The Cycle Path
The Route
Come with me on a journey from the southern sea to the northern ocean; from Culver to Cape; from Point to Turning Point (Wrath is derived from Old Norse ‘hvraf’ meaning ‘turning point’). Using the slowest possible but most enjoyable off road tracks or quiet country lanes; this is the longest straight route with the greatest number of wiggles!
It’s a 1000 mile ride but with 20 days to do it and roughly 50 miles a day to explore, dive off, follow interesting sights, smells or whims...who knows! The spirit of the event is to define the longest straight line and then do something interesting with it. Roads populated by dangerously fast or busy traffic would only be used if it is physically impossible to advance by any other means. Most travel will be undertaken on the Sustrans’ National Cycle Network sections, canal towpaths, disused railway lines, quiet lanes and single-track roads with passing places...and the odd ferry.
The route has been designed in part to seek out intriguing places, secrets and scenic wonders; from views of industrial grandeur like the Forth Railway Bridge to views from prehistoric marvels like the White Horse of Uffington. In part it is designed to let things happen... like weather and cloudscapes; seasonal flowerings and wayside findings; the buzz of big cities like Birmingham and Manchester to the background noise of hamlets and odd spots like the National Trust’s fantastic Dragon Hill.
The ride starts on Saturday 19 June at noon at Culver Point, Isle of Wight and reaches Cape Wrath on 6 July at noon probably (d.v.):
DAY 1 - Saturday June 19 Culver Point to Winchester City Mill YHA (via Culver memorial, IOW AONB, Bembridge, Ryde , Fastcat, Portsmouth Harbour, Gosport ferry,(9km/6ml by sea) Lee on Solent, Titchfield Abbey, Meon Valley railway trail, South Downs National Park, Miz Maze, Winchester Hill 73 km/45ml total cycling)
DAY 2 - Sunday June 20 Winchester to Uffington White Horse (via Test valley,Hurstbourne Tarrant, North Wessex Downs AONB, Combe Gibbet, Walbury Hill, Hungerford, Lambourn, Sheepdrove Farm, Ridgeway 77Km/47ml total cycling)
DAY 3 - Monday June 21 Uffington to Hoo (the longest day…via Uffington, Faringdon, Thames Path, Kelmscott Manor, Barringtons, Adlestrop, Moreton in Marsh, Cotswolds AONB, Hidcote Manor, Meon Hill, 81km/50ml total cycling)
DAY 4 - Tuesday June 22 Hoo to Penkridge (via Alcester, Redditch, King’s Norton, Birmingham Botanical Gardens Integrated Access Conference (55km/34ml to B’ham), Birmingham, Wolverhampton, Penkridge (Town Crier) 83 km/51ml total cycling)
DAY 5 - Wednesday June 23 Penkridge to Manchester YHA (via Stafford, Tixall Gatehouse, Shugborough, Stone, Stoke, Harecastle Tunnel, Congleton, Macclesfield, Marple (100km/62ml to Marple), Ashton-under-Lyne, Manchester, Potato Wharf 126km/78ml total cycling)
DAY 6 - Thursday June 24 Manchester to Slaidburn YHA (via Irwell Sculpture Trail, Bury, Edgeworth, Blackburn, Whalley, Bashall Eaves, Cow Ark, Forest of Bowland AONB 78 km/48ml total cycling)
DAY 7 - Friday June 25 Slaidburn to Cowperthwaite Farm bunkhouse (via Wray, Hutton Roof, Kendal, Lake District National Park 70km/43ml total cycling)
DAY 8 - Saturday June 26 Cowperthwaite to Carlisle (via Long Sleddale, Gatescarth Pass, Haweswater, Whale, Eamont Bridge cursus and henges, Brougham Castle, Penrith 70km/43ml total cycling)
DAY 9 - Sunday June 27 Carlisle to Kagyu Samye Ling, Monastery and Tibetan Centre, Eskdalemuir (via Carlisle, Longtown, Paddockhole, Castle O’er 64km/40ml total cycling)
DAY 10 - Monday June 28 Eskdalemuir to Linlithgow (via Southern Uplands, Ettrich, Cappercleuch, Tweed valley, Biggar Gasworks Museum, Mouse Water, Bathgate 130 km/80ml total cycling)
DAY 11 - Tuesday June 29 rest and relax with old friends
DAY 12 - Wednesday June 30 Linlithgow to Glendevon SYHA (via Hopetoun House, Forth Road Bridge, Dunfermaline, Saline, Pool O Muckhart, Glen Devon 58km/36ml total cycling)
DAY 13 - Thursday July 1 Glendevon to Pitlochry SYHA (via Glen Eagles, Auchterarder, Fowlis Wester, Corrymuckloch, Glen Quaich, Aberfeldy, Ballinluig, Pitlochry fish ladder 94km/58ml total cycling)
DAY 14 - Friday July 2 Pitlochry to Aviemore SYHA (via Killiecrankie, Blair Castle, Glen Garry, Drumochter Pass, Kingussie, Cairngorms National Park 97km/60ml total cycling)
DAY 15 - Saturday July 3 Aviemore to Inverness SYHA (via Strathspey Railway, Slochd, Clava Cairns, Culloden 66km/41ml total cycling)
DAY 16 - Sunday July 4 Inverness to Carbisdale Castle SYHA (via Black Isle, Hugh Miller’s Cottage, Cromarty Ferry, Nigg, Tain, Dornoch Firth 95km/59ml total cycling)
DAY 17 - Monday July 5 Carbisdale to Keoldale (via Shin Falls, Lairg, Loch Shin, Laxford Bridge, Kyle of Durness 104km/64ml total cycling)
DAY 18 - Tuesday July 6 Keoldale to Cape Wrath 19km/11ml to lighthouse (via ferry if running, Cape Wrath lighthouse, return to Durness SYHA 26km/15ml return leg). Cape Wrath is located at Long 5:00:57W and Lat:58:37:39N only 3507 kms from the North Pole and on the same latitude as Juneau, Alaska. Its Gaelic name is Am Parbh
TOTAL for IOW to Cape Wrath - 1400 km (870 miles)
The return:
Day 19 July 7 Durness to Achmelvich SYHA (via Scourie) 99km/61ml
Day 20 July 8 Achmelvich to Achinver Beach SYHA 40 km/24ml
Day 21 July 9 Achinver to Carbisdale SYHA 84 km/52ml
Day 22 July 10 Carbisdale to Inverness Station (Scotrail train). Inverness Station to airport 15 km/9ml Inverness to Heathrow (scheduled BMI flight) Heathrow to Reading station (First RailAir coach link) Reading to Twyford (FirstGW Link train) cycle home 2km/1ml
GRAND TOTAL - 1666 km (1035 miles)
