INVERNESS - CARLISLE ROUTE DESCRIPTION

Scotland offers a great choice for cyclists. Wherever you are there are quiet roads not far away. The Scottish National Cycle Route chooses to go via the backbone of Scotland, through its hills, moors, villages, towns and forest parks.

The route heads south from Inverness with a climb up to the moors of Strathspey and views of the Cairngorm mountain range. Then wooded hills and farmland through Perthshire and Stirling, and then the lochs of mid-Scotland. 

The route touches Loch Lomond, Scotland's largest loch, and heads into Glasgow through a large park and a traffic-free path.

South from Glasgow, there are dramatic views across to the Isle of Arran, through Ayr and to the great forested area of Galloway Forest Park. This is the focal point of the southern section of the route where you can find almost 200,000 acres of forest, moorland and lochs. Three hundred miles of river flow in its valley and is the habitat of an abundance of wildlife. You can stay longer here if you wish with many miles of signposted cycle routes within the Forest. Over 150 lochs are to be found amid the wild moorland and mountain crags.

Leaving Galloway Forest Park, it's down to the Solway Firth, another wildlife area, and then onto the border city of Carlisle, with its castle and walls a reminder of past English and Scottish feuds.

Information courtesy of Sustrans