Kirkpatrick C2C route revealed

Experienced cyclists in search of an exhilarating new challenge are in for a real treat this summer when the UK’s newest coast to coast cycle route is officially launched in the South of Scotland.

Project partners behind the eagerly-anticipated Kirkpatrick C2C, South of Scotland’s Coast to Coast unveiled details of the route itself, from Stranraer in the west to Eyemouth on Scotland’s southeast coast. Tourism businesses along the route are busy making preparations to welcome new visitors to the region.

The route is named after Kirkpatrick Macmillan, the 19^th century Dumfriesshire blacksmith who invented the first pedal-driven velocipede pictured

Find out more about the routes

There are two recommended ways of tackling the Kirkpatrick C2C, depending on how much time riders choose to spend cycling each day and/or how long they plan to spend discovering the area around the route.

The Explorer Route takes cyclists across the country in eight stages, with daily cycling distances varying from 21 miles (Newcastleton to Hawick) to 51 miles (Dumfries to Newcastleton).

Meanwhile, the Challenge Route can be done over four days, starting with a 74-mile stretch from Stranraer to the charming artists’ town of Kirkcudbright and finishing with a 59-mile ride from Selkirk to Eyemouth.

Explorer Route

• Stranraer – Newton Stewart – 39 miles

• Newton Stewart – Kirkcudbright – 35 miles

• Kirkcudbright – Dumfries – 28 miles

• Dumfries – Newcastleton – 51 miles

• Newcastleton – Hawick – 21 miles

• Hawick – Melrose – 25 miles

• Melrose – Coldstream – 28 miles

• Coldstream – Eyemouth – 23 miles

Challenger route

• Stranraer – Kirkcudbright – 74 miles

• Kirkcudbright – Langholm – 69 miles

• Langholm – Selkirk – 48 miles

• Selkirk – Eyemouth – 59 miles

Key partners in the route launch photocall at the SSDA conference at Peebles Hydro.