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Inverness to Nigg

45 km road cycling route379 m climbing3 h 11 minGPX

Inverness, Highland, United Kingdom · Road

A hilly 45 km road cycling route from Inverness, Highland to Nigg through Longman, South Kessock and Craigton, with 379 m of climbing. There is a 26 km stretch without a café, shop or water (km 15–40).

Signed route The waymarked National Cycle Route 1: Dundee to Tain (part) (Walk Wheel Cycle Trust), traced from OpenStreetMap and measured against the terrain model; no member has recorded it yet. Stage 2 of 3 of the National Cycle Route 1: Dundee to Tain (part). Ridden it? Add your recording and photos.

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At a glance

Best for
Short, climbing-heavy rides
Distance
44.5 km
Point to point
Elevation gain
379 m
9 m per km
Riding time
3 h 11 min
moving time, estimated
Difficulty
Moderate
Bike
Road bike
from the mapped surface
Surface
Paved
95% paved · 1% unpaved · 3% no data
Traffic
Mostly minor roads
7.6 km on main roads without a cycle lane · 31.3 km where the limit is 80 km/h or more · 2.6 km on cycle paths or lanes
Food & water
Longest gap 26 km
147 cafés and restaurants · 14 shops · 2 petrol stations · 8 public toilets · 5 bike shops
Best months
Jun to Aug
Inverness climate, 10 years
Navigation
GPX download
free, no sign-in
Start → finish
Inverness → Nigg

Map and elevation profile

Inverness - Young Street Bridge
Photo: giggel · CC BY 3.0 · Wikimedia Commons

Elevation profile

Total ascent
379 m
Distance
45 km
050100150200250m0 km1020304045 km218 m · highest, at 32.8 kmStartFinish

Route description

  1. Inverness
  2. Longmankm 1
  3. South Kessockkm 2
  4. Craigtonkm 4
  5. North Kessockkm 5
  6. Charlestonkm 6
  7. Munlochykm 14
  8. Killenkm 21
  9. Navitykm 38
  10. Niggkm 45

The ride starts at Inverness, passing through Crown, Haugh, Merkinch, Longman, South Kessock, Craigton and North Kessock before reaching Charleston. It continues through Munlochy, Killen, Navity, and ends near Cromarty. The route is mainly on minor roads for 30.2 km (68%), with 7.5 km on main roads and 2.3 km on cycle paths. Almost all the surface is paved (95%) with just 1% gravel or unpaved. The route has three climbs: first from km 5.1 over 2.5 km gaining 50 m (average 2%, max 3%); second from km 13.9 over 2.9 km gaining 66 m; and third from km 28.2 over 4.5 km gaining 138 m, the highest point at 218 m near km 32.6.

Highlights

  • Three climbs peaking at 218 m
  • Starts at Inverness, passes through Munlochy and Charleston
  • Longest descent 3.2 km dropping 110 m near Cromarty
  • Perk café and Co-op at start in Inverness

Along the route

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

Places passed

  1. Craigton 4.2 km
  2. North Kessock 4.5 km
  3. Charleston 5.9 km
  4. Munlochy 14.2 km
  5. Killen 21.4 km
  6. Navity 37.5 km
  7. Cromarty 40.6 km

Climbs

Climbs in ride order: where each starts, what this ride climbs, and the full named ascent
ClimbStarts atOn this rideTop on this ride
Unnamed climb5.1 km2.5 km · 50 m · 2 % · max 3 %58 m
Unnamed climb13.9 km2.9 km · 66 m · 2.3 % · max 3.5 %78 m
Unnamed climb28.2 km4.5 km · 138 m · 3.1 % · max 5.5 %218 m

High point 218 m at 32.6 km; low point 0 m.

Traffic, surface and gradient

Measured from OpenStreetMap along the track and the elevation profile.

Mostly minor roads and streets on the map; 7.6 km is on main roads without a cycle lane.

Roads
68% minor road · 17% main road · 5% cycle path · 4% quiet street · 3% other roads and tracks · 3% unmapped
Main roads
7.6 km on main roads without a cycle lane — likely busier
Fast roads
31.3 km on roads with a limit of 80 km/h or more
Cycle paths
2.6 km on cycle paths or roads with a cycle lane
Surface
Paved: 95% of the route is mapped as paved, 1% as unpaved and 3% has no surface data.
Gradient
24% climbing · 22% descending · 55% flat
Longest descent
3.2 km from 37.9 km, dropping 110 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.

The longest stretch without a café, shop or water is 26 km, from km 15 to 40. Along the route: 147 cafés and restaurants, 14 shops, 2 petrol stations, 8 public toilets and 5 bike shops.

Food, water and shops in ride order

  1. 0 kmPerk · café · 90 m off route
  2. 0 kmCo-op Food · supermarket · 80 m off route
  3. 0 kmToilets · 130 m off route
  4. 0 kmSuperdrug · pharmacy · 220 m off route
  5. 0.8 kmHighland Bikes · bike shop · 30 m off route
  6. 4.6 kmWhite Cottage Cafe · café · 50 m off route
  7. 4.8 kmToilets · on the route
  8. 14.1 kmAllangrange Arms · pub · on the route
  9. 14.2 kmScotmid · convenience store · 50 m off route
  10. 14.7 kmFraser's Garage · petrol station · 50 m off route
  11. 40.7 kmCromarty Stores · convenience store · 90 m off route
  12. 40.7 kmAllan Square Public Toilets · toilets · on the route
  13. 40.8 kmSutor Creek Cafe · café · on the route

Need to bail out?

  • 0.1 km — Inverness (station), 370 m off route
  • 42.4 km — Nigg pier (ferry), 30 m off route

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

Worth a stop

  • 4.8 km — The Old Ticket Office (attraction)
  • 11.1 km — Black Isle Brewery (attraction)
  • 40.3 km — Old Gaelic Church (ruins)

Stay after this ride

  • The Royal Hotel · hotel · 2.9 km from the finish
  • The Factor's House · hotel · 3.4 km from the finish

Start and access

Starts at Inverness. Mapped within a short walk of the start and finish, from OpenStreetMap.

At the start

Food and coffee
Perk (90 m), O'Délice (120 m), Rendezvous Cafe (130 m)
Shops
Co-op Food (80 m)

Know before you go

  • 25.6 km without café, shop or water from km 14.7 to 40.3
  • 7.6 km on main roads without cycle lane
  • 31.3 km on roads with 80 km/h speed limit
  • 0.3 km of gradient above 5%

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

2 photographs from the road

Photo: giggel · CC BY 3.0 · Wikimedia Commons · Photo: Peter Moore · CC BY-SA 2.0 · Wikimedia Commons · Photo: Julian Paren · CC BY-SA 2.0 · Wikimedia Commons

Stage of

About this route

Route line
Traced from the waymarked route’s relation in OpenStreetMap.
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 Inverness (Open-Meteo).
GPX
Generated from the route line: track points only, no timestamps or personal data.
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