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Cycling UK launches 800-mile Great North Trail from Peak District to north of ScotlandGreat North Trail (picture credit Joolz Dymond via Cycling UK)

Cycling UK launches 800-mile Great North Trail from Peak District to north of Scotland

Route links existing long-distance trails with 98 per cent traffic free
by Simon_MacMichael
Sun, Sep 01, 2019 18:32
6

Cycling UK has launched a new, off-road trail for cyclists and walkers stretching 800 miles that links the Peak District with the extreme north of mainland Scotland.

It says that the Great North Trail has been created in response to demand from cyclists for greater access to traffic-free routes in the countryside.

According to the charity, 98 per cent of the route runs on traffic-free routes such as bridleways, byways, cycle routes, unpaved roads and very low traffic minor roads.

It makes use of existing routes such as the Pennine Bridleway and Cross Borders Drove Road, while also linking them.

Cycling UK’s head of campaigns, Duncan Dollimore, said: “We know that around a quarter of people who use the National Trails do so on bikes, yet only two of the 15 National Trails in England and Wales are fully open for cycling.

“We’ve created the Great North Trail because we recognised very little has been done to promote national off-road trails. For example, plans to extend the Pennine Bridleway to Scotland were published 20 years ago, but still haven’t been implemented.

“And yet we know there is an appetite for more cycling access to the countryside. Off-road trails can be ideal for families to ride safely, away from traffic and city pollution,” he added.

The route, created as part of  Cycling UK’s ambition to link long-distance routes throughout the UK and open up more of the countryside to cyclists, passes through areas including the Yorkshire Dales, Kielder Forest, Corrieairack Pass, Loch Ness and Cape Wrath.

Full details can be found on the Cycling UK website and there is a map of the route here.

cycling uk
Great North Trail
Simon MacMichael

Simon joined road.cc as news editor in 2009 and is now the site’s community editor, acting as a link between the team producing the content and our readers. A law and languages graduate, published translator and former retail analyst, he has reported on issues as diverse as cycling-related court cases, anti-doping investigations, the latest developments in the bike industry and the sport’s biggest races. Now back in London full-time after 15 years living in Oxford and Cambridge, he loves cycling along the Thames but misses having his former riding buddy, Elodie the miniature schnauzer, in the basket in front of him.

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6 comments

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the infamous grouse | 5 years ago
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unless they've taken the culverts out of the Corrieairack Pass track, or bridged them, i wouldnt recommend it. 

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trisc replied to the infamous grouse | 5 years ago
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the infamous grouse wrote:

unless they've taken the culverts out of the Corrieairack Pass track, or bridged them, i wouldnt recommend it. 

Culverts were there a couple of weeks ago. Made descending the South side a bit of a stop/start affair on a gravel bike.

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Secret_squirrel replied to trisc | 5 years ago
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trisc wrote:

the infamous grouse wrote:

unless they've taken the culverts out of the Corrieairack Pass track, or bridged them, i wouldnt recommend it. 

Culverts were there a couple of weeks ago. Made descending the South side a bit of a stop/start affair on a gravel bike.

 

But sounds do-able with care and some walking?

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the infamous grouse replied to Secret_squirrel | 5 years ago
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Secret_squirrel wrote:

trisc wrote:

the infamous grouse wrote:

unless they've taken the culverts out of the Corrieairack Pass track, or bridged them, i wouldnt recommend it. 

Culverts were there a couple of weeks ago. Made descending the South side a bit of a stop/start affair on a gravel bike.

 

But sounds do-able with care and some walking?

a lot more walking than cycling for that section. the first one is an inconvenience, the second one annoying. when you realise that they  continue as far as you can see, there's no point getting back  in the saddle.

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Secret_squirrel | 5 years ago
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The cycling uk site appears to be very slow at time of writing.

Is there any indication as to what bikes it's suitable for? We talking touring/gravel bike - or hard tail mtb?

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Secret_squirrel replied to Secret_squirrel | 5 years ago
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Secret_squirrel wrote:

The cycling uk site appears to be very slow at time of writing. Is there any indication as to what bikes it's suitable for? We talking touring/gravel bike - or hard tail mtb?

 

To answer my own question it's graded as per MTB runs - green to black.  Mostly greens blues and reds so probably doable on a lightly loaded gravel bike or MTB derived tourer if you take the red bits carefully.

 

I'd love to have a go at bikepacking it.

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