The National Cycle Network is a network of cycle routes that cover most of the mainland United Kingdom. The routes are chosen to minimise contact with normal traffic, for example by using former pedestrian routes, disused railways, or using very minor roads, or traffic-calmed routes in towns and cities. The National Cycle Network was created by the charity Sustrans (Sustainable Transport), whose goal was to create 5,000 miles of cycle routes by the year 2000. This was achieved, and the goal is now to double that by the year 2005. As of 2004 the network is approximately 8,000 miles in total length.

The network is comprehensively signposted using a white bicycle symbol on a blue background, and the NCN route number in white in a red inset box. There are also a number of regional routes, facilitating the expansion of the network to smaller towns and cities with ten designated regions. Regional routes are indicated with white numbers on a blue background. The system is based on that used by the Danish Cycle Network .

The main national routes are:

• NCR 1 - Dover to the Orkney Islands, via London, Edinburgh, John o' Groats
• NCR 2 - South coast, from Dover to Bodmin
• NCR 3 - Bristol to Land's End, incorporating the Cornish Way and the West Country Way
• NCR 4 - London to St David's in West Wales.
• NCR 5 - Reading to Holyhead, via Birmingham and The Midlands
• NCR 6 - Windsor to The Lake District, via Derby and the Pennine Cycleway
• NCR 7 - Carlisle to Inverness
• NCR 8 - Cardiff to Holyhead through the heart of Wales. Also known as Lôn Las Cymru
• NCR 9 - Belfast to Dublin (proposed)

Other national routes include:

• NCR 20 - Crawley to Brighton
• NCR 21 - Greenwich to Eastbourne, via Lewisham, Crawley, East Grinstead, and Heathfield
• NCR 27 - Ilfracombe to Plymouth; also known as the Devon Coast to Coast cycle route
• NCR 32 - Bodmin to Truro, via Padstow and Newquay; part of the Cornish Way cycle route
• NCR 42 - Chepstow to Abergavenny and NCR 8 at Glasbury (an extension is proposed from Gloucester to Chepstow); part of Lôn Las Cymru
• NCR 47 - Newport to Fishguard, providing an inland alternative to the Celtic Trail cycle route
• NCR 56 - Chester to Liverpool via Wallasey
• NCR 61 - Maidenhead to Rickmansworth via Uxbridge
• NCR 62 - the Trans Pennine Trail from Southport to Selby
• NCR 64 - Market Harborough to Lincoln
• NCR 65 - the White Rose cycle route from Hull to Middlesbrough
• NCR 68 - the Pennine Cycleway , running up the spine of England from Derby to Berwick-upon-Tweed
• NCR 71 - from the White Rose route near Northallerton to Workington, via Appleby, Penrith, and Whitehaven
• NCR 75 - Glasgow to Edinburgh; also known as the Clyde to Forth cycle route
• NCR 77 - Dundee to Pitlochry via Perth
• NCR 91 - Portadown to Tynan ; includes a figure of eight based around Enniskillen and known as the Kingfisher Trail
• NCR 92 - Enniskillen to Derry
• NCR 94 - A circuit of Lough Neagh; also known as the Loughshore Trail
• NCR 95 - Tynan to Pettigoe , via Lough Neagh and Newtownstewart .

Other parts of the network include:

• The Nicky Line - Hemel Hempstead to Harpenden.
• C2C - Whitehaven or Workington to Newcastle upon Tyne or Sunderland

Further reading

• Sustrans, 2002. The Official Guide To The National Cycle Network, 2nd ed. Italy: Canile & Turin. ISBN 1901389359.

External links

• Sustrans
• National Cycle Network

Websites covering parts of the Celtic Trail route 47 and the Taff Trail route 8

• Sustrans Rangers Cymru
• The Taff Trail - tafftrail.org
• Valley Rides