NCN 1 - North Sea Cycle Route
NCN 1 - North Sea Cycle Route is a 2590.3 km road cycling route in The United Kingdom (eastern edge) with 6273 m of climbing, about 20% of it off road, and it splits into about 34 days at a moderate pace.
South of Yorkshire the route is flat to gently rolling, mostly on road, and moves quickly through the Fens and along the Norfolk coast. It takes long inland diversions, through Norwich and Lincoln among others, so the line is not strictly coastal whatever the name suggests. North of the Humber the character shifts: the North York Moors bring the first real climbing, and the stretch around Whitby loses its signage. The longest haul of the whole route is the inland pull from Berwick-upon-Tweed northward toward Edinburgh.
When to ride NCN 1 - North Sea Cycle Route
The eastern seaboard is exposed to wind off the North Sea for most of the year, and a southerly start in spring gives you the prevailing wind at your back as the route runs north. Winter riding is possible but the northern sections, particularly the Northumberland coast and beyond, are short on daylight and cold.
Worth knowing before you go
The section after Whitby has a gap in signing, so carry a downloaded track or a map for that stretch before you leave. Resupply is straightforward through the market towns of Lincolnshire and Norfolk, but thins out on the Northumberland coast. The Lee Navigation out of London is the longest continuous traffic-free stretch in the south; most of the route around Newcastle is also off road.
NCN 1 - North Sea Cycle Route in numbers
- Distance: 2590.3 km
- Climbing: 6273 m
- Off road: 526 km, about 20% of the route
- Riding time: about 200 hours, roughly 34 days at a moderate pace
Water, food, campsites and stations along this route are shown on the interactive map.
Plan it and ride it
The map on this page carries the surface breakdown, the elevation profile and every point of interest. You can split the route into days against your own pace, see what it will cost to ride, and take it with you. Download the GPX.
Read the NCN 1 - North Sea Cycle Route route guide.
Getting to the start without flying · Browse all routes
Route from Sustrans.
Compiled by Ed Hunton, Cicerone guidebook author, from TourTrax's own route data.