Recreational Cycling

The Northwest has a wide variety of cycle routes to enjoy, including the relatively easy 112-mile Eden Valley Circular Cycle Route, the Cheshire Cycleway, which is 176 miles long, and the coast-to-coast Trans-Pennine Trail, which starts and ends in Southport.

In 2006 the region was again chosen to host a stage of the prestigious Tour of Britain race and Lancaster/Morecambe was recently named as one of only six places in Britain to be a ‘Cycling Demonstration Town’.

The Lancashire and Morecambe Cycle Network has a series of traffic-free routes radiating out from Lancaster’s Millennium Bridge, whilst the Sunday Times recently described the canal towpath between Burnley and Barrowford as the best cycle ride along a canal in the country.

The Pennine Cycleway runs between Appleby in Cumbria, to Northumberland and is well signed throughout, while the 72-mile Cumbria Cycleway is billed as the 2-day alternative to the C2C route, passing through spectacular scenery in the heart of the Lakes.