Lochs & Glens Day 1 Carlisle - Dumfries

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52.1 mi
1,831 ft
05h35
Hard

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Route information

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Last verified: 1 July 2025
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Description by the author

Sustrans Lochs & Glens cycle route starts in Carlisle in northern England and leaves the city via a dedicated cycle path, which was one of Sustrans' first projects in Scotland, and continues along the rolling hills and meadows of Ayrshire, with stunning views of the Isle of Arran and the Clyde Coast. A striking feature on this route is the huge Galloway Forest Park. That is more than a wood producer with its gigantic size of almost 200,000 hectares of forest, heathland and lochs. Leaving the forest means a descent to the Solway coast, a refuge for many bird species and a final ride leg via Dumfries and Galloway. Despite the turbulent history of this "Gateway to Scotland", it is now a quiet area with farms and tranquil rural towns. The castle ruins are the only tasable memories of the centuries of cross-border raids.

After Glasgow, the route runs right through the central part of the Highlands. A traffic-free section on the Drumochter Pass (one of the highest traffic passes in Britain) is one of the highlights of the route. The route takes you over open moors, wooded hills and fertile arable land, and passes the lochs of Tay, Earn, Lubnaig and Venachar and the Cairngorm mountains.

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Route origin

Route description

Region

Statistics

Difficulty level: Hard (83/100)

Length: 52.1 mi

Duration: 05h35


Total ascent: 1,831 ft

Maximal slope: 3.49 %

Average slope: 0.67 %

Net ascent: -9.84 ft

Total descent: 1,841 ft

Roads and subsoil

Paved roads: 50.5 mi (97 %)

Cobblestones: 0 ft (0 %)

Bike paths: 3.09 mi (6 %)

Scenery

Car free roads: 2.21 mi (4 %)

Noise pollution

Amount of traffic


Natural area

Urban area

Water rich area

Characteristics

  1. Light traffic
  2. Public transport accessible

Themes

    Groups

    1. Cycling-Britain
    2. National Cycle Network (UK)

    Start and end of the route

    Closest address to start: Eden Bridge, CA1 1JQ Carlisle, UK
    Closest address to end: St Michael Street, DG1 2PR Dumfries, UK

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    Places of interest

    1. BBC Radio Cumbria

      0 · Radio tower
      BBC Radio Cumbria is the BBC's local radio station serving the county of Cumbria. It broadcasts on …
      Wikipedia
    2. Carlisle Castle

      0 · Castle
      Carlisle Castle is in Carlisle, in the English county of Cumbria, near the ruins of Hadrian's …
      Wikipedia
    3. Carlisle Market Hall

      0 · Market
      Carlisle Market Hall is a market hall located in Carlisle, Cumbria, England. It was built between …
      Wikipedia
    4. Strand Road drill hall

      0 · Music hall
      The building was designed as the headquarters of Carlisle Rifle Volunteers on land granted by the …
      Wikipedia
    5. River Caldew

      0 · River
      The River Caldew is a river running through Cumbria in England.

      The river rises high up on the …
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    6. Milecastle 68

      0 · Castle
      Milecastle 68 is a conjectured milecastle of the Roman Hadrian's Wall. The site of the …
      Wikipedia
    7. Floriston railway station

      0 · Trainstation
      Floriston railway station was a station which served the rural area around Floristonrigg, …
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    8. Longtown

      0 · Village
      Longtown is the location of the largest sheep market in England. The first animal to be found to …
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    9. River Tweed

      0 · River
      The River Tweed is 156 km long and flows primarily through the Borders region of Scotland and …
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    10. Longtown railway station

      0 · Trainstation
      Longtown railway station served the town of Longtown, Cumbria, England, from 1861 to 1970 on the …
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    11. Gretna Green

      0 · Municipality
      Gretna Green is a parish in the southern council area of Dumfries and Galloway, Scotland, on the …
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    12. Gretna Green

      0 · Village
      Gretna Green is famous for runaway weddings. It was historically the first village in Scotland, …
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    13. Gretna Green railway station

      0 · Trainstation
      Gretna Green is a railway station on the Glasgow South Western Line, which runs between Carlisle …
      Wikipedia
    14. Gretna

      0 · Municipality
      Gretna is a town in Dumfries and Galloway, Scotland, originally part of the historic county of …
      Wikipedia
    15. Battle of Sark

      0 · Event
      The Battle of Sark, alternatively called the Battle of Lochmaben Stone, was fought between England …
      Wikipedia
    16. Eastriggs

      0 · Village
      The existance of Eastriggs is very much related to World War I. The Township of Eastriggs was …
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    17. Battle of Dornock

      0 · POI
      In 1333 Edward Balliol, a claimant to the Scottish throne, sought support from the English King …
      Wikipedia
    18. Dornock

      0 · POI
      Dornock is a small Scottish village in Dumfries and Galloway, situated about 1 mile west of …
      Wikipedia
    19. Annan Shawhill railway station

      0 · Trainstation
      Annan Shawhill was a station on the Solway Junction Railway at Annan in Dumfries and Galloway, …
      Wikipedia
    20. Annan

      0 · City
      Annan is a town and former royal burgh in Dumfries and Galloway, south-west Scotland. …
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    21. Newbie Branch

      0 · Trainstation
      The Newbie Branch, Newbie Siding or Cochran & Cos Siding was a freight or mineral branch in …
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    22. Powfoot Halt railway station

      0 · Trainstation
      Powfoot Halt railway station was a railway station in Powfoot, near Dumfries and Galloway, …
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    23. Ruthwell

      0 · Municipality
      Ruthwell is a village and parish on the Solway Firth between Dumfries and Annan in Dumfries and …
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    24. Ruthwell

      0 · Village
      Ruthwell has the first modern commercial savings bank. It was paying interest on its investors' …
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    25. Brow

      0 · Municipality
      Brow is a hamlet on the B725 lying around 3 km from Ruthwell in the Parish of that name on the …
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    26. Ruthwell well

      0 · Well
      A well situated 3 km west of the village of Ruthwell is stained reddish by the high levels of iron …
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    27. Isle Tower

      0 · Castle
      Isle Tower also known as Lochar Tower and Bankend Tower is a 16th-century ruined tower house …
      Wikipedia
    28. Troqueer

      0 · Municipality
      Troqueer is a former village and a parish in the historic county of Kirkcudbrightshire in Dumfries …
      Wikipedia
    29. Dumfries

      0 · City
      There are many buildings in Dumfries made from sandstone of the local Locharbriggs quarry.The …
      Dromos
    30. Dumfries and Galloway

      0 · POI
      Dumfries and Galloway is a county constituency in the House of Commons of the Parliament of the …
      Wikipedia

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