Ride the North 360 (RtN 360) is a long-distance cycle route circumventing the Cairngorm Mountains in Scotland. 360 miles of cycling to complete a 360-degree loop around some of the most beautiful Scottish scenery on mostly empty roads (and sections of traffic free cycle path).
Ride the North is a mass participation cycling event in the north of Scotland and RtN 360 will piece together the best sections of numerous routes used by the event over 13 years and reintroduce the opportunity to do a challenging multi-day
Ride the North 360 (RtN 360) is a long-distance cycle route circumventing the Cairngorm Mountains in Scotland. 360 miles of cycling to complete a 360-degree loop around some of the most beautiful Scottish scenery on mostly empty roads (and sections of traffic free cycle path).
Ride the North is a mass participation cycling event in the north of Scotland and RtN 360 will piece together the best sections of numerous routes used by the event over 13 years and reintroduce the opportunity to do a challenging multi-day
A Community Spirit
RtN 360 is more focused on purely the cycling market than other touring routes in Highland Scotland – designed from the outset, not only to showcase the majestic Grampian mountains, but also to offer services that cyclists require. There are towns with shops, cafés and visitor accommodation much more regularly in the east of Scotland than in the west.
This is an initiative that will support the hotel in Kirriemuir, the café in Carrbridge and the village shop in Rhynie. There are railway lines and cycle friendly bus services following much of the route that give cyclists options in the event of unexpected challenges
The Lap of the Gods
While the route has considerable climbing it avoids the highest mountains, so does not feature the ‘snow roads’ that pass the ski stations. Instead featuring climbs like the Carin o’ Mount and Suie Hill (both having featured in the Tour of Britain) on the east side and the passes at Slochd and Drumochter among the higher mountains on the west of the circuit.
The core of the west side of the route follows the old A9 and the National Cycle Route 7 from Pitlochry to Tomatin. The RtN 360 can complement other cycle tourism experiences in Scotland – many cyclists from Europe arrive in the South/Central Belt and make their way to the Highlands/North Coast 500
Visitor Appeal
The route will include locations with clear visitor appeal such as Inverness & Loch Ness, the Speyside Malt Whisky Trail, Aberdeenshire’s Castle Trail, Royal Deeside, the Angus Glens, Highland Perthshire, the Cairngorms National Park and Discovery Quay in the City of Dundee.
Much of the route, particularly on the north and east sections skirts the foothills of the Cairngorms as well as Scotland’s agricultural heartland. Farming heritage bestows the region with a vast network of country lanes that carry little motor traffic and are very well suited to leisure cycling.
RtN 360 in Practice
Supported rides on the route will commence in 2026. Scotland has a growing profile internationally as a cycling destination and the RtN 360 will integrate with major cycling events in the region. A circuit does not require a defined start/finish point, but perhaps some itineraries may start/end at either Discovery Point, Dundee or Arbroath Abbey. The first ‘ride the north 360’ supported ride offered by velodays ltd will present 6-day, 5, day, 4-day and 3-day options. Each itinerary will culminate in the same place at the same time.
Accomplished cyclists are invited to consider a 48 hr to completion – with the website inviting registered attempts a roll call of 48-hr finishers. There may be an annual Dundee-Inverness-Dundee midsummer ride! There may be a team event. There may be partnerships with charities. All of these options will be progressed in 2026.
Future Possibilities?
Could this be a significant tourism product for Scotland? Perhaps! The route features key icons of Scotland – mountains, castles, whisky, Loch Ness etc. If others judge this has greater possibilities, there are possibilities to be more ambitious. Signposted cycling routes are more common in some European nations as the investment required is small when 99% of the core product already exists – just the marketing is absent.
Scotland will host the Grand Depart of the Tour de France in July 2027 – it will be the largest sporting/leisure event ever to have taken place in Scotland. The eyes of the cycling world will be upon us – there may/may not be a desire to create legacy projects from this occasion and to generate more visitor income from cycle tourism. The product is strong!
If you have any interest in this project and want to get in touch, please drop me an email.
Neil Innes – Velodays ltd
neil@velodays.com