Why this ride
A 190 km round trip from Glasgow - roughly 2 h 48 in the saddle. On the way it passes The Forth Bridge, Old and New Towns of Edinburgh, back through Old and New Towns of Edinburgh and back through The Forth Bridge.
CURVESCOUT / MOTORCYCLE RIDE
Glasgow long day · Old and New Towns of Edinburgh
Plan this ride
- Recorded distance
- 190 km
- Riding-time estimate
- 2 h 48
- Journey
- Recorded itinerary
Distance and timing basis
The recorded total and the leg detail need reconciliation. Inspect the leg notes before using this record for timing or navigation. Stops, delays, approach and any separate return travel add time. Basis: producer-declared routed record.
Reading history stays on this device. My road watch requires a separate selection; opening it does not subscribe this ride.
Distance and riding time are measured on the routed road. Check local closures and conditions before you ride.
Scenic road chapters
The Forth Bridge → Old and New Towns of Edinburgh
Speed drops and stays down. Park rather than crawl through. 16 km through ground somebody thought worth listing. The road passes it rather than bypassing it.
Chapter facts
- Length
- 16 km
Waypoint introductions and full write-ups
1. Glasgow
Glasgow is a Victorian city that learned to like itself again. In the nineteenth century it was the second city of the British Empire, building ships and locomotives on the Clyde, and the grand sandstone buildings of the Merchant City and the West End are the evidence. In the twentieth century, as the shipyards declined, the city went through hard times, but today it has a thriving music and arts scene, and a reputation for warmth and humour that people from elsewhere often find startling.
Read the complete Glasgow write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
Glasgow is where the day begins. Next is The Forth Bridge.
2. The Forth Bridge
When the Forth Bridge opened in 1890, it was the longest cantilever bridge in the world, and it still looks like nothing else: three enormous diamond-shaped steel towers, joined by long arms, striding across the Firth of Forth to carry the railway between Edinburgh and Fife. Its engineers, Sir John Fowler and Sir Benjamin Baker, designed it after the collapse of the Tay Bridge in 1879 had shaken public faith in iron and steel, and they overbuilt deliberately, with great tubes of steel that made the structure look as strong as it was. The bridge is a UNESCO World Heritage Site, listed in 2015.
Read the complete The Forth Bridge write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
The Forth Bridge comes up 23 km in.
3. The Forth Bridge
Return visit. Read the place description above.
Read the complete The Forth Bridge write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
At least 56 km in you reach The Forth Bridge. Next is Old and New Towns of Edinburgh.
4. Old and New Towns of Edinburgh
Edinburgh is built on the remains of a volcano. The Castle sits on a plug of hard rock, and the ridge that slopes eastwards from it, the Royal Mile, carries the medieval Old Town on its back, a tall, dense, soot-dark jumble of closes and tenements that went up because the city was shut inside walls and could only grow upwards. In 1767 the council ran a competition for a plan to build a New Town on the open ground to the north, and the winning design by a young architect named James Craig gave the city a grid of Georgian terraces, squares and gardens. The contrast between the two halves, medieval and classical, is the reason UNESCO listed the combined area in 1995.
Read the complete Old and New Towns of Edinburgh write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
Old and New Towns of Edinburgh, about halfway.
5. Old and New Towns of Edinburgh
Return visit. Read the place description above.
Read the complete Old and New Towns of Edinburgh write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
Old and New Towns of Edinburgh sits at 92 km, about halfway. Next is back through Old and New Towns of Edinburgh.
6. back through Old and New Towns of Edinburgh
Return visit. Read the place description above.
Read the complete Old and New Towns of Edinburgh write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
back through Old and New Towns of Edinburgh comes up 115 km in. Next is back through The Forth Bridge.
7. back through The Forth Bridge
Return visit. Read the place description above.
Read the complete The Forth Bridge write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
138 km in you reach back through The Forth Bridge.
8. back through The Forth Bridge
Return visit. Read the place description above.
Read the complete The Forth Bridge write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
back through The Forth Bridge, late in the day. Next is Glasgow.
9. Glasgow
Return visit. Read the place description above.
Read the complete Glasgow write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
The route ends here after 190 km.
Leg by leg
Glasgow to The Forth Bridge
Glasgow → The Forth Bridge is 76 km of getting across. Ride it tidily and keep the enthusiasm for what comes after.
The Forth Bridge to Old and New Towns of Edinburgh
The Forth Bridge → Old and New Towns of Edinburgh is 16 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
back through Old and New Towns of Edinburgh to back through The Forth Bridge
back through Old and New Towns of Edinburgh → back through The Forth Bridge is 16 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
back through The Forth Bridge to Glasgow
back through The Forth Bridge → Glasgow is 76 km of getting across. Ride it tidily and keep the enthusiasm for what comes after.