Cycling in Inverness
2 cycling routes from Inverness, Highland, United Kingdom, 45 to 60 km, 105 km mapped in all, with up to 446 m of climbing in a day. Rolling riding (8 m of climbing per km on average), mostly road routes, 14 km on cycle paths or lanes. Best months to ride: Jun to Aug.
At a glance
- Routes
- 2
- Lengths
- 45–60 km
- Biggest day
- 446 m
- Terrain
- Rolling
- Surface
- Mostly paved
- Bike
- Road bike
- Difficulty
- Moderate
- Best months
- Jun to Aug
- Longest gap
- 26 km
- GPX
- Every route
Know before you go
Added up from the recorded routes and OpenStreetMap; nothing estimated.
- Surface
- Paved almost throughout.
- Roads
- 12% of the riding on main roads without a cycle lane · 14 km on cycle paths or lanes.
- Bail-outs
- A railway station or ferry within reach on 2 routes.
- No services
- 26 km on Inverness to Nigg.
Cycling guide to Inverness
From Inverness, cyclists can explore two main routes: one to Nigg (44.5 km) and another to Tain (60.4 km). The Nigg route passes through suburbs and smaller places such as Crown, Merkinch, and Cromarty, featuring a 4.5 km climb starting at 28.2 km that gains 138 m with a maximum gradient of 5.5%. The Tain route covers a longer distance, visiting up to 23 places including Dingwall and Alness. It includes a 2.9 km climb beginning at 23.4 km with a 104 m gain and maximum gradient of 5.7%. Both routes use mostly paved surfaces, with less than 2% unpaved or gravel. There are several railway stations near the routes, three on the Nigg route and five on the Tain route, facilitating access. Services have long stretches without facilities, up to 25.6 km on the Nigg route and 20 km on the Tain route.
More on terrain
Terrain
The routes around Inverness are mainly rolling terrain with moderate climbs up to 218 m elevation on the Nigg route and 148 m on the Tain route. The climbs average gradients around 3-4% with maximum slopes just under 6%.