The Best Cycling Route Planning Apps in Scotland
Say goodbye to dodgy routes along A-roads and other trafficked routes, and hello to traffic-free paths and wind in your hair. In this detailed review, we have gathered some of the best cycling route planning apps specific to Glasgow and Scotland.
When I first moved to Scotland, I had never considered the need for a route planner specific to cycling. I used to use Google Maps to find my way around on my bike - similar to what many drivers do in the UK. However, it didn’t take me long to realise that using Google Maps in Scotland meant that I would be going into some hefty traffic - even despite choosing the cycling option. It also seemed to assume I would be annoyingly fast on my bike… Not quite the confidence boost I was looking for. If I hadn’t already been a keen cycle commuter, it could easily have put me off cycling. Fortunately, I learned that there were other less trafficked routes to get around the cities - routes you wouldn’t necessarily notice if you were in a car or on public transport.
Now that’s all good and well if you know these routes. However, if you’re not already familiar with them, how do you find these routes when you can’t trust your regular navigation apps? Well joining a led ride is always an excellent way to familiarise yourself with the local infrastructure. On top of that there are lots of other navigation apps which are significantly better for cyclists. The only problem is that the majority of the information online is targeted at sports cyclists rather than new cyclists or commuters. Therefore, they seem much more focused on community features and rankings rather than simple route planning. And let me be honest with you, I don’t care how fast John cycled 60 miles on country roads, when I’m simply trying to find a safe route to my dentist.
That’s why we have put together a list of some of our favourite route planning apps for navigating safely around Glasgow on a bicycle. These apps also work well if you venture further afield in Scotland. And for the sports cyclists - don’t worry we’ve included a couple of options that also provide route inspiration and community features.
All apps mentioned are free for route planning.
Don’t skip the last section where we provide you with a ranked comparison of all the apps.
CycleStreets
If you have ever ventured past the council’s webpage on cycling, you may already have come across CycleStreets. CycleStreets is specifically designed to create routes from A to B. In the app you can also report about sections/issues which may help other road users. This is the no-frills app for route planning.
Pros:
It’s super easy to quickly look up a route. You simply add your start and finish points and off you go.
It creates a detailed description of your route
It saves your routes, so if you’ve planned a route in advance, it will work offline.
Cons:
If you’re looking to go for a ride for leisure and fitness then give CycleStreets a miss - it doesn’t allow you to design a loop.
It could do well with an update. If you take a look at the reports, you’ll find many of them out of date. Often infrastructure has been built since the photos were taken. While it has often been updated for the better, I’ve experienced being navigated to a locked fence because there was no longer a through-road.
You can’t navigate using the app.
Plotaroute.com
Plotaroute has been my go-to website for route planning for years. And yes, you read correctly – Plotaroute is a website and unfortunately not an app, at least not yet. However, it certainly deserves a mention as it does work both on a computer and on your phone, so it’s just as pocket-friendly as the other apps.
Whether you are planning an A to B route or a leisurely loop, Plot a Route allows you to do just that. Cycling infrastructure is marked in blue making it easy to spot and create traffic-free routes.
Pros:
The routes are fully customisable – both on the web and on the mobile version.
You can easily find information about your route such as hills, terrain and stats (if that takes your fancy).
Cons:
You can only make 5 private routes with the free version (you can make unlimited public routes). For your privacy I’d recommend to set the starting point of your route close to your home (or whichever other private location) instead of right by your home.
It’s a bit fiddly to create a route on the mobile version. If you like me lack the patience, save yourself the hassle and create the route on a computer first and then access the route via your mobile later.
Mapy.cz
Whenever the conversation falls on navigation apps, you’re guaranteed to hear me rave about Mapy.cz. Oftentimes people look puzzled when I mention its name - they’ve never heard of it and need to get the spelling a couple of times: “Oh so only one p”, “What was the last bit again?” “Does it really work offline?”.
But if it’s really that good, how come so many people haven’t heard of it? Well it’s taken a while to get all the app’s features translated to English so I presume that may have put some people off. However, there are plenty of reasons to rave about this Czech app - it’s simply a brilliant resource. It's packed with features - far more than what you can expect from a free app. I’ve used it countless times both cycling, hiking and driving. While less detailed compared to OS maps, I’ve found its offline features more reliable when you’re in the hills, the navigation feature works when you’re without signal and comes in handy whenever you venture slightly outside of the Central Belt of Scotland and the cycle paths are always easy to find.
