Women Ride the Tweed
The FNY Collective is a charity that aims to widen female participation and leadership in mountain biking in the Tweed Valley. With support from Destination Tweed’s Community Grants Scheme, the FNY Collective delivered a project that shone a light on fearless females of the Tweed through a series of events and the development of a new ‘HERitage Trail’.
Developing the HERitage Trail
The FNY Collective worked with local historian Stewart Wilson (Tweed Valley Blogger) to gather stories of inspirational women past and present and their connections to the Tweed and its landscapes. They also worked with ‘the Rural’ – Peeblesshire Scottish Women’s Institute – to capture untold local stories of how women were active outdoors in the Tweed Valley in the past.
Taking these stories, Stewart and the FNY team worked together to development a HERitage Trail which wends its way through a range of special locations by the river, encouraging people to “ride, discover, and celebrate the hidden HERstories of women along the River Tweed”. A clickable map on the FNY Collective’s website provides more detail on each of these stories, from lumberjills to record-breakers and trailblazers.
A pdf leaflet and gpx file are available to download to share these stories and help riders navigate their way around the new route.
Download the HERitage Trail leaflet and gpx file from the FNY Collective’s website
Guided Rides
To introduce local riders to the new HERitage Trail, the FNY Collective led a series of guided rides along the route through the winter of 2025/26, helping build confidence in exploring the landscape while telling tales of some inspirational women of the Tweed.
The Hunt
In June 2025, a huge crowd of cyclists descended upon Traquair for a festival of mountain biking, celebrating iconic women throughout history with fancy dress costumes and a massive dose of camaraderie.
The weather may have been showing its true Scottish colours, but a bit of rain couldn’t dampen the spirits of the FNY Collective as they careered around some of the region’s top trails on a treasure hunt of epic proportions.
Total project costs: £12,819.40
Grant awarded: £10,000.00 (78% of total costs)
1 mountain biking festival delivered, with 100 attendees
4 consultation events
1 HERitage trail route developed
3 guided rides of the HERitage Trail route, with 38 attendees
20 volunteers supported delivery of this project
“I had a fantastic time at my very first Mountain Biking Festival! Despite the poor weather conditions and challenge of being thrown in at the deep end with trails, I throughly enjoyed the community based activities and support from fellow participants. Hearing about the history of women cycling and the local area simply added an additional educational richness to an already fab event. Thanks to FNY and all involved!”
“I had an amazing time at the FNY Festival celebrating women. It was inspiring to be part of such a remarkable event that showcased women’s achievements in the outdoors. A huge shoutout to the team for their dedication and hard work in making this fabulous event a reality!”
Feedback from festival attendees
Looking Ahead
The FNY Collective continues to go from strength to strength, growing their community, teaching essential bike maintenance skills, and empowering and inspiring more women to feel confidence in exploring the landscape by bike. In 2025 they were awarded Community Project of the Year the DMBinS Scottish Mountain Biking Awards, a fabulous accolade in recognition of the work that they do.
The FNY Collective also featured in Series 3 of ‘Jules and Greg’s Wild Swim’. This episode highlights all that the Tweed has to offer (even if that doesn’t always include sunshine): “From river swims to wild food, Jules and Greg forage, float and feast their way along the River Tweed, before bedding down in Scotland’s oldest continuously inhabited house.” Available on iPlayer!
Find out more about the FNY Collective on their website
The Community Grants Scheme was made possible by funding from the National Lottery Heritage Fund Scotland.
Find out more about Destination Tweed’s Community Grants Scheme