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Exploring Fife on Max’s MTB

98 km road cycling loop683 m climbing5–7 hoursGPX

Edinburgh, City of Edinburgh, United Kingdom · Road

A rolling 98 km road cycling loop from Fountainbridge through Murrayfield, Cramond and Hillend, with 683 m of climbing over Exploring Fife.

Route contributed by Richard Chapman · Created from a ride on Wednesday 4th May 2022

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At a glance

Best for
Rolling day rides for fit, experienced riders
Distance
97.9 km
Loop
Elevation gain
683 m
7 m per km
Riding time
5–7 hours
moving time, estimated
Difficulty
Hard
Bike
Road bike with sturdy tyres, or gravel bike
from the mapped surface
Surface
Mostly paved
91% paved · 9% unpaved · 1% no data
Traffic
Mostly minor roads
13.9 km on main roads without a cycle lane · 13.4 km where the limit is 80 km/h or more · 31 km on cycle paths or lanes
Food & water
Regular
485 cafés and restaurants · 114 shops · 5 water points · 5 petrol stations · 18 public toilets · 13 bike shops
Best months
Jun to Sep
Edinburgh climate, 10 years
Navigation
GPX download
free, no sign-in
Start and finish
Fountainbridge

Map and elevation profile

Elevation profile

Total ascent
683 m
Distance
98 km
050100150200m0 km2040608098 km166 m · highest, at 57.7 kmStartFinish · back at the start

Route description

  1. Fountainbridge
  2. Murrayfieldkm 2
  3. Cramondkm 8
  4. Hillendkm 23
  5. Seafieldkm 40
  6. Exploring Fifekm 47
  7. Aberdourkm 62
  8. Burnshotkm 82
  9. Gorgiekm 90
  10. Fountainbridgekm 98

Starting from Fountainbridge in Edinburgh, the route passes through West End, Haymarket, and Murrayfield before reaching the Firth of Forth at Cramond around 8.4 km. It continues to South Queensferry and crosses the Forth Road Bridge cycleway to North Queensferry. The ride proceeds through Inverkeithing and Hillend with a short climb starting at 18 km gaining 40 m at 2.8% average gradient. It heads on to Dalgety Bay and Burntisland, then Kinghorn and Kirkcaldy where a longer 6 km climb begins at 46.9 km with 159 m gained at 2.6% average gradient, reaching 161 m height.

Why ride this route?

  • Climbs Exploring Fife (6 km at 2.7 %).

Highlights

  • Forth Road Bridge (East Cycleway) at 18.6 km
  • Longest climb 6 km from 46.9 km
  • Burntisland at 33.1 km
  • Kirkcaldy at 45.8 km

Along the route

Measured from the route line, the Copernicus elevation model and OpenStreetMap.

Places passed

  1. Blackhall 4.9 km
  2. Silverknowes 6.3 km
  3. Barnton 7.6 km
  4. Cramond 8.4 km
  5. Cammo 9.2 km
  6. South Queensferry 15.5 km
  7. North Queensferry 18.6 km
  8. Inverkeithing 21 km
  9. Hillend 22.8 km
  10. Dalgety Bay 24.4 km
  11. Burntisland 33.1 km
  12. Pettycur 36.8 km
  13. Kinghorn 37.4 km
  14. Seafield 40 km
  15. Port Brae 42.8 km
  16. Pathhead 43.7 km
  17. Sinclairtown 43.9 km
  18. Kirkcaldy 45.8 km
  19. Linktown 46.7 km
  20. Aberdour 61.9 km
  21. Jamestown 71.7 km
  22. Echline 75.6 km
  23. Scotstoun 77.2 km
  24. Dalmeny 78.1 km
  25. Burnshot 81.6 km
  26. Davidson's Mains 85.6 km
  27. Muirhouse 86.1 km
  28. Drylaw 87 km
  29. Craigleith 87.8 km
  30. Gorgie 89.9 km
  31. Merchiston 90.4 km
  32. Dalry 90.6 km
  33. Bruntsfield 91.3 km
  34. Edinburgh 91.5 km
  35. Tollcross 91.5 km

Climbs

Climbs in ride order: where each starts, what this ride climbs, and the full named ascent
ClimbStarts atOn this rideFull ascentTop on this ride
Unnamed climb18 km1.4 km · 40 m · 2.8 % · max 6.1 %—40 m
Exploring Fife46.9 km6 km · 159 m · 2.6 % · max 5.2 %6 km · 159 m · 2.7 %161 m
Unnamed climb74.4 km2.1 km · 44 m · 2.2 % · max 5.7 %—44 m

High point 166 m at 55.5 km; low point 0 m.

On this ride: the part this route climbs, cut from its own elevation profile. Full ascent: the whole named climb, measured the same way on every ride that uses it (its climb page).

