors.
She said: “These projects will help improve connections between our towns and villages, support healthier and more sustainable everyday journeys and make it easier for residents and visitors to move around the Borders by walking, wheeling, cycling and horse riding.”
Other projects receiving construction funding include a new section of the River Tweed Trail between Eddleston Water Bridge and Fotheringham Bridge in Peebles, a new path connecting Lowood Care Village to Tweedbank Railway Station and improvements to the coastal path between St Abbs and Coldingham.
Funding will also support the development of proposed active travel routes between Hawick and Selkirk, Hawick and Denholm, as well as the Borders Greenway between Chirnside and Reston.
The council says work on the projects is expected to be completed by 31 March 2027, subject to planning, landowner negotiations and other required consents.
The Scottish Government has allocated £226 million for active and sustainable travel during the current financial year.
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