The National Cycle Network is the national cycling route network of the United Kingdom, which was established to encourage cycling and walking throughout Britain, as well as for the purposes of bicycle touring. It was created by the charity Sustrans who were aided by a £42.5 million National Lottery grant. In 2017, the Network was used for over 786 million cycling and walking trips. In 2020 the NCN was recorded as having miles of signed routes. It is made up of of traffic-free paths with the remaining on-road. It uses shared use paths, disused railways, minor roads, canal towpaths and traffic-calmed routes in towns and cities.
History
The Bristol and Bath Railway Path is a walking and cycling path on a disused railway. It opened in 1984 and was the first part of what would later become the NCN. The original goal was to create of signed cycle routes by 2005, with 50% of these not being on roads, and all of it being "suitable for an unsupervised twelve year old." By mid-2000, of route was signposted to an "interim" standard, and a new goal was then set to double that to by 2005. August 2005 saw the completion of that goal. In 2018, Sustrans published the which reviewed the quality and usage of the Network and set out a vision for its future. It estimated that in 2017, 4.4 million people made 786 million walking and cycling journeys on the Network. , there were of signed cycle and walking route that are part of the Network.
Routes
National routes
There are ten main national routes. they are not all complete.
NCN routes beginning with numbers 1 to 6 are generally in England, the routes that begin with a 7 start in the far north of England and Scotland, with 8 are generally in Wales, and 9 in Northern Ireland. The main route numbers have one digit ; other routes have two digits, starting with the number of the relevant main route. There are also many shorter routes, reaching smaller towns and cities, that have three-digit numbers. Again, the route numbers start with the number of the main route for that region. For example, the Great North Cycleway in northern England has route number 725. Signs showed the route numbers on a blue background. Routes have been progressively renumbered with three-digit national numbers. Some routes are numbered to match the motorways and major roads that connect the same destinations; examples include National Route 62, which by connecting the two sides of the Pennines mirrors the M62 motorway.
Signage
The network is signposted using a white bicycle symbol on a blue background, with an inset box showing a white route number on a red background. In general, signs do not show destinations or distances. On some older signs, regional route numbers have a blue background instead. The system of symbols is based on that used by the Danish National Cycle Route network.
Mileposts
One thousand "Millennium Mileposts" made from cast iron were funded by the Royal Bank of Scotland to mark the creation of the National Cycle Network, and these are found along the NCN routes throughout the UK. There are four different types: "Fossil Tree", "The Cockerel", "Rowe Type", and "Tracks". The four artists are from each country of the UK, though all posts can be found in all four countries. Most mileposts contain a disk featuring symbols and text in code. There are 60 different designs, spread across the country. They form part of the Millennium Time Trail, a treasure hunt puzzle created by Sustrans in 2001. The Verse held within the coded text is:
