NCN 4 - Celtic Trail

657 km 4478 m climbing About 7 days 16% off road Road cycling London & South East

The first two fifths run flat to gently rolling through the Cotswolds and North Wessex Downs, and the riding stays manageable for a long while.

The gradient stiffens gradually through the middle of the route before the final fifth turns noticeably rolling, particularly through Pembrokeshire Coast. Around sixteen percent of the route is off road, so the surface is predominantly tarmac but not entirely. The line is tagged as road.

The figures

Distance	657 km
Climbing	4478 m
Off road	104 km, about 16% of the route
Riding time	about 37 hours, roughly 7 days at a moderate pace
Region	London & South East
Route from	Sustrans

Worth knowing before you go

Seven days at a moderate pace leaves reasonable daily distances, but the hillier finish into Pembrokeshire demands more from tired legs. The off-road sections are spread across the route rather than concentrated in one place, so check your tyre choice before you leave. Pembrokeshire Coast is the most remote stretch, and resupply points thin out accordingly.

Put your own dates on this and TourTrax splits it into days at your pace, finds somewhere to sleep at the end of each one, estimates what it will cost and gets you to the start without flying.

Plan this route → Download the GPX

Other route guides

NCN 4 - Celtic Trail is an official route from Sustrans (their website).