Downstream face of Findhorn Bridge Downstream face of Findhorn Bridge. Photo: Stanley Howe / Geograph (CC BY-SA 2.0)
Open the interactive map → Map of NCN 7 - Sunderland to Inverness

Official route · Sustrans

NCN 7 - Sunderland to Inverness

859.3 km 7211 m climbing About 9 days 11% off road Road cycling North East England

The first two-fifths are the most varied, rolling out of Sunderland through the North Pennines before settling into gentler ground through the middle three-fifths of the route.

The fourth fifth lifts again as the line moves through Loch Lomond and The Trossachs National Park, then eases into the Cairngorms National Park before the final fifth drops back to gently rolling ground into Inverness. Around eleven percent of the route runs off road.

The figures

Distance859.3 km
Climbing7211 m
Off road92 km, about 11% of the route
Riding timeabout 51 hours, roughly 9 days at a moderate pace
RegionNorth East England
Route fromSustrans

Worth knowing before you go

The Cairngorms section is the most remote stretch, and resupply gaps there require planning. Navigation is straightforward for most of the route, which is tagged as road throughout.

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 7 - Sunderland to Inverness is an official route from Sustrans (their website).