The Great North Trail
The great north trail an absolutely epic ride, pedalling up to cape wrath in Scotland The 780-mile epic ride starts in the Pennines and ends at the most north-westerly point, cape wrath. It’s rugged, it’s tough and beautiful. A very rewarding ride when you get to the end, some days will have you wishing you were there already while others you just want to stop and admire the beauty. I think I always knew it was going to have its challenges, a ride like this always does, but when I introduced the video with “Today we are starting the Great” and at that point a roar of thunder and a flash of lighting would interrupt me I knew I would have my work cut out. And for the next four days, I did. Not only did I have to contend with the relentless Pennine Bridal way and the steep terrain and the endless gates. (Gates for gates sake, uhh I hate gates. Build ramps over them all, I say) I would have endless rain, and when I say rain I mean torrential rain all day. It was some character building stuff.
Ironically the further North I got the better the weather got and so did the trails, this is a ride of two halves the first half, England is the tiring and mind testing part, but once you cross the boarder into Scotland you are treated to trails that are incredible to ride and all that work to get there starts to feel worth it. There are still times that will test you, of course. But the camping is incredible when you get into Scotland and the trails seem to at least feel a bit more ridable.
I think if you want to take this on yourself you need to have that mentality that there are going to be good times and bad times, and you need to learn to take the good with the bad, a high level of fitness and bike handling skills is one thing. But being able to overcome the mental battles of a ride like this is something else. I wouldn’t recommend taking on this route if you don’t have an MTB, it will be miserable on a gravel bike for a great deal of it.
When you do finally reach that lighthouse though, what a feeling, and you will be super proud of yourself for making in (I will be too) just a FYI the ferry across from Durness doesn’t run all the time, a couple of times a day and can be tidal dependent. I arrived, and the ferry had been cancelled, so had to wait an extra day to cross. I took the chance to go to an actual campsite just round the corner for the first shower in 10 days.
Ferry details Here
The End. Just about see it
This route starts slightly before the official start point in derby for easier train access with a quiet road ride to the official start point, the start of the Pennine bridleway.
