Great North Trail

Great North Trail

The Great North Trail is Cycling UK's flagship long-distance off-road route, running around 1,287km (800 miles) from the southern Peak District to the far north of Scotland. It links the Pennine Bridleway with the wild tip of mainland Britain, crossing four National Parks (the Peak District, the Yorkshire Dales, Northumberland, and Loch Lomond and The Trossachs) on a mix of packhorse trails, forest tracks, disused railways, canal towpaths and quiet minor roads. It is not designed as the fastest or easiest way north. It is designed as an adventure, taking in rolling farmland and reservoirs in the Pennines, forested passes through the Scottish Borders and Central Belt, and increasingly remote glens and moors through the Highlands to a choice of two dramatic finishes: Cape Wrath or John o'Groats.

The Route

The trail is split into eight official sections, each rideable as a long weekend or broken into shorter day rides. Riding south to north takes advantage of the prevailing southwesterly wind and is the direction most riders choose.

Peak District and South Pennines (Middleton Top to Hebden Bridge, around 130km). The route starts at Middleton Top on the High Peak Trail near Wirksworth and heads north through rolling farmland, bleak moorland and steep wooded valleys, taking in Parsley Hay, the River Wye, Peak Forest, and old mill towns before crossing into West Yorkshire via Tintwistle and the Calderdale valley to Hebden Bridge. Riders can add an optional detour via Castleton and Cave Dale for a technical challenge loop.

Yorkshire Dales (around 170km). The trail climbs into the Yorkshire Dales National Park on drovers' roads and ancient packhorse routes, crossing high limestone country and dale-side bridleways with sweeping views before dropping toward the Eden Valley and Appleby-in-Westmorland.

North Pennines and Kielder (Appleby-in-Westmorland to Kielder, around 123km). The route crosses the Pennines on the South Tyne Trail, crosses the Lambley Viaduct, passes Hadrian's Wall, and enters the huge conifer plantations of Kielder Forest within Northumberland National Park before crossing into Scotland.

Scottish Borders (around 154km). Forest tracks and rolling border country lead north through the Scottish Borders toward the Central Belt, with mountain passes and quiet estate roads linking small towns and villages.

Central Belt (around 83km). The shortest and easiest section, largely following canal towpaths and old railway paths through the Glasgow and Stirling area, well suited to resupply and a good option for a family-friendly day out even for riders not tackling the full route.

Grampian Mountains (around 260km). North of the Central Belt, the trail runs through Loch Lomond and The Trossachs National Park via Aberfoyle and Killin, then continues through open moorland, farmland and mountain passes past Loch Lyon, Rannoch Moor, Loch Ossian and Loch Laggan, crossing the Corrieyairack Pass toward Fort Augustus and Loch Ness. This is the longest single section and typically takes three to five days.

Northern Highlands (around 151km). The route becomes progressively wilder and more remote as it pushes north from Loch Ness through the Highlands toward Oykel Bridge, with long glens, hydro power stations, and isolated lodges replacing the towns of further south.

Sutherland and Caithness to Cape Wrath or John o'Groats. From Oykel Bridge the route splits. The Cape Wrath option (around 133km) runs via Inchnadamph, Rhiconich and Kinlochbervie to Sandwood Bay and the lighthouse at Cape Wrath itself, the most north-westerly point on the British mainland. The John o'Groats option (around 224km) continues further northeast through Sutherland and Caithness on flatter, less technical ground to finish at Scotland's traditional far-north landmark. Both finishes pass through long stretches of remote glens and moorland, with easier, flatter riding mixed among the wild sections.

Getting Here

The start point at Middleton Top sits on the High Peak Trail near Wirksworth, Derbyshire, in the southern Peak District. The nearest mainline railway stations are Matlock and Cromford on the Derwent Valley Line, a few miles from the trailhead, with onward cycling or a short transfer needed to reach Middleton Top itself. The site has a small visitor centre and car park.

The Cape Wrath finish is remote by design. The lighthouse and headland are reached via a small passenger ferry across the Kyle of Durness that runs only in summer months and can be cancelled by rough weather or Ministry of Defence live-firing exercises on the surrounding range, so this option needs a flexible schedule. The John o'Groats finish has better onward transport, with bus and road links south to Wick and Thurso, both served by rail and by the Scottish sleeper services from further south.

Resupply and Accommodation

Cycling UK designed the route so that accommodation and resupply points come at reasonably frequent intervals across most of its length, from bed and breakfasts, hotels and hostels to campsites and self-catering options, though booking ahead is strongly recommended and some rural establishments close on Mondays and Tuesdays. The southern and central sections through England and the Scottish Central Belt pass through market towns and villages with regular shops, pubs and a good choice of places to stay.

North of Loch Ness the pattern changes. Settlements become sparse and riders should expect to carry supplies for a full day or more between resupply points such as Oykel Bridge, which has a hotel, and Kinlochbervie, a small fishing village with a grocery store. Bothies are available in places along the northern sections but are basic, unstaffed shelters rather than guaranteed accommodation, and should not be relied on as a sole plan.

Wild camping is a legal right across most of Scotland under the Scottish Outdoor Access Code, and is the norm for riders tackling the Highland sections, provided the usual leave-no-trace practices are followed. England has no general right to wild camp, so riders should stick to campsites, informal arrangements with landowners, or other accommodation on the southern sections.

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