3 Epic long-distance cycling trails

1. The great American Rail-Trail

The great American Trail is a multi-use trail crossing 12 states in the US. It runs from Washington DC in the east to Washington state on the Pacific coast.The trail was launched in May 2019 and can be used by cyclists, hikers and riders to traverse the entire US. At its completion it will be almost 6,000 km long, will have connected over 145 existing paths and will serve 50 million people within 80kn of the route. If that’s not impressive then I don’t know what is. Just bear in mind that it is still in progress and not finished just yet. A little progress update can be seen below.

2. The great Northern Trail

The great Northern Trail is a 1,300 km off-road trail that runs through Schotland and Northern England (from the Peak District to Cape Wrath or John o’ Groats). It’s a long old trail and is not designed to be the easiest or fastest route. Rather it is one that will force you to stop and to take in the stunning scenery and enjoy the moment.

It’s really only appropriate with mountain bikes with the trail mainly being unsurfaced. So don’t bring your road bike. I mentioned it isn’t the easiest route but don’t let that stop you. There are a variety of options available, ranging from tough trails through morelands to shorter alternative sections of canal path and unused railway perfect for a family ride.

3. The  EuroVelo6 route

This is one epic route that is 4,450 km long and crosses 10 countries whilst also popping round 11 UNESCO sites. So beauty won’t be in question here. It starts in Nantes, France and you end the route in Constanta, Romania. You’ll be going from sipping wine after a good day of cycling to putting in some museum pitstops to break up your day. Seems like a great way to explore Europe without any time pressure and has now officially been put on my bucket list!