Lochs & Glens Day 1 Carlisle - Dumfries

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.