Scotland - Articles

Cycling in Scotland - Routes & Roads

Cycling in Scotland has seen a great upsurge in recent years, with a large number of waymarked routes opened. For example, Fife alone claims over 300 miles (480km) of dedicated cycleways as well as the 105 mile (168km) Kingdom Route for dedicated tourers.

In Scotland, cycle routes take advantage of forestry roads and the old trackbeds of abandoned rail lines. In addition, many parts of Lowland Scotland offer a good choice of route-planning options on lightly trafficked rural roads. This is especially true of much of the Scottish Borders and Galloway, north-east Scotland and also Angus. In the Highlands, the Great Glen cycle route is also popular.

For long-distance tourers, National Cycle Routes run the length of the country, signposting cyclists as far north as Orkney.

Mountain biking also has a large following, with a number of dedicated venues, These include the popular Glentress, south of Edinburgh, also promoted as part of the 7 Stanes series of Forestry Commission Scottish Borders and Galloway centres for mountain biking. Wolftrax at Laggan in the Highlands is another well-developed centre for biking.

Nevis Range, Fort William, has Scotland’s longest downhill mountain biking course, and the only one with a gondola to get you to the top! Many centres offer equipment hire and plenty of advice on routes.