Pedal your way around Scotland with ease by following the country's designated National Cycle Network (NCN). Whatever your preferred distance, you'll find many cycle routes in Scotland that suit you!
What's the National Cycle Network?
- 2,100 miles of National Cycle Network routes on country roads and cycle paths.
- Over 500 miles of traffic-free walking and cycling routes on railway paths, canal towpaths and forest trails.
- Signposted with blue cycle route signs with red number patches. In some places, blue stickers with red number patches may be used.
Family cycle routes
Explore sections of Route 7 along the Forth & Clyde Canal, and you may just come across the world's first and only rotating boatlift! This canal links Glasgow to Falkirk and has flat, traffic-free towpaths, ideal for cycling with wee ones. On this route is the famous Falkirk Wheel, an engineering marvel which connects the Forth & Clyde Canal with the Union Canal.
Looking for more cycles? Discover 11 spellbinding cycle routes across Scotland.
One day cycles
The 33-mile stretch between Aviemore and Slochd in the Highlands on National Route 7, and the 14-mile, mainly traffic-free Cullen to Garmouth part of National Route 1 on the Moray coast are just two of the NCN sections which are achievable in one day.
Of course, one of the best things about any cycle trip is stopping for a well-earned break! Read more about our favourite picnic spots along Scotland's cycle routes.
Cycling holidays
If you're feeling more adventurous, why not enjoy a cycling holiday and take your time to explore the longer routes throughout Scotland? Book a place for you and your bike on the ferry and hop across to the Isle of Arran and National Route 73, to explore the diverse landscape, taking in the rolling southern countryside and the mountainous north.
Route 1 stretches from Scotland's border with England, up the east coast to Shetland. Split into three large sections in Scotland, including Edinburgh to Aberdeen and Aberdeen to Shetland, via Inverness, John O'Groats and Orkney, Route 1 offers a great mix of challenging and more manageable cycle paths and trails.
In the Outer Hebrides, follow the 185-mile Hebridean Way Cycling Route, which crosses 10 islands in the blissful archipelago, travelling northwards from Vatersay to Lewis.
Cycle the Kintyre Way, a beautiful route stretching from Tarbert to Machrihanish along the blissful Kintyre Peninsula. Originally designed as a walking route, the trail has been improved for cyclists and mountain bikers, and offers several rewarding sections.
Scotland's most northerly section of Route 1 is the 109-mile stretch on Shetland, between Sumburgh Head and Nor Wick Bay. It's not for the faint hearted, but cyclists will be rewarded with spectacular scenery throughout.