Cycling in Isle of Arran
2 cycling routes from Isle of Arran, North Ayrshire, United Kingdom, 60 to 90 km, 150 km mapped in all, with up to 827 m of climbing in a day. Rolling riding (9 m of climbing per km on average), mostly road routes, 42% of the riding on main roads without a cycle lane. Best months to ride: Jun to Aug.
At a glance
- Routes
- 2
- Lengths
- 60–90 km
- Biggest day
- 827 m
- Terrain
- Rolling
- Surface
- Mostly paved
- Bike
- Road bike
- Difficulty
- Moderate to Hard
- Named climbs
- 1
- Best months
- Jun to Aug
- Longest gap
- 16 km
- GPX
- Every route
Know before you go
Added up from the recorded routes and OpenStreetMap; nothing estimated.
- Surface
- Paved almost throughout.
- Roads
- 42% of the riding on main roads without a cycle lane.
- Climbs
- 1 named climb.
- Bail-outs
- A railway station or ferry within reach on 2 routes.
- Ridden
- Aug to Sep, 15–20 °C recorded.
Cycling guide to Isle of Arran
The Isle of Arran in Scotland features two popular cycling routes. The Brodick to Corrie via the String Road route is a 59.5 km point-to-point route with 596 m of climbing, passing through numerous villages including Brodick, Blackwaterfoot, and Corrie. The route's highest elevation is 229 m. It includes 29.5 km on main roads without cycle lanes and 0.6 km of cycle paths. The route is almost entirely paved with just 1% gravel or unpaved sections.
The Round Arran route is an 89.9 km loop with 850 m of elevation gain. This longer route circles the island, passing many settlements such as Brodick, Lamlash, Whiting Bay, and Lochranza. The highest point reached is 200 m. It has 33.7 km of main roads without cycle lanes and 1.7 km of cycle paths. Like the other route, this one is 99% paved. Both routes have several railway stations nearby and include stretches without services up to 16 km on the shorter route and 11.1 km on the longer one, making provision planning important for cyclists.
More on best time to ride, terrain
Best time to ride
August with temperatures ranging between 18°C and 21°C on the listed routes.
Terrain
The terrain features moderate rolling climbs with average gradients of 4.3% to 5.7% on the main ascents. The highest points are 229 m on the Brodick to Corrie route and 200 m on the Round Arran loop. The longest climbs are between 3.9 km and 4.6 km in length, with maximum gradients reaching about 10.7%.