Cycle routes

York has a number of good-quality traffic-free routes. Its major innovation is the Orbital Route, a bike ring road with 26 numbered junctions. At each one, signs point along cycle routes to the city centre and out to the suburbs.

The Orbital itself is a patchwork of roadside paths, residential roads and traffic-free sections. Though this means there are a few too many crossings and turns to get anywhere fast, it’s a clear, simple concept that will help you find the best routes around town.

York is bisected by the River Ouse, and riverside paths run alongside it both north and south of the centre. There’s no path in the very centre, though, so you’ll need to take the road route on the south/west bank. To the north, the traffic-free route contniues to Clifton and out towards Beningbrough, while southbound it reaches Bishopthorpe and Selby. The new Millennium Bridge in the south of the city provides an excellent link between the two riverside paths, but it’s a shame there’s no equivalent in the city centre: you’ll find yourself manhandling your bike over the narrow, stepped Scarborough Bridge.

From the University, an excellent route runs west over the pretty meadow of Walmgate Stray, heading for the river at the Millennium Bridge. (There’s also a direct, though busier, route via Heslington Road.) A cyclepath snakes around the campus to the Science Park, but keep your eyes open at bends – it’s busy and narrow, so you can’t cut corners.

Swindon to the Thames

The River Thames at Lechlade is within easy reach of Swindon – just a 13-mile ride, mostly flat and on quiet roads. Head east out of town via Greenbridge to South Marston. From here, follow the lane to Roves Farm, itself a lovely destination for a family ride. There’s a café here for a rest.

The gravel track that heads north leads you to Sevenhampton, emerging by the church. Turn right, crossing the B road, which eventually takes you onto another B road for Coleshill (watch for fast traffic here). Turn left by the pub for a lovely lane that heads towards Lechlade. There’s one final burst of A road before your destination, but once you’re past the Thames it’s not too busy.

Railway path to Marlborough

South of Swindon lies an excellent network of cycle paths through the Wiltshire countryside. The surfaces aren’t always smooth, but if you have a hybrid or mountain bike, you’ll find much to enjoy here.

Marlborough is just 12 miles from the town centre down a well-established railway path, signposted as NCN route 45 and 482. Pass Coate Water and cross the M4 on the footbridge before descending to Chiseldon. The railway path starts here and continues all the way to Marlborough, where there are, of course, plenty of cafés and pubs for lunch.

You can return the same way, but if you’re feeling more energetic, head west out of Marlborough on one of the two NCN routes (254 or, for a longer journey, 403). These meet up with NCN 45, a spectacular if occasionally rough track over the Downs. It returns you to Chiseldon for an easy ride back to Swindon.

Coate Water

Cycling out to Coate Water is an ideal short family ride, with a café and plenty of short paths when you get there. Cycling is permitted on both the western and eastern edges of the lake; the path on the eastern side forms part of National Cycle Network route 45, linking to Old Town and central Swindon. Follow the blue NCN signs to find your way to the park.

Bike a close second in Swindon’s Wacky Races

Remember Wacky Races, the ’60s cartoon series where a dozen different drivers competed to win the title? Swindon commuters restaged the event on 10th September – but this time, each with a different form of transport.

The challenge was to be the fastest from the Asda superstore on Thamesdown Drive to the town centre railway station. There were five participants: local taxi driver Sarah Day, Sustrans’ Amy Martin on her bike, car driver Chris Pailor, runner (and local newspaper scribe) Darran Reynolds, and Ellie Corcoran on a bus.

The result was nail-bitingly close, with taxi-driver Sarah pipping cyclist Amy to the line by one second – which Amy attributed to the time taken locking up her bike. But as Claire Fleming from Swindon Borough Council pointed out, it’s not just about the time:

“Yes, the taxi was quickest, but it would be the most expensive way of commuting, whereas the cyclist arrived a second later and travelled for free. Even the bus user, who took the longest to reach the finish line, had the most productive commute, taking advantage of the free wifi to catch up with news sites on her mobile.”