Cycling in Altnaharra

From Altnaharra, cyclists can ride long point-to-point routes north to Thurso or southeast to Watten, with climbs up to 139 m and stretches of mixed surfaces.

2
Routes: 203 km
In total: 108 km
Longest ride: 940 m
Most climbing

Rides in Altnaharra

Road · From the map · United Kingdom
Altnaharra to Thurso
Altnaharra, United Kingdom
95 km940 m ↑HardGPX
Added Sep 2026
Gravel · From the map · United Kingdom
Altnaharra to Watten
Altnaharra, United Kingdom
108 km594 m ↑HardGPX
Added Sep 2026

Riding in Altnaharra in numbers

Added up from the recorded routes and OpenStreetMap; nothing estimated.

Surface: 86% paved · 14% gravel or unpaved — 28 km of gravel or unpaved road across the routes
Roads: 74% of the riding on main roads without a cycle lane
Bail-outs: A railway station or ferry within reach on 2 routes
Longest stretch without services: 53 km on Altnaharra to Watten

When to ride in Altnaharra

Typical conditions by month, 2015–2024 reanalysis. Bars run from the average daily low to high.

Best months: Jul to Aug.

5°1°J19

6°1°F18

8°2°M18

10°3°A16

13°6°M17

16°9°J16

17°11°J20

17°11°A20

15°9°S18

11°7°O19

8°4°N19

6°2°D20

BestFineHard goingRain days per month under each bar · typical wind 22 km/h from the SW

Cycling guide to Altnaharra

Altnaharra offers two main routes for cyclists. One leads north to Thurso over 95 km with a total climb of 940 m, passing multiple small places including Tongue and Bettyhill. This route features predominantly paved surfaces with a small amount of gravel and has a longest service-free stretch of 28 km. The other route goes southeast to Watten, covering 108 km with 594 m of elevation gain. It includes a higher proportion of gravel or unpaved roads at 25% and involves longer service-free distances of up to 52.5 km. Both routes start near Altnaharra and traverse varied terrain with limited cycle lane provision on main roads.

Terrain

The terrain around Altnaharra is gently rolling with climbs averaging around 3% gradient and a maximum gradient of up to 5.7%. The highest points reached on the routes are 228 m on the way to Thurso and 211 m on the Watten route. Climbing occurs in several segments, with the biggest climbs lasting about 4.3 to 4.4 km in length.

Nearby destinations

All destinations

Cycling in Altnaharra

Rides in Altnaharra

Altnaharra to Thurso

Altnaharra to Watten

Riding in Altnaharra in numbers

When to ride in Altnaharra

Nearby destinations

Rosehall

Durness

Tain

Ullapool

Nigg

Watten

Contin

Inverness

Kinlochewe

Dores

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