Cardrona

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Where we are

Car parking payment by RingGo only.
Tree felling operations at Girley Wood, Cardrona Forest. A section of forest road, north-west above Old Howford, is closed Monday to Friday due to tree felling at Girley Wood.
Tree felling operations in Cardona Forest: Please expect timber lorries traffic along the forest roads between Cardrona car park and harvesting sites (Monday to Friday only). Map of current harvesting sites is displayed at the carpark. Please follow all signage and operator’s instructions.

About

Man, woman and three children standing under trees with Cardrona Tower in background, Cardrona Forest, near Peebles

Two women walking group of various dogs, Cardrona Forest, near Peebles

Woman rides horse in woodland trail, Cadrona Forest, near Peebles

Beautiful views of Tweed Valley and 2000 years of history

Cardrona is a large forest that drapes the hillsides on the south side of the Tweed Valley. The trails are great for tranquil walks, gentle cross-country rides and relaxed horse riding. There are lovely views up the Tweed Valley towards Glentress.

Look out for red squirrels and a wealth of birdlife. Cardrona Tower, built in the 1500s, is now a ruin – but bats think it’s an ideal home. Don’t miss the site of the Iron Age fort at Castle Knowe – the walls are built on top of a layout some 2,000 years old.

Walking trails

Cardrona route card (PDF)

Walking

Burn Trail

A pleasant stroll through spruce and larch trees alongside the gently-flowing Kirk Burn.

Firm gravel surface with some loose stones. Short section grassed over. Includes moderate slopes and two bridges 0.9m wide.

¼ miles / 0.3 km

Allow ¼ hour

Walking

Pen View Trail

A beautiful walk through Pine and larch woodlands with an air of the Highlands and fine views of Lee Pen.

Firm gravel path. Long moderate slopes with some short fairly steep sections. Includes 2 kissing gates, a bridge and narrow openings.

1 ¾ miles / 2.8 km

1 hour

Walking

Fergus’s Trail

Discover the remains of the Cardrona Tower and enjoy beautiful views of the Tweed Valley.

Firm gravel path with some loose stone. Long moderate slopes with some short fairly steep sections. Some narrow openings, two kissing gates and a bridge.

2 ½ miles / 3.9 km

1½ hours

Walking

Pikes Knowe Trail

Head deep into the forest to discover the remains of Cardrona Tower and the Iron Age fort at Castle Knowe, as well as fine views over the Tweed Valley.

Largely firm gravel path with some loose stone. Mostly long moderate slopes with a steep section. One bridge, some narrow openings and two kissing gates.

4 miles / 6.6 km

2 hours

Activities

Horse riding and cycling

Horse riders and cyclists are welcome at Cardrona, although we'd appreciate if you could stick to the old walking trails.

Trails in Cardrona

The serenity of Cardrona makes it a great place for all sorts of activities. Find out more about how we’re working to create ideal environments for walking, mountain biking and horse riding in the Tweed Valley Forest Park.

Tweed Valley Zoning Plan (PDF 6MB)

Facilities and access

Ancient monument

Horse riding

Viewpoint

Walking

Parking (charge)

Picnic area

Toilets

Toilets are open 7 days a week.

Car parking information

The charges to park at Cardrona are:

£1.50 for up to 1 hour
£4 for all day
£14 for minibus or coach all day

Blue Badge holders park free. Please display your Blue Badge clearly.

Payment can be made using RingGo.

Annual parking passes are available for this site, visit our parking page for more information.

Please park with care and consideration. In particular please park in designated parking areas only and do not block entrances or gates. Nearby car parks with free parking can be found in our Forest Search.

More about parking