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National Cycle Route 75

155 km cycling route2 stages651 m climbingUKGPX

The National Cycle Route 75 runs from Gourock to Edinburgh over 2 stages: 155 km and 651 m of climbing in the UK. Every stage has a map, elevation profile, road facts and a GPX file.

Download tour GPXStage GPX files
Day 1 on the road: Gourock to Glasgow, Gourock, United KingdomDay 1Day 2 on the road: Glasgow to Edinburgh, Glasgow, United KingdomDay 2

Route at a glance

Distance
155 km
Climbing
651 m
Stages
2
Countries
1
UK
Average stage
78 km
326 m climbing
Longest stage
104.3 km
Stage 2: Glasgow to Edinburgh
Most climbing
483 m
Stage 2: Glasgow to Edinburgh
Riding time
~11 h
moving time, estimated
Surface
Mostly paved
92% paved · 5% unpaved · 3% no data
Bike
Road bike
from the mapped surface
Best months
May to Sep
stage-town climate, 10 years
GPX
Every stage + whole tour
Start
Gourock
Finish
Edinburgh

Full route map

2 stages in alternating colours; a dot marks each stage start.

Ridden stagesStage start

Download the whole tour as one GPX(a track per stage), or each stage’s file from the itinerary below.

Itinerary: 2 stages

Average 78 km and 326 m a stage. Longest day: stage 2 (104.3 km). Most climbing: stage 2 (483 m). Shortest: stage 1 (50.8 km).

Tour itinerary: stages in order with date, start and finish, countries, distance, climbing, surface, difficulty, riding time and GPX
StageRouteCountryDistanceClimbingSurfaceDifficultyTimeGPX
1Gourock to GlasgowUK50.8 km168 mPavedModerate3 h 38 min GPX
2Glasgow to EdinburghUK104.3 km483 mMostly pavedHard7 h 27 min GPX

How difficult is this tour?

155 km and 651 m of climbing over 2 stages: 78 km and 326 m a stage on average.

The longest day is stage 2, Glasgow to Edinburgh (104.3 km); the most climbing is on stage 2, Glasgow to Edinburgh (483 m); the shortest is stage 1, Gourock to Glasgow (50.8 km).

At 78 km a day on average, it suits riders used to back-to-back days of 60–100 km.

Riders can go faster or slower than the documented itinerary: the same 155 km is 3 riding days at 60 km a day, 2 riding days at 80 km a day and 2 riding days at 100 km a day.

Surface and traffic

Predominantly paved: 92% is mapped as paved, 5% as unpaved or gravel and 3% has no surface data.

96 km (62%) is on cycle paths or roads with a cycle lane; 4 km (3%) is on main roads without one, and 8 km on roads with a limit of 80 km/h or more.

Signed routes this tour follows

From the waymarked relations in OpenStreetMap; stages not listed leave the signed network.

Best time to ride

From ten years of weather at the stage towns, May to Sep are good for riding along the whole route.

Logistics

Getting to the start
Gourock (station) is near the start in Gourock.
Accommodation
2 of 2 stage finishes have a hotel, guesthouse or campsite mapped within a short ride of the finish.

What it was actually like to ride

About this tour

National Cycle Route 75 starts at Gourock and finishes at Edinburgh, covering 155 km in two stages. The first stage runs from Gourock to Glasgow, and the second continues from Glasgow to Edinburgh.

The terrain is gently undulating, with 168 m of climbing on the first stage over 51 km and 483 m of climbing on the longer second stage of 104 km. The first stage features a climb lasting 2.6 km with an average gradient of 2.8%, reaching 74 m altitude. The second stage contains three climbs, the longest being 3.6 km at 2.2% average gradient, and a shorter steep climb of 0.9 km at 6.5%. The highest point overall is 197 m.

The stages travel entirely within Great Britain and pass through many places including Gourock, Greenock, Paisley, Glasgow, Coatbridge, Airdrie, Bathgate, Livingston, and finally Edinburgh. Each stage offers multiple water and food stops, 37 on the first stage and 39 on the second, so provisioning should be well supported.

There are no temperature or month details recorded. The route is urban and suburban in places, with many named towns and suburbs listed at close intervals. The climb gradients and elevations suggest mostly rolling terrain rather than mountainous. The longest stage is the second, from Glasgow to Edinburgh at 104 km, while the first stage is shorter at just over 50 km.

Photos from the road

Questions riders ask

How far is Gourock to Edinburgh by bike?

155 km along this route, in 2 stages averaging 78 km.

How long does it take to cycle from Gourock to Edinburgh?

Moving time is estimated at about 11 hours. At 60 km a day it is 3 days, 80 km a day it is 2 days and 100 km a day it is 2 days.

How much climbing is involved?

651 m in total. The most climbing in a day is 483 m on stage 2, Glasgow to Edinburgh.

How difficult is the route?

At 78 km a day on average, it suits riders used to back-to-back days of 60–100 km. The longest day is 104.3 km.

Is it suitable for a road bike?

92% of the route is mapped as paved and 5% as gravel or unpaved (3% has no surface data). Based on that: road bike.

Is there a GPX file?

Yes. Every stage has its own GPX download, and the whole tour is available as one GPX file with a track per stage.

What is the best time of year?

From ten years of weather at the stage towns, May to Sep are good for riding along the whole route.

About this tour

Route lines
Each stage is built from the rider’s GPS recordings.
Elevation
Recalculated from the Copernicus GLO-90 terrain model every 50 m.
Roads and surface
Measured along each stage from OpenStreetMap extracts.
Best months
Ten years of ERA5 weather at the stage towns (Open-Meteo).
GPX
A file per stage, generated from its line (no timestamps), and one file for the whole tour with a track per stage.
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