Sunday's Exploratory Ride

Another plug for the bike ride I'm leading this Sunday. Well, not so much a ride as a potter, or pootle, cycling a bit and then looking at points of local interest, so you don't need to be particularly fit or fast (I'm neither these days). This 15 - 20 mile ride will explore existing and potential cycle routes in north Bristol. We aim to end up having 'lunch' at St Werburghs City Farm by about 3 pm and there will be one or two breaks en route (first one at Blaise).


Cribbs Causeway would you believe

The ride will be mostly on quiet roads and paths with only the occasional short link on anything busy and will follow the river Avon downstream to Sea Mills then the Trym upstream to Blaise Castle Estate, one of Bristol's gems, where we can take a quick look at some quirky local features which might surprise a few of you. Joining the ride via the 10.40 am train arrival at Sea Mills station is an option too.

Stage two of the ride will search out a route to and through the Cribbs Causeway shopping centre and on to Patchway and Bradley Stoke where quite a lot of paths have been built over the years. The plan is to return via Bristol Parkway station, UWE and Stoke Park, another of Bristol's landscape gems, and then the Frome Valley back to St Werburgh's. You may leave the ride at any point or time since we will never be that far from central Bristol.


Stoke Park - cars give way to bikes (in theory)!

Although the ride is within the urban area of Greater Bristol, it is surprisingly green and pleasant with a good proportion on traffic free paths in green corridors, generally flat with just a gentle climb up the Trym valley. Weather forecast looks good so if you fancy giving it a try just turn up at the Arnolfini 10 am on Sunday.


Trym valley