Pros:
This is the closest you get to the navigation apps you use for driving such as Google Maps, Apple Maps or Waze with the navigation feature (useful only if you have a phone mount on your bike).
Cycle routes are clearly marked in pink so easy to spot. Even better they distinguish between segregated cycling infrastructure and cycle routes/lanes (full line=segregated, dotted=cycle route/lane)
Various maps available - outdoor and satellite maps being the most useful (in my humble opinion).
Works offline (both maps and navigation) - just need to make sure to download the region
Using the Outdoor map you can view contour lines (very handy if you like hillwalking too)
Leisure routes can be created from your start point using 'Trips nearby'
It includes points of interests – great if you’re going for a leisure ride and want a bit of sightseeing on your cycle trip.
Cons:
The search function isn’t as up-to-date as some of the other apps. For instance, you won’t be able to look up Women on Wheels using the search function (although we have reached out to them in the hope that they’ll get us added!).
This app is packed with features, so it may take a wee while to find all the different features and get the most out of the app.
Unlike Plotaroute and Komoot, you’re unable to create your own loops (the app can create loops and leisure trips for you).
Komoot
One of the more popular and well known apps on the list. Komoot is the go to app for most of our instructors at Women on Wheels. It’s versatile and has a tonne of features. Unfortunately, some of the features are unavailable in the free version, but it’s nonetheless a brilliant app. Like Plotaroute you can fully customise a route when you use the web version on a computer. You’ll then be able to open this route on your phone and navigate - easy peasy! If you’re not looking to plan a full route for leisure, the app is excellent for A to B routes.
Pros:
Routes are fully customisable using the web version on a computer. On the mobile app, you can create A to B routes and adjust the route by adding waypoints (ensuring you go the route you’d like to or include that fabulous coffee stop)
Navigation available within one region for free. Even tells you how fast you’re travelling (rabbit emoji)
Works offline when you’ve downloaded a route (unlike Mapy.cz, you can’t create routes when you’re offline)
Excellent for route inspiration
Record and track routes (great if you’re looking to improve pace or fitness)
You can follow friends, who create cracking routes (saves you the time and hassle)
Cons:
Lots of features are unavailable in the free version.
Like Mapy.cz, Komoot has a tonne of features so it may take a while getting your hang of using the app.
Bikemap
I’ll have to be honest - I had never heard of Bikemap till I started researching for this blog. I have since used it various times to plan routes and it usually creates nice straightforward routes to follow (if you choose the balanced route that is). That said, the only standout feature in my opinion (and the reason it’s worth highlighting in this blog) is the option to select cycle path priority. For anyone, very uncomfortable on the roads, this feature will allow you to create routes where cycle paths are prioritised over the quicker routes. Expect a decent detour, but it’ll keep you off the road almost entirely.
If you’re willing to pay for the premium version I reckon it’ll be a fabulous app with lots of features to benefit from, but if you're merely looking for a route planner, there are better ones on the market.
Pros:
You can prioritise how important it is that the route follows cycle paths. This is an excellent feature if short road sections are a worry to you.
Excellent for route inspiration
Like Komoot you can record and track routes
You can follow friends, who create cracking routes (saves you the time and hassle)
Cons:
Lots of features are unavailable in the free version - navigation being a big minus.
While the intention of community features such as where to find ‘drinking water’ is great, they don’t seem to be used (and hence, are of no benefit to you at the moment)
How do the apps compare?
Each app has its strengths and weaknesses. Choosing the best cycle route planning app is at the end of the day a personal preference. However, to make your life a little easier, we’ve ranked and compared the apps reviewed against different categories helping you choose the best one for you.
Best for route planning
Komoot
Mapy.cz
Plotaroute
Best for navigation
Mapy.cz
Komoot
CycleStreets (only if you like to navigate the old fashioned way with written directions)
Best for offline use
Mapy.cz
Komoot
CycleStreets
Little to no sense of directions?
Let’s face it: even with the best navigation tool in hand, some of us may still get lost along the way… Personally as a visual learner, I find route finding much easier once I’ve cycled a route before. Simply by having seen the houses, parks and odd objects I’ve passed, I can much more easily navigate the route again.
If that resonates with you, I can warmly recommend joining either a led ride or get teamed up with a bike buddy who can cycle a particular route with you.