To celebrate the National Cycle Network at the turn of the century, Sustrans commissioned four artists from the four countries of the United Kingdom to design cast iron ‘Millennium Mileposts’.

Mileposts were created and installed across all the regions, stretching to all corners, some as far north as the Shetland Islands. You’ll find them in rural locations along our routes, at train stations and other key locations where the network runs through villages, towns and cities.

Over 1,000 Millennium Mileposts were installed around the UK, with 175 of those in Scotland.

For the 20th anniversary of the National Cycle Network Sustrans Scotland began the process of giving the mileposts a new lease of life through painting and repositioning. Staff and volunteers have been working at the huge task of painting the 175 mileposts in Scotland, many of which have not been painted since they were first put in position over 15 years ago! We hope this project will help put them on the map once again.

The first post to be commissioned was designed by Brighton based Jon Mills, entitled “The Fossil Tree”. The post takes the form of an abstract tree with relief imagery of fossils depicting the passage of time from early primitive creatures to the ultimate demise of fossil fuel driven technology.

The Scottish sculptor Iain McColl designed the second post, “The Cockerel”. The influences behind this one are Miro's "The Fork" and Branusci's "The Cock". This design has additional space that has been left for partners to cast their own short message.

The design by Welsh artist, Andrew Rowe, is based upon the nautical and industrial heritage of his native Swansea and can have up to four directional fingers.

The fourth post is titled "Tracks", designed by Belfast artist David Dudgeon. The main design on the post shows the tracks made in the landscape by cyclists. This is complemented by a piece of text exploring sensations and observations one makes whilst travelling through various environments.

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