The Scottish C2C – Route Info
Linking Annan on the Solway Firth and South Queensferry on the Firth of Forth near Edinburgh, the Scottish C2C is a 125 mile signed cycle route. Like it’s English cousin (which attracts around 15,000 cyclists every year) the Scottish C2C was the brainchild of David Gray and John Grimshaw.
It is a mix of country lanes, high quality cycle paths and seaside promenades. It also features two challenging climbs, over the classic Devil’s Beef Tub and through the Moorfoot Hills, before opening out onto a panoramic view of the Lothians, Edinburgh Castle, and the Firth of Forth. It finishes under the mighty Forth Rail Bridge.
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The complete guide to the Scottish C2C cycle route, including maps, directions, attractions along the way, accommodation and much more is available here.
Distance
Annan to Forth Bridge 125 miles
Annan to Forth Bridge using Dumfries option 144.5 miles
Annan to the Coast at Musselburgh 106 miles
How long does it Takes?
Fitter, faster riders can tackle to route in 2 days with a break around halfway at Peebles, being a longer day – 69 miles – compared to a final day of 56 miles which allows more time to explore the many attractions on the section around Edinburgh.
A three day itinerary might be day one to Moffat (32 miles), day two to Innerleithen (43 miles) and a third day of 50 miles – one climb over the Moorfoot Hills then all downhill.
There is plenty of accommodation en route so very leisurely 4 or more day itineraries are also very practical.
What Kind of Bike?
Road Bike Route (all tarmac) Use the Annan to Forth Bridge option the:
- At Moffat use A701 out of town, not the old Edinburgh road
- Just after Cramond Conservation area use NCN 1 via Dalmeny village, not NCN 76 through Dalmeny estate grounds
Mountain Bike Route (mainly tarmac but several off-road sections) Use the Annan to Forth Bridge option the:
- Consider the Dumfries option which uses the very difficult off-road option through the Forest of Ae
- At Moffat use the old Edinburgh road and the track climb via Ericstane farm
- Just after Cramond Conservation area use NCN 76 through Dalmeny estate grounds
Guided rides for Groups along the Route
From Chain Events
Transport for you and Your Bikes Back to Your Start
From SLM Cycle Transport
Guidebook
Richard Peace - cycling journalist and author 
Hi richard
Just returned from c2c yesterday with hybrid bikes 3 days . Is it possible to do Scottish length with these ?
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Hi Nicola
Yes, hybrids would be absolutely fine – just be sure to take the road alternative out of Moffat to the Devils Beeftub viewpoint and avoid the Dumfries option as that uses very stony tracks through the Forest of Ae.
Hope that’s helpful – feel free to ask any other Qs.
Richard
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Done the Annan to Edinburgh ride in June 2016 Very enjoyable ride
went a little astray in the area between Leith and Queensferry but
sorted it out Good cycling area,not a lot of traffic mostly on quieter
roads The ride out of Moffat up Devils beef tub and out of Innerleithen
-the Moorfoot hills were steep but not something most cyclist would
not be able to manage Also good B&B along the way
Would definitely recommend this cycle ride
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Hi Richard, Is there any reason why I shouldn’t / couldn’t ride from South Queensferry to Annan? Living on the Forth it kinda makes sense to do it in 3 days – with the final leg a half day cycle from Moffat to Annan and then train home.
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Hi Steve
The main reason may be that it is only (still?) signed one way. This was the case in 2014 when I last did it but you could check with David Gray of Chain Events – he and John Grimshaw are the route founders and may be able to update you on any changes. See
http://www.chain-events.co.uk/
to contact David directly.
Our guidebook does have detailed maps so in any event it should be possible to complete the route following these (though we do only give actual route directions south to north).
Hope that’s helpful – would be pleased to hear how you get on!
Regards
Richard
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Thanks Richard, I’ll let you know.
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Hi Richard, Is there any reason why I shouldn’t / couldn’t ride from South Queensferry to Annan? Living on the Forth it kinda makes sense to do it in 3 days – with the final leg a half day cycle from Moffat to Annan and then train home.
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Hi Richard, myself and a friend are due to do the Annan to Edinburgh in a couple of weeks time. We are both not great with maps. How well is the route sign posted?
Thanks Wendy
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Hi Wendy
It is only signed south to north and I wouldn’t recommend the Dumfries option if you are not confident navigating – that option goes through the Forest of Ae and its all remote forest tracks with sparse signage and lots of tack junctions to easily loose yourself.
Also at Peebles and Dalkeith signage may disappear temporarily as (at the time of writing the guide anyway) the route was under negotiation or subject to change there. The book should guide you through both these areas. The option through Edinburgh centre is not the official Scots C2C but is a signed Sustrans route.
Otherwise it’s pretty easy to navigate and generally well-signed I would say. Again, any local complexities are all explained by the guidebook.
It’s a lovely route so hope the weather is great and you have a good time. I’d be happy to learn how you got on and whether you enjoyed it.
Richard
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Thanks Richard, that’s really helpful and reassuring. I will let you know how we get on.
Kind regards Wendy
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Looking at doing this in next couple of months.. relatively bike fit, and done 100miles, including beeftub climb in tour of tweeddale last year! Around 6rs.. assuming it’s easily doable in a day??
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Hi floss1975
Yes 120 miles on this route in a day sounds feasible; if on road tyres just be sure to use the A701 out of Moffat, not the off-road option which is very rough off road stuff. Otherwise surfaces are generally high quality. Also note lack of route signing around Peebles.
The route is only signed south to north at present (Annan to Forth Bridge).
For lots more detail check out guidebook on the route.
Any more questions please ask.
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Hello there. The Scottish C2C is a definite maybe for me and my mates next year. We have done the English C2C (Whitehaven to Sunderland) and coast & Castles (Newcastle to Edinburgh) and wondered where the Scottish C2C sits in terms of difficulty?
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Hi Ian
Its about the same length but I would say generally navigation is easier than the C2C and it is a little faster – the two climbs (Devil’s Beef Tub out of Moffat and North of Innerleithen through the Moorfoot Hills) are long but fairly steady climbs. Also if you avoid the off-road option out of Moffat and the coastal route to South Queensferry it is largely tarmac. The book explains the alternative options including an option for visiting Edinburgh centre.
The highest point on the Scots C2C is Devils Beeftub at 414m whilst the C2C’s highest point is Black Hill at 609m.
Also do note it’s only signed south to North. Scenic highlights for me were the Devil’s Beeftub, Peebles and the promenade ride along the beach at Portobello approaching Leith.
Hope that helps.
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Great, thanks Richard. I’ve already bought the book so looks like a definite maybe. I think that we would finish in Edinburgh for a night on the tiles!
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