Calendar An icon of a desk calendar. Cancel An icon of a circle with a diagonal line across. Caret An icon of a block arrow pointing to the right. Email An icon of a paper envelope. Facebook An icon of the Facebook "f" mark. Google An icon of the Google "G" mark. Linked In An icon of the Linked In "in" mark. Logout An icon representing logout. Profile An icon that resembles human head and shoulders. Telephone An icon of a traditional telephone receiver. Tick An icon of a tick mark. Is Public An icon of a human eye and eyelashes. Is Not Public An icon of a human eye and eyelashes with a diagonal line through it. Pause Icon A two-lined pause icon for stopping interactions. Quote Mark A opening quote mark. Quote Mark A closing quote mark. Arrow An icon of an arrow. Folder An icon of a paper folder. Breaking An icon of an exclamation mark on a circular background. Camera An icon of a digital camera. Caret An icon of a caret arrow. Clock An icon of a clock face. Close An icon of the an X shape. Close Icon An icon used to represent where to interact to collapse or dismiss a component Comment An icon of a speech bubble. Comments An icon of a speech bubble, denoting user comments. Comments An icon of a speech bubble, denoting user comments. Ellipsis An icon of 3 horizontal dots. Envelope An icon of a paper envelope. Facebook An icon of a facebook f logo. Camera An icon of a digital camera. Home An icon of a house. Instagram An icon of the Instagram logo. LinkedIn An icon of the LinkedIn logo. Magnifying Glass An icon of a magnifying glass. Search Icon A magnifying glass icon that is used to represent the function of searching. Menu An icon of 3 horizontal lines. Hamburger Menu Icon An icon used to represent a collapsed menu. Next An icon of an arrow pointing to the right. Notice An explanation mark centred inside a circle. Previous An icon of an arrow pointing to the left. Rating An icon of a star. Tag An icon of a tag. Twitter An icon of the Twitter logo. Video Camera An icon of a video camera shape. Speech Bubble Icon A icon displaying a speech bubble WhatsApp An icon of the WhatsApp logo. Information An icon of an information logo. Plus A mathematical 'plus' symbol. Duration An icon indicating Time. Success Tick An icon of a green tick. Success Tick Timeout An icon of a greyed out success tick. Loading Spinner An icon of a loading spinner. Facebook Messenger An icon of the facebook messenger app logo. Facebook An icon of a facebook f logo. Facebook Messenger An icon of the Twitter app logo. LinkedIn An icon of the LinkedIn logo. WhatsApp Messenger An icon of the Whatsapp messenger app logo. Email An icon of an mail envelope. Copy link A decentered black square over a white square.

Six family-friendly cycle routes in Inverness ideal for kids of all ages

Inverness is blessed with the River Ness and Caledonian Canal for family-friendly, traffic-free cycling.

an aerial view of Dochgarroch and Loch Ness
Dochgarroch is the perfect distance from Inverness for a family cycle. Image: whalelikefish

Inverness has made great strides, if that’s the right word, towards becoming a cycle-friendly city in recent years.

That said, many of the recommended cycle tracks in the city do include on-road sections.

So here we’re recommending only those which are completely off-road and ideal for families with children in a range of ages.

We start with…

1. Ness Islands

Close to the centre of town are the Ness Islands right in the middle of the River Ness.

They can be busy with lots of other bikers and walkers, so it’s definitely not desirable to hurtle around.

a bench, trees and water at Ness Islands in Inverness, which is great for cycling
Ness Islands in Inverness. Image: DCT

There’s lots to see on the islands so it’s best to take your time and be prepared to stop to throw sticks in the river, hunt down the fallen tree Nessie sculpture or have a picnic on carved benches.

You’re also close to Whin Park, a fantastic play area for kids on the north side of the river.

It’s closed at the time of writing for a revamp, with an opening date of Easter 2025.

2. Inverness Pump Track

If you’re looking for thrills, and hopefully not too many spills, head for Inverness Pump Track, close to Ness Islands and Whin Park.

It has a pump track, beginner pump track and a small skills area.

Inverness Pump Track, which is for cyclists of all ages and stages. 
Inverness Pump Track is for cyclists of all ages and stages.  Image: Velosolutions.

Here you can all practise your skills, whatever stage you’re at.

Combine it with a trip to Ness Islands, or a cycle along the riverside path to the Inverness Botanics and Inverness Leisure Centre, and you have the ingredients for a whole day out with the family.

There are refreshments at all the stops.

3. Caledonian Canal

A great off-road cycle route for the family. Join the canal by parking at Muirtown Basin or at Torvean, near the Tomnahurich swing bridge.

The path is flat and car-free, you just need to look out for other wheelers and walkers, and it can be quite busy.

Stop and enjoy the sights with a picnic or head on to Dochgarroch lock on either side of the canal.

It’s just under five miles from Muirtown basin, and just over four miles from Tomnahurich bridge.

boats moored at jetties on Loch Ness in an aerial shot of Dochgarroch, which is the perfect distance from Inverness for a family cycle
Dochgarroch is the perfect distance from Inverness for a family cycle. Image: whalelikefish

At Dochgarroch you’ll find lots of visitors milling about enjoying the An Talla visitor centre or heading off on a Jacobite cruise to Loch Ness.

Refuel at the cafe and head back along the other side for a change.

In summer, watching the locks in action is an added bonus.

And 3 short options – Bellfield Park, Merkinch Local Nature Reserve and Inverness Campus

You could also take the kids for a shorter cycle rides to Bellfield Park, Merkinch Local Nature Reserve and Inverness Campus.

Bellfield Park isn’t large, but packs quite a punch. It has tennis courts, a paddling pool, play area, bandstand and loos, so what’s not to love.

At Merkinch Nature Reserve in South Kessock you can see tidal pools, marshes, reedbeds and scrublands, all in one small area traversed by traffic-free paths.

Parking is at the turning circle at the end of Kessock Road, where the old ferry used to cross the firth.

Merkinch Nature Reserve. Image: Jason Hedges/DC Thomson

There are deer, birds and seals to look out for, and also plenty of picnic spots for a break in the great outdoors.

Inverness UHI Campus has a public car park, and a small network of wide, safe paths to cycle around, although there will be some slow traffic about accessing the car parks for Inverness College and the various other businesses on the campus.

a bridge crossing the loch at Inverness UHI Campus, which is great for short cycle rides
Inverness UHI Campus is great for short cycle rides. Image: Sandy McCook/DCT

It’s just over half a mile all the way round, and boasts a beautifully landscaped loch, complete with lots of birds.

By special request, please don’t feed the ducks bread.

For lots of cycling support, training and confidence

Also of note for families into cycling is Velo City Inverness, a newly launched community-interest company.

With funding from Cycling Scotland, they are offering free 1:1 and family cycling sessions for people wanting to learn to ride or to become comfortable cycling on quiet roads, or confident riding in traffic.

They’ll tailor the sessions to your needs and circumstances, and also have a huge range of bikes to try – from e-bikes to recumbent cycles.

They’re also running friendly sociable rides aimed at improving confidence and social connections while exploring local paths and quiet roads.

Conversation