A new circular bus service in Cambridgeshire will have space for 24 bikes – and only 20 passengers.

The BikeBus, set to launch this summer, will tow a bike trailer on its route from Cambridge city centre into the nearby countryside. It’s designed to encourage leisure cycling in Cambridgeshire, to the National Trust property of Wimpole Hall and to other attractions such as Burwash Manor, Gamlingay and Great Gransden Woods.

The bus will run on Sundays and Bank Holidays, giving several villages a Sunday bus service where currently they have none. It will make four circular journeys each day. Bus tickets will be valid for part journeys, so you can hop on and off at leisure.

Cyclists will be able to use it as a starting point for a country route, or as one leg of an out-and-back journey. South Cambridgeshire District Council, which is running the project, will also be recommending short circular routes around local villages. The National Trust and Cambridge City Council will also contribute to the £18,000 cost.

Clare Gibbons, Development Officer with South Cambridgeshire District Council, told the Cambridge News:

“The villages near the route contain a great mix of businesses and visitor attractions, including the Wimpole estate, and we believe that once people use the service and see what is on offer, they will be back time and again.”