Dover to Cape Wrath Itinerary
The day before the tour starts we will meet for an evening meal at Dover. This day is designed to give you chance to get to the start point in preparation to start cycling on Saturday. At the end of the tour we finish cycling on Thursday and transfer to Inverness where we will spend the last evening.
Tour dates available:
Fri 12th - Fri 26th July 2013 - Only 6 Places left No single room option left
Fri 16th - Fri 30th August 2013 - Places available
Dover to Brentwood
We will leave the English Channel and the white cliffs behind and begin our journey north. Keeping away from main roads for the most part we will pass through Canterbury and Sittingbourne and the Medway towns of Gillingham, Chatham and Rochester before crossing the River Thames at Gravesend. We will spend our first night on the road at Brentwood in the county of Essex.
Brentwood to St. Ives
More quiet country lanes take us further north through a number of typically English little villages to pass by Stansted Airport. We will continue to the University town of Cambridge where our route takes us alongside the traffic free Cambridgeshire Guided Busway to our next nights stop at St. Ives.
St. Ives to Lincoln
Another easy day takes us over the Bedford Level to Whittlesea where the flat land continues all the way to Lincoln. Longer mileages in the early stages will reap rewards when we get further north where the terrain is hillier.
Lincoln to York
Leaving historic Lincoln behind we continue along quiet lanes along more flat terrain and the cycling is easy. Further north we cross the Humber over the iconic bridge and cycle into the Yorkshire Wolds where we continue to York.
York to Middleton-in-Teesdale
Continuing through the Yorkshire Wolds we will encounter a few hills as we cross the River Derwent and pass through Malton and on through the woodlands around Yearsley Moor. Skirting the edge of the North York Moors a scenic Sustrans route takes us through Northallerton and onto Barnard Castle and a lovely road to Middleton-in-Teesdale.
Middleton-in-Teesdale - Dumfries
We cycle through some truly spectacular scenery as we pass through peaceful Teesdale and cross the Northern Pennines. A long gradual climb followed by a long gradual decent dominates the early part of the day as we cycle to Alston which makes a good place for a brew. The terrain flattens out as we continue over the Scottish border as we pass through Gretna, Annan and onto Dumfries. This is a long day but very rewarding in terms of scenery.
Dumfries to Broddick
Another long day awaits as we continue across Scotland through beautiful scenery en route to Ardrossen where we have a ferry to catch. There are a few miles of tricky navigation to the ferry along the coast through Ayr, Prestwick and Troon to the Ardrossan ferry. The first of a number of ferries we will cross the Firth of Clyde over to Broddick on the Isle of Arran where we will spend the night. From here we begin the most scenic and exciting section of the trip as we continue northwards along the West coast of Scotland.
Broddick to Oban
A superb coastal road takes us northwards to Sannox Bay before cutting inland to the north coast of Arran where we will catch the ferry over to Kintyre. A superb day with fantastic scenery takes us along Kintyre often hugging the coastline to where we stop at Oban. Overlooking the Firth of Lorne to the Isle of Mull, Oban makes a great stop before we venture further into the impressive wilderness.
Oban to Malaig
The ferry from Oban takes us over to the Isle of Mull where we cycle along the northern coast but not for long as we soon take another short ferry across the Sound of Mull and back onto the mainland. Here we cycle amongst some of the most spectacular scenery that our country has to offer, lets just hope the weather is on our side! We spend the night in the small coastal town of Mallaig, ready to catch the ferry in the morning.
Malaig - Kinlochewe
Another spectacular day takes us across the Isle of Skye to cross the impressive Skye Bridge at the Kyle of Lochalsh and back to the mainland. Loch Alsh, Loch Carron, Loch Torridon and the Glensheildaig Forest are place names that feature along this tough yet rewarding route.
Kinlochewe - Ullapool
Inching ever closer we continue past the impressive mountains around Beinn Eighe and Kinlochewe. Cycling by the banks of Loch Maree we pass Loch Gairloch and Loch Ewe and pass the Isle of Ewe and also Gruinard Island before passing the Falls of Measach and onto the picturesque fishing village of Ullapool.
Ullapool to Durness
This will be our last full day in the saddle as we position ourselves at Durness ready for the final stretch to our destination at Cape Wrath. Durness is a small village situated a stones throw away from the last section over the Kyle of Durness towards Cape Wrath.
Durness to Cape Wrath (and back)
Getting to Cape Wrath is a logistical nightmare but it is worth the extra effort to get to the most north westerly point of mainland UK. Firstly we need to take a small boat over to the road that takes us to Cape Wrath. Once over the water there is a 12 mile section of road that is in bad condition and also the area is often used by the army as a firing range! After everyone has visited the lighthouse we need to get back to Durness and to our coach which will take everyone to Inverness for a last night celebratory meal.
