Traffic-Free Cycle Trails

The essential guide to over 400 traffic-free cycling trails around Great Britain

Nick Cotton

• Publisher: Vertebrate Publishing
• Year: 2020
• ISBN:
  9781912560950
• Topic: Personal Development
• Subtopic: Travel

Traffic-Free Cycle Trails by Nick Cotton contains over 400 cycle routes in Great Britain. First published in 2004 and regularly updated ever since, it has become one of the country's most popular cycling books, and this fourth edition published in 2020 features a large number of updates and revisions.

Traffic-Free Cycle Trails includes a great variety of routes on former railway paths, canal towpaths and forest trails in England, Scotland and Wales – and every ride is away from traffic. For that safe and peaceful bike ride, increasingly the target of families and leisure cyclists alike, Nick Cotton's guidebook has proven invaluable.

Discover previously unknown local trails, plan fun rides for all the family, and travel to unfamiliar areas throughout the UK with quality routes. Presented in an easy-to-use format and packed with useful information in ten regional sections, it includes route descriptions of rides in every part of Britain. From novice riders looking to escape traffic to parents planning safe rides with children, let Traffic-Free Cycle Trails take the work out of finding the UK's best cycling routes.

10 Scotland

Scotland Trails

1 Glentrool Forest, Dumfries & Galloway

2 Glentrool to Gatehouse of Fleet, Loch & Glens Cycle Route

3 Kirroughtree Forest, east of Newton Stewart

4 Dalbeattie Forest, south-west of Dumfries

5 Mabie Forest, south of Dumfries

6 Forest of Ae, north of Dumfries

7 Drumlanrig Castle, north of Dumfries

8 Newcastleton Forest, south of Hawick

9 Glentress Forest, Peebles, Scottish Borders

10 Dalkieth to Penicuik, south of Edinburgh

11 Pencaitland Railway Walk, east of Edinburgh

12 Haddington to Longniddry, east of Edinburgh

13 Innocent Railway, east of Edinburgh

14 Water of Leith, south-west of Edinburgh

15 Newbridge to the Forth Road Bridge

16 Airdrie to Bathgate, east of Glasgow

17 Forest trail on the Isle of Arran

18 Johnstone to Kilbirnie

19 Johnstone to Greenock

20 Glasgow to Loch Lomond

21 Glasgow to Uddingston along the Clyde

22 Strathblane to Kirkintilloch

23 Forth & Clyde Canal, between Glasgow and Falkirk

24 Carron Valley Forest Trails, south-west of Stirling

25 Union Canal, west of Edinburgh

26 Dunfermline to Clackmannan, Fife

27 Aberfoyle to Callander, Trossachs

28 Queen Elizabeth Forest Park, Trossachs

29 Loch Katrine, Trossachs

30 Callander to Strathyre, Trossachs

31 Killin to Glen Ogle, north of Callander

32 Argyll Forest Park, Cowal Peninsula

33 Witch’s Trails near Fort William

34 Great Glen: Fort William to Gairlochy

35 Great Glen: Clunes to Kilfinnan

36 Great Glen: Oich Bridge to Fort Augustus

37 Great Glen: Fort Augustus to Drumnadrocchit

38 Laggan Wolftrax Forest Trails

39 Aviemore Forest Routes

40 Rothiemurchus Estate, east of Aviemore

41 Speyside Way, Craigellachie

42 Deeside Way, west of Aberdeen

43 Formartine & Buchan Way, north of Aberdeen

44 Scolty Trail, Banchory

45 Pitfichie & Kirkhill Trails, west of Aberdeen

46 Moray Monster Trails, in the Spey Valley

47 Learnie Red Rock Trails, Black Isle

48 Kyle of Sutherland Forest Trails, north of Inverness

49 Highland Wildcat Trails, Golspie, north-east Scotland

Scotland Mountain Biking

Scotland has had a massive influence on the development of mountain biking in the UK. Not only are there ever more purpose-built trails in forestry holdings (see details of websites under ‘Websites’), but since the Land Reform (Scotland) Act came into force, everyone has a statutory right of responsible access to most land and inland water. Visit www.outdooraccess-scotland.com to find out more. Be aware of the deer-stalking season from July to October and the grouse-shooting season (August to December).

Forestry mountain biking centres

The 7stanes project has created seven centres of mountain biking excellence in Southern Scotland, each offering a variety of purpose-built, waymarked trails of different grades. They are located at Glentrool, Kirroughtree, Dalbeattie, Mabie, Ae, Newcastleton and Glentress. Of these, Glentress, near Peebles, is by far the most popular. The success of these trails has spurred development of centres throughout Scotland, from Carron Valley in the Central Belt up to the Highlands with centres such as Laggan Wolftrax, Learnie Red Rock Trails, Highland Wildcat Trails and Moray Monster Trails.

Remote riding

There are many long-distance challenges away from the forestry centres – for example, Glen Sligachan on the Isle of Skye. There’s also coast-to-coast rides ranging from the very short – such as Ullapool to Bonar Bri...

Table of contents

• Cover
• Title
• Contents
• How to use this guide
• Useful information
• 01 South-West
• 02 South-East
• 03 East of England
• 04 East Midlands
• 05 West Midlands
• 06 North-West
• 07 Yorkshire
• 08 North-East
• 09 Wales
• 10 Scotland
• Copyright