Cairngorms ready for cycling boom after success of UCI Cycling World Championships

Businesses in the Cairngorms are hoping to take advantage of a boom in cycling following the UCI Cycling World Championships which were held in Glasgow and elsewhere in Scotland this summer.

Bike hire shops and the Cairngorms Business Partnership have teamed up to map more than 650 miles of cycling routes across the national park.

The routes have been digitally mapped with turn-by-turn instructions and are available for locals and visitors to download for free to guide them on their cycling adventures.

Select bike rental shops have also been equipped with state-of-the-art GPS devices to assist customers when exploring the Cairngorms by bike.

The routes start in villages across the national park and explore paths and trails that link with businesses such as cafes along the way.

The project is partly funded by the Capercaillie Project and many of the routes avoid sensitive capercaillie locations, allowing cyclists to explore the trails knowing their impact on nature is minimised.

Promotional materials have been made available in locations across the Cairngorms to highlight these newly mapped routes.

The Cairngorms Business Partnership says the national park is the “perfect location to explore by bike” after the success of the UCI world championships earlier this month.

Mark Tate, the partnership’s CEO, said: “The Cairngorms National Park has miles and miles of world-class trails and paths to explore by bike. These newly mapped trails help visitors to experience our world renowned nature with downloadable maps, turn-by-turn directions and giving top tips on how to enjoy the national park in a way that also allows nature to thrive.

“There are also top tips for places to visit including the essential coffee and cake stops! The combination of landscape, trails and attractions we have here really makes the Cairngorms home to some of the best cycling in Scotland.”

The digital routes are available to download at visitcairngorms.com/cycle

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