From an outsider’s perspective, you might assume Bristol is not a cycling city. It’s as far as you can get from the flat landscape of Amsterdam and Brussels. There’s no getting around it, Bristol’s a hilly city, but that hasn’t stopped thousands of us from working up a sweat around these winding, sloping streets on a Bristol bike ride – in 2010, a Cycling Plus survey even applauded our high number of cyclists.
You might think it’s the poor public transport that’s got us all cycling everywhere. New research from Auto Trader might suggest another reason. The online marketplace for used cars recently noticed a 15% spike in electric bike interest on its website. So it headed to Komoot – the mobile app for route planning your runs, hikes and cycling trips – to look into the UK cities with the most relaxed bike rides.
They analysed the number of ‘Bike tours’ (i.e. city-based routes for leisure cycling, excl. mountain biking or commuting routes) set at Easy and Intermediate level (i.e. no ‘expert’ routes were included in the research) within a 3-5 mile radius of the city (depending on the size of the city). And it seems Bristol actually came out on top!
There’s over 32,400 ‘bike-touring’ routes in over 100 UK cities classed as either ‘Easy’ or ‘Intermediate’ level on the app – all uploaded by one of millions of users. With 784 easy and intermediate leisure cycles uploaded to Komoot, Bristol is the UK’s most popular bike-riding city. An unsurprising fact when you take into account that Bristol was named Britain’s first ‘cycling city’ in 2008.
Bristol beat the likes of Liverpool (727 leisurely bike rides), Newcastle upon Tyne (646), Cambridge (640) and Edinburgh (631). The rest of the top five UK cities with the most relaxed bike rides. It’s also the only UK city to crack the top 10 global cities for bike rides – the best being Brussels in Belgium.
Where are the best bike rides in Bristol?
1. The Bristol and Bath Railway Path
If you’re after the most beloved and best-known bike ride in Bristol, hop on The Bristol and Bath Railway Path. Stretching for 13 traffic-free miles along a disused railway line, this tranquil cycling path connects two of the South West’s most iconic cities. You can cycle to Bath and back, or just grab the train home, and stop off at numerous lovely stops – like Bitton Railway Station, the Staple Hill Tunnel and a number of these riverside pubs.
2. Ashton-Pill Loop
Heading in the opposite way up the River Avon, Ashton-Pill Loop sends you along the Portway, crossing over in Shirehampton, and back home on the other side. On your cycle, you’ll pass by the charming town of Pill, Avon Gorge, Leigh Woods, and the Clifton Suspension Bridge. Your journey will end with you cycling up The Chocolate Path – so-called because the surface resembles a giant chocolate bar!
3. The Frome Greenway
Don’t worry, we’re not sending you to Frome. Follow the River Frome out of the city towards Stoke Park Estate, where you’ll go around and head home. It’s not as well-known as The Bristol and Bath Railway Path, but it should be. You’ll pass Eastville Park and Hermitage Wood, and stop at the renowned St Werburghs City Farm. Check out the award-winning cafe!