South of Scotland Cycling Infrastructure Fund

The Fund is now fully allocated - an expression of interest form for future funding opportunities is now available

As the global Home of the Bike, the South of Scotland is aiming to become one of the leading cycling destinations in the world.

To get us there we have taken a series of big steps and actions in the South including:

Being superb host destinations for the 2023 UCI Cycling World Championships staging the Cross Country & Cross Country Marathon in the Tweed Valley, Scottish Borders and the Para Cycling World Championships in Dumfries, Dumfries & Galloway.
The South of Scotland also joined a small and prestigious list of world-leading cycling destinations by securing our own UCI Bike Region Label. This recognises our region’s commitment to both elite cycling competition and cycling for all.
The digital launch of the Kirkpatrick C2C, South of Scotland’s Coast to Coast route – a new on-road route offers 250 miles of uninterrupted joy for experienced cyclists from Stranraer on the west coast to Eyemouth on the east coast. Its named after Kirkpatrick Macmillan, a blacksmith from Dumfriesshire, who created the first pedal-driven bicycle, the velocipede, and changed the world forever.

We want to encourage more cycle tourism visitors to discover our region, attracted by the Kirkpatrick C2C as well as the 7Stanes mountain bike centres that span the South of Scotland.

To do this, in October 2023 we committed to improving the facilities along the route to meet and exceed the needs of our cycle tourism visitors.

This fund was supported and informed by the Urban Foresight Masterplan & Audit which identified strategic locations and types of bike and e-bike infrastructure required.

Details about the fund

The Cycling Infrastructure Fund offers capital grants of £3,000 to £25,000 to support tourism businesses, social enterprises and community groups who own visitor facing assets to invest in cycling infrastructure.

The investments will aim to improve facilities for cyclists taking part in the Kirkpatrick C2C, or riding our 7Stanes trail centres.

The fund accepted applications from Thursday 5 October and is now fully allocated.

All projects must be completed and claimed for by the date mutually agreed on each applicant’s grant offer letter and before Friday 7 March 2025.

Funding has now been fully allocated but expressions of interest for future funding opportunities can now be made.

The funding can be used towards purchase and installation of cycling infrastructure at premises owned by the applicant.

Examples of eligible infrastructure investment include:

Secure bike storage
Bike racks
External electrical sockets to be used as charging facilities available for cycle tourers
Secure bike locks for customer use
Bike wash
Drying equipment for drying clothes, rucksacks, panniers, and footwear
Clothes washing facilities for visitors
Bike maintenance for example repair stations.

The list is not exhaustive; all grant assistance from SOSE is discretionary.

Please note: this fund covers capital investment projects only. Facilities being developed with support from this fund must be for, and to benefit, visitors.

Funding cannot be used to:

Support projects that are already underway at the time of enquiry
Purchase bike maintenance consumables (for example spare parts, oil, tubes)
Revenue expenditure such as design work, planning permission application fees or ongoing maintenance and running costs of existing facilities
Support cycle path development and associated infrastructure
Purchase bikes, including e-Bikes.

The list is not exhaustive; all grant assistance from SOSE is discretionary.

The minimum grant is £3,000 up to a maximum of £25,000 which will cover up to 100% of total eligible project costs.

Funding has now been fully allocated but expressions of interest for future funding opportunities can now be made.

Businesses, social enterprises, and community groups who own assets which are open to the public and must be in one of the following sectors:

Hotels	Bed & Breakfasts	Camping and glamping sites
Self-catering	Hostels	Bunk barns/houses
Pubs	Cafes	Tea-rooms
Restaurants	Farm shops	Cycle repair and sales shops
Visitor attractions

Operate either:
- Within two miles of one of the 22 recommended stopping locations outlined in the Kirkpatrick C2C, South of Scotland’s Coast to Coast’s study by Urban Foresight or are physically located on the published Kirkpatrick Explorer and Challenge routes: Portpatrick, Stranraer, Bladnoch, Glenluce, Wigtown, Newton Stewart, Gatehouse of Fleet, Kirkcudbright, Castle Douglas, Dumfries, Lockerbie, Langholm, Newcastleton, Hawick, Selkirk, Galashiels, Melrose, Kelso, Duns, Coldstream, Ladykirk and Eyemouth; OR
- Within a five-mile radius of one of the 7stanes biking trail centres in Glentrool, Kirroughtree, Dalbeattie, Mabie, Ae, Glentress, Innerleithen and Newcastleton
If unsure if you are in eligible area, please contact clienthub@sose.scot before applying
Have a South of Scotland trading address
Applicants must be trading for six months or more
Be compliant with current Fair Work conditionality rules. For more information, please read the Fair Work Conditionality Guidance for Applicants. If you want to speak to someone about the Fair Work requirement or need more information, please email clienthub@sose.scot

Adhere to a range of soft skills criteria (all if possible but those marked with an asterisk as a minimum):
- Able to provide details for the nearest cycle shop, cycle hire, or specialist*
- *Knowledge of local cycle routes
- *Businesses must ensure website or distribution platform listing includes information on how to reach your business by bike and/or public transport.
- *Communities must ensure their social platform page, website or distribution platform listing includes information on how to reach their cycling infrastructure by bike and/or public transport.
- *First Aid kit available for visitors own use and details for local hospital, GP surgery, or emergency number
- *If you provide accommodation/stop-over facilities provide out of hours food options or information for services available locally
- *Knowledge of, local visitor attractions and/or other Cycle Friendly businesses around your area
- *Accommodating one-night stays
- *Successful applicants will be required to update their listing VisitScotland and/or South of Scotland Destination Alliance to ensure their business or community asset includes information about their cycling infrastructure and what other cycling provisions they have.
- Offer free water bottle refills
- Takeaway lunch option
- Incentives for anyone arriving by bike, public transport or cycling during their stay
- Accommodating group visits from cyclists, such as cycling clubs.

Funding has now been fully allocated but expressions of interest for future funding opportunities can now be made.

All SOSE grant assistance is discretionary
Grant awards are subject to due diligence and budget availability
Making an application to the fund does not guarantee that your application will be successful
Once the funding is fully allocated, the fund will close
There is no appeals process. We are unable to consider a complaint purely relating to dissatisfaction as to the outcome of a funding decision. However, if you have identified a specific process failure relating to your application, then you may wish to make a formal complaint. See our formal complaints process for more information.
A proportion of successful applications will be subject to audit after project end, and this may include mystery shopper visits to confirm the installation of the assets in situ.