> > > > I agree that it sounds round, but looking at google results I find that > this use of circular route is extremely common. > > That doesn't surprise me in the context of hiking/cycling trails (I am not commenting on public transport). A specific example I am familiar with: the national organisation responsible for trails in the Republic of Ireland ( irishtrails.ie) systematically labels trails as either "format: linear" or "format: circular". Its counterpart in Northern Ireland (walkni.com) similarly uses "route shape: linear" or "route shape: circular".
Of course many of the linear trails are far from a geometric straight line, and the circular trails often do not resemble geometric circles. Readers are trusted to understand that "circular" means that if you follow the waymarks for the stated distance, you will return to the same point without backtracking on your own footsteps (or not much, often there may be a short section at the start that is covered in both directions). While "linear" means that if you walk the official distance you will end up some way from your start point. It may well be possible to return by the same route, but that would mean covering twice the official distance.
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