📌 Cycle route on Isle of Great Cumbrae, North Ayrshire
★★
Almost everyone exploring the island of Great Cumbrae does so by pedal power: the island’s coast road is quiet, scenic, flat as a pancake and – at 10 miles in length – easily manageable for most people. Little need for cars on the island means little traffic to contend with; in fact, bikes outnumber motorised vehicles in summer, and the island is sometimes referred to as The Island of a Thousand Bicycles (perhaps just by the cycle hire shops looking to drum up trade). Beaches, headlands, monuments and painted rocks provide countless excuses to stop and admire the panorama: to the Ayrshire mainland on the east side, north into the Highlands, to Bute on the west side, and south towards mountainous Arran. The photos on this page show the route in anticlockwise order.
📷 Chronological photo guide
Millport 
Lion Rock 
Looking towards the mainland from the southeast corner of the island 
Oystercatcher 
Heading north along the east coast 
Just south of the ferry slipway 
Firth of Clyde 
HMS Shearwater monument 
Across the firth to Largs 
White Bay 
Hooks for wartime anti-submarine nets at Skate Point 
Skate Point 
Indian Rock! 
Bell Bay 
Not quite sure what this is supposed to be… 
War memorial 
Southwest corner of the island, with views to Arran
🌍 Location
📌 Start / finish on Guildford Street (B896), Millport town centre, Isle of Bute
🧭 O.S. Grid Reference: NS 161548
🛰️ GPS coordinates: 55.751767,-4.931852
🚢 Cumbrae slip, at a different point on the route (start here if bringing your own bike) | 🚌 Bus to Millport at route start, connecting with ferry at Cumbrae slip
🚗 Car parks / street parking (you still have to use the ferry to get to the island!)
📝 Key info
▶ 16 km / 10 mi | ▲ Negligible | ⌛ 1.5 hr
Features: 🏠 Millport ★★★ & town sights; 🏛️ Museum of the Cumbraes ★★; 🐟 Robertson Museum and Aquarium ★★; 🌊 Great Cumbrae coastline
Terrain: Tarmac public road, mostly quiet and nearly flat.
🚲 Hire bikes in Millport town centre – several options
Download file for GPS➡️ Anticlockwise circuit of island, following coast road
🥾 On our last visit
Wildlife: Oystercatchers, gulls & other seabirds.
Weather: Sunny, fairly light winds, temperature in mid teens.
June 2018