Exploring Fife · full ascent, starts at 46.9 km

6 km at 2.7% · 159 m
50100150m2.6%2.2%2.7%3.3%2.0%0 km123456.0 km160 m
< 4%4 – 7%7 – 10%> 10%

Traffic, surface and gradient

Measured from OpenStreetMap along the track and the elevation profile.

Mostly minor roads and streets on the map; 13.9 km is on main roads without a cycle lane.

Roads
28% cycle path · 22% quiet street · 14% main road · 11% path · 25% other roads and tracks
Main roads
13.9 km on main roads without a cycle lane — likely busier
Fast roads
13.4 km on roads with a limit of 80 km/h or more
Cycle paths
31 km on cycle paths or roads with a cycle lane
Main roads used
Kinghorn Road (6 km), Forth Road Bridge (East Cycleway) (4 km), Standing Stanes Road (4 km)
Surface
Predominantly paved: 91% is mapped as paved, 9% as unpaved or gravel.
Gradient
19% climbing · 18% descending · 63% flat
Steep sections
0.7 km over 5%
Longest descent
2.6 km from 57.9 km, dropping 82 m

Food, water and services

Within a few hundred metres of the track, from OpenStreetMap. Opening hours change — treat this as where to look, not a promise.

No stretch is longer than 15 km without a café, shop or water. Along the route: 485 cafés and restaurants, 114 shops, 5 water points, 5 petrol stations, 18 public toilets and 13 bike shops.

Food, water and shops in ride order

  1. 0.2 kmTesco Express · convenience store · on the route
  2. 0.9 kmBlack Sheep Coffee · café · on the route
  3. 6.5 kmTesco · supermarket · 110 m off route
  4. 16 kmToilets · 40 m off route
  5. 20.8 kmStarosta Cafe · café · on the route
  6. 23.4 kmBP · petrol station · 100 m off route
  7. 33.3 kmOn A Roll · café · 40 m off route
  8. 33.3 kmTop Up Tap · drinking water · 60 m off route
  9. 33.9 kmToilets · 90 m off route
  10. 40.8 kmToilets · 40 m off route
  11. 42.6 kmMerchants House Cafe · café · on the route
  12. 47.3 kmMorrisons · petrol station · 30 m off route
  13. 60.3 kmDrinking water · on the route
  14. 70.6 kmHalf Crown · pub · on the route
  15. 70.6 kmLindsay & Gilmour Pharmacy · pharmacy · on the route
  16. 71.7 kmToilets · 80 m off route
  17. 75.7 kmShell · petrol station · 210 m off route
  18. 90.2 kmomnicare · pharmacy · 30 m off route

Need to bail out?

  • 1 km — Haymarket (station), 80 m off route
  • 14.3 km — Dalmeny (station), 90 m off route
  • 28.5 km — Aberdour (station), 50 m off route
  • 37.2 km — Kinghorn (station), 100 m off route
  • 45.8 km — Kirkcaldy (station), 740 m off route
  • 70.4 km — Inverkeithing (station), 370 m off route
  • 91.5 km — Edinburgh Waverley (station), 1.4 km off route

Whether bikes are carried depends on the service — check before relying on it.

Worth a stop

  • 21 km — Mercat Cross (monument)
  • 28.7 km — Aberdour Castle (ruins)
  • 33.3 km — Broomhill viewpoint (viewpoint)
  • 64.8 km — St Bridget's Kirk (ruins)
  • 70.4 km — St Heriot's Well (archaeological site)
  • 75.4 km — Forth Bridges Viewpoint (viewpoint)

Start and access

Starts and finishes at Fountainbridge. Mapped within a short walk of the start, from OpenStreetMap.

At the start and finish

Bikes and repair
Fettle (280 m), Evans Cycles (230 m)
Food and coffee
Main Street Beanery (40 m), KUBA (70 m), Sofia's Lounge (30 m)
Shops
Tesco Express (200 m)

Know before you go

  • 13.9 km on main roads without cycle lanes
  • 13.4 km on roads with 80 km/h+ speed limits
  • 13 km without café, shop or water between 47.3 km and 60.3 km
  • Gravel or unpaved surfaces for 9% of the ride

Routes are for inspiration. Roads, surfaces and conditions change — check locally and ride within your limits.

10 photographs from the road

About this route

Ridden by
Richard Chapman
Date ridden
Route line
Built from a GPS recording of the ride.
Elevation
Recalculated from the Copernicus GLO-90 terrain model every 50 m, not the device’s barometer.
Roads, surface, services
Measured along the line from OpenStreetMap extracts.
Best months
Ten years of ERA5 weather for Edinburgh (Open-Meteo).
GPX
Generated from the route line: track points only, no timestamps or personal data.
Page added
Page last updated

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