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The Cycle Superhighways are Mayor Boris's grand plan to provide fast, efficient routes through London – a series of 12 numbered routes radiating from the centre.
The first ones were roundly (and rightly) panned, essentially consisting of blue-painted cycle lanes on existing busy roads. Accident blackspots were left untouched and HGVs were allowed to stray in at will. If anything, they did more harm than good.
But change is coming. The designs are now being revised to include Dutch-style 'segregated' tracks, where a physical barrier keeps bikes and cars apart. This promises to be a huge step forward. (There’s already a very small number of such routes in London, notably Royal College Street in Camden, and Torrington Place in Bloomsbury.)
The first of these is on Cycle Superhighway 2 along Stratford High Street, providing a mile of safe, car-free cycling. Improvements are planned for the rest of the notorious CS2, including the terrifying Bow Roundabout.
Blue cycle signs mark out the ‘London Cycle Network’, an older collection of back-streets and cut-throughs that help you get from A to B without being mown down. Extending deep into the suburbs from central London, they’re not purpose-built cycleways as such, just suggested routes on existing roads occasionally aided by cycle crossings and short paths.
They're rarely the fastest way to get anywhere, nor any guarantee of a safe route. Still, if you're not in a hurry, you'll often find them a useful aid in planning a route across the city.
They’re signed with simple blue signs, just like a normal road sign. Route numbers are sometimes included, but not as consistently as on the National Cycle Network. The network was never quite completed and maintenance is patchy, so don’t be surprised if the signs give out on occasion.
The idea of signposting less-trafficked roads as through-routes has been now revived as ‘Quietways’, part of the Mayor’s Cycling Vision. None have yet been created; it’s to be hoped that the blue signs will be accompanied with cycle priority measures and traffic calming at the very least.
The NCN isn’t a frequent sight in London. It does offer a useful route largely following the Thames, NCN 4, which starts in Greenwich and broadly follows the river into West London and beyond to Reading. There’s also NCN 1 in the east of the city, along the rivers Lee and Thames; and two rambling routes south, the Wandle Trail (NCN 20) and Waterlink Way (NCN 21). They can be pleasant Saturday afternoon rides, but these routes are unlikely to form part of your daily commute.
Anglesey Abbey is a fascinating historical mishmash, a 12th century priory converted to a country house, given 1930s-style gardens, and filled with artworks and furniture from the past. It’s lovingly cared for by the National Trust, and the best way to arrive is by bike – you even get a discount on the entrance charge.
Follow the signs for National Cycle Network route 51 east from the city centre, staying on the south bank of the river until the railway bridge, then following the cycle route down to the Newmarket Road where a safe path begins. At Bottisham, follow the signs to Lode; the Abbey is signposted from the village.
You can return the same way, or take the National Trust-owned railway path and a series of tracks across the fields to Clayhithe. From there, the riverside path will take you home.
Perhaps the stereotypical Cambridge experience, the idyllic Grantchester Meadows were immortalised in song by Pink Floyd (“a river of green is sliding unseen beneath the trees… laughing as it passes through the endless summer making for the sea”).
The narrow path has long been open to cyclists. From the riverside Mill pub, it’s traffic-free almost all the way – there’s just the quiet residential streets in Newnham Croft to pass through. Grantchester has plenty of pubs and a café, or just bring a picnic for the meadows!
This is one of those perfect routes where you can go as far as you like: just up to Milton Country Park, to Waterbeach, or even all the way to Ely.
Leave the town on the riverside path, heading north, and make sure you’re on the west bank after the Green Dragon. After Baits Bite Lock, you can turn left for Milton Country Park and a loop home, via NCN route 11.
Alternatively, stay on the river as far as Clayhithe, on the edge of Waterbeach. Turn left here for Waterbeach station, or cross the river and follow the road south if you want to go further. This 180° turn may seem counter-intuitive, but unfortunately recalcitrant landowners have ruled out a more direct route – for now.
Turn left (east) before you reach Horningsea, and follow tracks until you reach the National Trust-owned old railway line. This will take you to Lode, where you can pick up NCN route 11 towards Ely. This passes through Wicken Fen, also owned by the Trust, a fascinating wetland and a real chance to discover the serenity of the Fens. New bridges and cycleways have been constructed to take you across to the village of Wicken.
From here, it’s seven miles on tracks, minor roads and the riverside path to the cathedral city of Ely. Trains run frequently back to Cambridge from here.
The inner Ring Road is the worst spot for accidents, particularly to the south of the city centre. Three junctions in succession have a poor safety record: those with Trumpington Road, Hills Road/Regent Street, and Mill Road/Parkside. Improvements have been announced for the Hills Road junction, but local cyclists are sceptical that they’ll actually make a difference.
Mill Road itself is avoided by many cyclists. Though there’s a 20mph limit, it still has a high collision count. You can often piece together a backstreet route as an alternative, but unfortunately it’s almost a mile north to the next bridge over the railway, at Coldham’s Lane. Take care on the other arterial routes, too: Milton Road’s shared-use path should be safe, but exasperatingly gives out at crucial moments, requiring you to mix with the traffic.
Made in the Cotswolds. Published by Éditions Système D Ltd.
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