Written by James, founder of Flaming Phoenix and the maker of Phoenix Bars. Updated September 2026.

Quick answer: the best long distance cycling route in the UK for a first tour is the C2C (137.5 miles from Whitehaven to Tynemouth, three to five days, nearly half of it traffic-free). The best week on the road is the Way of the Roses or Coast and Castles; the best off-road loop is King Alfred's Way (350 km from Winchester on chalk byways); the best big trip is Land's End to John o' Groats (874 miles by the traditional road route, 10 to 14 days); and the best wild one is the Great North Trail (800 miles off-road from the Peak District to Cape Wrath). Below are 40 routes with figures taken from the official route bodies rather than from other blogs, sorted by how many days you have, what surface you want to ride, and whether you want a loop, a coast to coast or an end to end, with the nearest stations and the resupply gaps that matter.

Why the numbers on this page are different

Search for UK cycle routes and you will find the same dozen names with a different distance on every page: the C2C is quoted as 137, 138, 140 and 142 miles, the Yorkshire Wolds route as 140, 144 and 171. The figures here come from the Walk Wheel Cycle Trust (the charity formerly called Sustrans, which manages the National Cycle Network), Cycling UK's route pages, the National Trails, Scotland's official trail bodies and the route creators' own pages for the independent bikepacking lines, checked in September 2026. I make energy bars that a lot of touring cyclists and bikepackers carry, so the food logistics on each route are a professional interest; I am not affiliated with any of the organisations named and nothing here is sponsored.

If you have a long weekend (two to four days)

C2C, Sea to Sea. 137.5 miles (221 km) from Whitehaven to Tynemouth (or Workington to Sunderland, 125 miles) on National Cycle Network routes 71, 7, 14 and 1. About 45 percent traffic-free, 84 percent tarmac, with the high point at Black Hill (609 m) in the North Pennines. Ride west to east for the prevailing wind, three to five days, trains at both ends. The classic first tour, with Hartside and the Pennine crossing as the crux.

Devon Coast to Coast. 97.6 miles (157 km) from Ilfracombe to Plymouth on route 27, 59 percent traffic-free thanks to the Tarka Trail, the Granite Way and Drake's Trail, mostly on old railway lines with gentle gradients. Two or three days, and the best long traffic-free route in southern England.

Hadrian's Cycleway (route 72). 172.8 miles (278 km) in full from Ravenglass to South Shields, though most people ride the 100 miles from Bowness-on-Solway to Tynemouth in three days, following the Wall. 32 percent traffic-free, 98 percent tarmac, with the Shields ferry across the Tyne at the end.

South Downs Way. 100 miles (160 km) of chalk bridleway from Winchester to Eastbourne, two to four days on a mountain bike or a gravel bike in dry conditions. The best-known off-road weekend in England, with a station at each end.

Trans Cambrian Way. 103 miles (166 km) across mid Wales from Knighton to Dovey Junction, about 3,250 m of climbing, 70 percent unpaved, three days, with stations at both ends. Remote and superb.

Badger Divide. 210 miles (338 km) of gravel and forest track from Glasgow's Kelvingrove to Inverness Castle with 5,300 m of ascent, ridden in three days by the fast and four or five by the sensible, on a gravel bike with 35 mm tyres or wider. Free GPX from the route's creator.

Round the Isle of Wight. 64.5 miles (104 km) from Ryde, one or two days, the easiest circular tour in the country and ideal for a first overnight with children.

If you have a week (five to eight days)

Way of the Roses. 171 miles (275 km) from Morecambe to Bridlington across the Dales and the Wolds, five riding days, almost entirely on tarmac, ridden west to east with the wind and with stations at both ends. The most popular coast to coast after the C2C.

Coast and Castles South. 200 miles (321 km) from Newcastle to Edinburgh on route 1 along the Northumberland coast and through the Borders, a quarter traffic-free, five or six days, trains at both ends. Coast and Castles North continues 172 miles from Edinburgh to Aberdeen.

Yorkshire Wolds Cycle Route. 143.8 miles (231 km) circular from Beverley or Malton (both have stations), 99 percent tarmac, signed clockwise, five gentle days through Hockney country. The best circular road tour in England.

Lochs and Glens Way. 214 miles (344 km) from Glasgow to Inverness on routes 7 and 1 past Loch Lomond, Pitlochry and the Cairngorms, a third traffic-free, five to seven days.

