Overall Rating for this segment of the Trans Pennine Trail: ⭐⭐⭐ The Trans Pennine Trail (TPT) crosses England from the Irish Sea to the North Sea. This guide is for just one part of the overall TPT. It covers the 7.2 miles of traffic-free cycling between Altrincham and Warrington. This route is suitable even for […]
Cole Green Way traffic-free cycle route
Cole Green Way Overall Rating: ⭐⭐⭐ The Cole Green Way is a 5 mile route that runs along a disused railway line. The route as shown below starts at Hertford East train station, so you can easily get there by bike. Just be sure to first read my Bikes on Trains post. The route shown […]
Thames Path traffic-free cycle route
Thames Path Cycle Route Overall Rating: ⭐⭐⭐ The Thames Towpath runs through South West London for 23 miles, mostly traffic-free. Given its location, it is surprisingly secluded, well wooded and quite rural in places. Please Note: At the time of writing flood alleviation works are underway at Barnes and Putney resulting in towpath closures and […]
Two Rivers Cycleway
Two Rivers Cycleway Overall Rating: ⭐⭐⭐ The Two Rivers Cycleway runs from the mouth of the river Wear at Sunderland to near the mouth of the river Tyne in South Shields. It is the route of NCN 1, too. The route is about 8 miles long. Getting there There are metro stations near the endpoints […]
Hayling Billy Line traffic-free cycle route
Hayling Billy Line cycle route overall rating: ⭐⭐⭐ The Hayling Billy Line mostly follows the path of a disused railway, from Havant onto Hayling Island, South East Hampshire. It’s quite a short route, at just 5.6 miles, and that includes a short stretch on quiet lanes, to end at the Inn On The Beach. If […]
Lagan and Lough Cycleway cycle route
Lagan and Lough Cycleway overall rating: ⭐⭐⭐ The Lagan and Lough Cycleway is a (mostly) traffic-free route, running from Jordanstown, though Belfast, to Lisburn. There are some segments along busier roads, but on shared pavements alongside the road. There are also several short segments along (normally) quiet roads. The route shown on the map has […]
The Water Railway traffic-free cycle route
Water Railway Cycle Route Overall Rating: ⭐⭐⭐ The Water Railway is a traffic-free cycle route of 16 miles, linking Lincoln with Kirkstead. It was built on the course of a disused railway, from which it got the name. The trail is sandwiched between the river Witham and the South Delph drain. The route as shown […]
Grand Union Canal – Paddington Branch
GUC Paddington Branch Overall Rating: ⭐⭐⭐ Originally built to link Paddington with the Grand Union Canal, the Paddington Branch is 13.5 miles long, and offers surprisingly serene cycling in the heart of London. It can get very busy at times, and further along can get rather narrow. Of course, when the Paddington Branch meets the […]
Tissington Trail Traffic-free Cycle Route
Tissington Trail cycle route overall rating: ⭐⭐⭐ The Tissington Trail is a disused railway in Derbyshire, and is now a traffic-free cycle path. It follows the route of the old Buxton to Ashbourne railway line, which opened in 1899. Stretching for almost 17 miles, from Ashbourne to Pomeroy, the route offers Victorian railway heritage in […]
High Peak Trail traffic-free cycle route
High Peak Trail cycle route overall rating: ⭐⭐⭐ The High Peak Trail is an 18 mile traffic-free cycling route that follows the course of the old Cromford and High Peak Railway. Normally, trails along disused railway lines have gentle gradients, and most of the High Peak Trail is either flat, or has a very gentle […]
The Cinder Track Traffic-free Cycle Route
Cinder Track Overall Rating: ⭐⭐⭐ The Cinder Track runs for 21 miles, from Scarborough to Whitby, along a disused railway line. As with most disused railway lines, it’s quite flat. The Cinder Track got its name because the track ballast was made from cinders, rather than the usual crushed stone. The start and end of […]
Bowes Railway Path Traffic-free Cycle Route
Bowes Railway Path Overall Rating: ⭐⭐⭐ The Bowes line is an old railway, which like many others in north East England was built by George Stephenson. It originally ran to carry coal from collieries around Dipton in County Durham down to ships moored on the Tyne in Jarrow. Most of it is now a walking […]
Marriott’s Way Traffic-free Cycle Route
Marriott’s Way Cycle Route Overall Rating: ⭐⭐⭐ Marriott’s Way is a shared path of 26 miles, linking Norwich with Aylsham via a circuitous route. As you’d expect from a trail on a disused railway, it’s very flat. There are sculptures or benches at every mile marker, and a bike shop inside the old signal box […]
Middlewood Way Traffic-Free Cycle Route
Middlewood Way Cycle Route Overall Rating: ⭐⭐⭐ The Middlewood Way is a disused railway line, running for 10.4 miles between Macclesfield and Marple. As is the case whenever possible, the route starts right by Macclesfield train station, and ends at Marple station. Do note that to catch a train from one station to the other […]
Cloud Trail Traffic-free Cycle Route
Cloud Trail Cycle Route Overall Rating: ⭐⭐⭐ The Cloud Trail runs from the close to the Derby town centre, and runs for 13 miles to Worthington. It starts off following the river Derwent, then follows the Derby Canal Path, before joining a disused railway path. I started this route right from Derby train station, meaning […]
Two Tunnels Greenway
Two Tunnels Greenway Overall Rating: ⭐⭐⭐ The Two Tunnels Greenway got it’s name because (you guessed it!) the route runs through two tunnels. One of those, the Combe Down Tunnel, is just over a mile long, and is the longest tunnel on a traffic-free cycling route in the UK. For the purposes of this guide, […]
Colliers Way traffic-free cycle route
Colliers Way Cycle Route Overall Rating: ⭐⭐⭐ Colliers Way is a disused railway in Somerset. Sustrans says it stretches for 17.5 miles from Frome to Monkton Combe. However, from Radstock to Monkton Combe is mainly on-road, albeit mostly on (normally) quiet lanes. As a result, this guide covers just the segment from Frome to Radstock, […]
Cuckoo Trail Traffic-free Cycle Route
Cuckoo Trail Cycle Route Overall Rating: ⭐⭐⭐ The Cuckoo Trail runs from Heathfield to Polegate, passing through Hellingly, Horam, and Hailsham. The trail got its name from an old tradition of releasing a cuckoo at the Heathfield Fair, and offers 14 miles of traffic-free bliss in East Sussex. This is a disused railway, and so […]
Union Canal Traffic-free Cycle Route
Union Canal Cycle Route Overall Rating: ⭐⭐⭐ The Union Canal, starts by the Falkirk Wheel and ends Edinburgh, 34 miles away. It is a contour canal, therefore has no climbing. There are three aqueducts and two tunnels and the path along each of those is narrow and cobbled, so it’s suggested that you walk your […]
Cambridge Guided Busway
Cambridge Guided Busway Cycle Route Overall Rating: ⭐⭐⭐ The Cambridge Guided Busway was originally built as a service road for the busway. Sadly, when it floods (as it does from time to time) the local authority refuses to do anything about it, claiming it’s a service road. However, when talking about what they’re doing for […]