Secret City routes are routes specific to certain cities (or towns). Because it’s nearest to where I live, I started with Secret Plymouth routes. Routes for other cities and towns will follow, with the exception of Birmingham. For Birmingham, I’ll simply refer you to ecobirmingham (see the link at the bottom).
What’s the secret?
Back when Sky Rides were a thing, I was a Ride Leader for British Cycling, taking people on led rides (mostly) in Plymouth. I lost count of the number of people who said something along the lines of “I lived in this city all my life, and I never knew this was here!”
The “secret” part of Secret City routes is simply secret insofar that most people would be aware of the route, and fewer still would be familiar with what’s to be found along the route.
Are these led rides?
No, they’re not. However, if you used the superb RideWithGPS app on your phone, to guide you along the route, you will see on-screen prompts along the way that tells you more about what’s immediately around you. In that sense, while you can cycle the routes on your own, or with others, you will still be guided along the route.
The purpose of the routes is to entice you along on a mini adventure, and see the area in a new way. And perhaps get you visiting parts you never visited before! Cycle routes are different to car routes, but a mistake we all make when we first get back into cycling is to think of routing in the same way as when driving. These routes may help you look at cycling routes differently.
Route information
Please note that these are intentionally not meant to be fast commuter routes (though some sections can be used for that purpose). Also, in places, you might be required to get off your bike. In fact, in a few spots, you may even encounter steps along the route.
Where steps are along the route, the route guide will tell you, and offer suggested alternatives. Please note, the alternatives might be on busier roads than any of us would prefer.
The (not so) small print
While I’d love to say I thought of all this on my own, the truth is I shamelessly copied some of the brilliant work being done by Ecobirmingham. In fact, even the name comes from their Secret Birmingham rides.