The Caledonia Way (route 78). 232.6 miles (374 km) from Campbeltown on Kintyre to Inverness through Oban, Fort William and the Great Glen, six to eight days, with two ferries (the Camusnagaul ferry does not run on Sundays) and a signed diversion around Loch Lochy for the Coire Glas hydro works until 2029.

Hebridean Way. 197 miles (317 km) from Vatersay to the Butt of Lewis across ten islands on route 780, all on tarmac, with two ferries and a string of causeways. Ride south to north for the wind. The best week on a bike in Britain if the weather holds.

Lôn Las Cymru (route 8). 250 miles (402 km) the length of Wales from Holyhead to Cardiff or Chepstow, 28 percent traffic-free, six to eight days, with big climbs through Eryri and the Cambrian Mountains.

Trans Pennine Trail. 212 miles (341 km) coast to coast from Southport to Hornsea, 65 percent traffic-free and a third on firm unsealed surfaces, so a hybrid or gravel bike is ideal. The whole network is 343 miles. The longest mostly traffic-free ride in the UK.

King Alfred's Way. Cycling UK's 350 km (217 miles) off-road loop from Winchester using the Ridgeway, the South Downs Way, the Thames Path and the North Downs Way, with 3,493 m of climbing, launched in 2020 and now the most-ridden bikepacking route in England. Gravel bike in summer, mountain bike in a wet winter, four to six days.

Rebellion Way. 373 km (232 miles) around Norfolk on quiet lanes, byways and bridleways, nearly flat, four or five days, the friendliest off-road tour in the country.

West Kernow Way. 230 km (143 miles) figure of eight from Penzance around Land's End, the Lizard and St Michael's Mount with more than 4,200 m of climbing on bridleways, byways and lost ways, three or four hard days.

Cantii Way. 234 km (145 miles) circular around east Kent on traffic-free paths, bridleways and quiet roads, ideal for touring and hybrid bikes, four days.

Traws Eryri. 200 km (124 miles) from Machynlleth to Conwy through Eryri with about 3,800 m of climbing, created with Natural Resources Wales in 2023 and not for the faint-hearted. Four days.

Royal Chilterns Way and Marcher Castles Way. Cycling UK's newer loops: 282 km with 3,383 m from Reading through the Chilterns, and 290 km with 5,188 m from Shrewsbury along the Welsh border, the latter better on a mountain bike.

Lakeland 200. 204 km around the Lake District from Staveley with 6,100 m of climbing, 70 percent unpaved and 20 percent singletrack, four or five days, the hardest weekend-plus route in England.

Gallovidian Gravel. 330 km with 4,002 m of climbing in three loops from Dumfries through Galloway Forest Park, Scotland's best gravel tour and rideable as one long weekend of loops.

If you have two weeks or more

Land's End to John o' Groats. 874 miles (1,407 km) by the traditional road route, 10 to 14 days for most tourers; the National Cycle Network version is 1,189 miles and more than three-quarters traffic-calmed. There is no single official route, which is part of the appeal. Cycling UK sells an End to End pack with GPX files. A close friend of mine rode it this September fuelled largely on our bars and confirmed what every LEJOG rider says: the hard part is the eating, not the riding. My LEJOG nutrition guide covers the daily plan.

North Coast 500. 516 miles (830 km) around the north of Scotland from Inverness with roughly 8,000 to 10,000 m of climbing, seven to fourteen days, best from May to September. Now busy with camper vans in summer, so ride it in May or September.

Great North Trail. 800 miles (1,287 km) off-road from Middleton Top in the Peak District to Cape Wrath or John o' Groats through four national parks, in eight sections with free GPX per section. Two to three weeks for a strong rider.

GB Divide. 1,960 km and 27,000 m of climbing from one end of Britain to the other, 55 percent unpaved, about 15 days. The British answer to the American divide routes.

Second City Divide, Dales Divide and Old Chalk Way. Three independent bikepacking lines worth knowing: Glasgow to Manchester over 340 miles of gravel and singletrack; a 600 km coast-to-coast-and-back across the Dales, the Vale of York and the North York Moors run as a self-supported event each spring; and 576 km from Lyme Regis to the Wash along England's chalk with 5,152 m of climbing, six days, trains at Axminster and King's Lynn.