Benchmark on wall on SE side of B5300 at East End Farm Benchmark on wall on SE side of B5300 at East End Farm. Photo: Luke Shaw / Geograph (CC BY-SA 2.0)
Open the interactive map → Map of NCN 72 - Cumbrian Coast

Official route · Sustrans

NCN 72 - Cumbrian Coast

139.1 km 728 m climbing About 2 days 4% off road Road cycling Lake District & Cumbria

The route runs up the Cumbrian coast from Ravenglass, threading through the industrial settlements of Egremont, Moor Row, Kells and Workington before turning northeast along the Solway shore.

The surface is almost entirely road. North of Siddick the settlement thins and the line straightens, passing through Allonby and Holme St Cuthbert on the way to Bowness-on-Solway. From there it follows the south shore of the Solway east through Drumburgh, Burgh by Sands and Kirkandrews-on-Eden before the final kilometres into Carlisle through Stanwix and Caldewgate.

The figures

Distance139.1 km
Climbing728 m
Off road5 km, about 4% of the route
Riding timeabout 6 hours, roughly 2 days at a moderate pace
RegionLake District & Cumbria
Route fromSustrans

Worth knowing before you go

Resupply is straightforward as far as the Workington conurbation, which strings Parton, Moresby, High Harrington, Salterbeck and Barepot together in quick succession. Between Siddick and Kirkbride there is a long stretch with few settlements and limited services. The route is described as taking roughly two days at a moderate pace, so overnight stops need planning across that central section.

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 72 - Cumbrian Coast is an official route from Sustrans (their website).