NCN 63 - East Midlands Cycleway
NCN 63 - East Midlands Cycleway is a 189.4 km road cycling route in West Midlands with 1414 m of climbing, about 13% of it off road, and it splits into about 3 days at a moderate pace.
The route runs south-west to north-east, starting in Burton upon Trent's suburbs before crossing the National Forest and dropping into the Leicestershire coalfield towns. Surface is mostly road with a short off-road fraction that appears in the middle section. Leicester takes up several kilometres of urban riding through Dane Hills, Westcotes, Highfields and Stoneygate before the route quietens again on the lanes east towards Market Harborough country. Beyond Barleythorpe the land flattens steadily through Rutland and into the Fens, where from Eastrea to Wisbech the route is long, straight and level.
Worth knowing before you go
March is the only settlement of any size in the final fifty kilometres, so resupply beyond Peterborough needs planning. The middle section between Ibstock and Barleythorpe passes through small villages with long gaps between them. Leicester is the obvious place to break the first day, with Peterborough a natural second stop before the Fen crossing.
NCN 63 - East Midlands Cycleway in numbers
- Distance: 189.4 km
- Climbing: 1414 m
- Off road: 24 km, about 13% of the route
- Riding time: about 12 hours, roughly 3 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 63 - East Midlands Cycleway 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.