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A city at dusk.

5 of the Best UK Cities to Explore by Bike

A city break by bike is the perfect weekend away, combining culture, travel, good food and a little bit of pedalling.

With no timetables or pressure, exploring a city by bike is easy and relaxed. You can take your time and stop whenever something catches your eye. You can cover a lot of ground, but still see things in detail. We pick the best bike-friendly UK cities to discover from the saddle.

 

Bristol

Bristol is the UK’s first ‘Cycling City’, so tops our list of places to visit. It has dedicated cycle routes alongside all its major routes and in the city center, as well as beautiful green parkland and gentle riverside trails to ride through. Bristol can be hilly as well, so be prepared for some climbing, particularly if you head out of town towards the countryside. Cycling across the Clifton Suspension Bridge is a must-do, as is exploring the parkland of Ashton Court.

Bristol boasts the original cycle café, Mud Dock, situated on the harbor side and well worth a visit. Roll for the Soul is a community enterprise and a great place to head to for bike chat, to find out more about the local cycling scene and also for music and arts.

 

Cambridge

Everyone seems to cycle in Cambridge, a fact exaggerated by the number of students on bikes and the sheer volume of cycles locked up around the town. While Cambridge has great cycling infrastructure, it has really made the list for its atmosphere – the refined quads of ancient Universities, the gentle punting on the river Cam and the cobbled streets and quiet riverside fields give it a completely different feel to most other cities. It’s a beautiful place to visit and being on a bike makes you feel more of a local and less of a visitor.

 

Manchester

Manchester has a burgeoning network of cycle paths spiraling out from the city centre, alongside old canals and out into the Peak District. Manchester is a vibrant city with arts and music abound; there are lots of great places to eat and drink and the city has distinct contrasting districts such the old warehouses of the Northern Quarter and the newest developments at Salford Quay. Manchester also has some great cycling cafes – check out the Rapha Clubhouse at St Ann’s Passage, or Pop-Up Bikes underneath the iconic railway arches in Angel Meadows. The whole vibe here is very much about community before profits. It’s a space for cyclists to interact and share great coffee sourced directly from the producer and roasted locally.

 

Edinburgh

Edinburgh is a grand city to visit, with the stunning Castle and Royal Mile as popular highlights for many visitors. It also has some interesting cycle routes that you can follow from, or to, the city centre. From off-street paths, former railway lines and sea view esplanades, there’s plenty of variety. At the foot of the Royal Mile, Holyrood Park offers spectacular cityscape views and a well surfaced road for cyclists. To the south, the Innocent Railway (originally a horse-drawn tramway constructed in 1831 to transport agricultural produce and coal from the Lothian mines to St Leonards) is part of the UK-wide, National Cycle Network’s Route 1 (NCN1).

While in Edinburgh, call in at Ronde Bicycle Outfitters, a 5-minute cycle from the city centre. It’s a café, a bike shop and a cycling club in one. The food is excellent, with coffee from local artisan roasters and cakes, breads, soups and pasties all locally sourced. Join them on a Saturday morning for their ride – everyone is welcome.

 

London

Cycling in London is slowly and gradually improving for those wanting to visit the sights as well as those commuting to work. There are fantastic leisure paths taking you away from the hustle and bustle on quiet riverside tracks and surprisingly peaceful residential roads. Nearly all of the great parks are used by cyclists, but Regent’s Park is especially popular, with many riders using it for their regular training sessions.

The banks of London’s River Thames offer long stretches of traffic-free cycling. Most of London’s Thames-side cycle route is on the Thames Path National Trail and is one of the 19 designated national long-distance trails in the UK. It runs from the source of the Thames in the Cotswolds to the Thames Barrier at Greenwich.

Giro Cycle Café in Esher is popular with riders heading out from the capital through Regent’s and Richmond Park toward the Surrey Hills – it’s a very boutique shop with great meals and coffee and a welcoming club ride.

For more information about our services or to start your claim, call 0808 100 9995 and speak to one of our specialist solicitors. We’re here to help. You can email us or schedule a callback.

 

Written By:

Emily Pheysey

Litigation Executive

Emily has over 7 years of experience in the legal sector, handling road traffic accident claims to recover compensation and support her clients. Her focus is to ensure all clients feel comfortable and at ease with the claims process so that they can focus on their recovery.

Emily considers rapport to be an essential part of the role and strives to always provide excellent client care.

Away from work, Emily enjoys spending time with her family and friends and travelling as much possible.

Diane Holderness

Litigation Executive

Diane is a Ministry of Justice (TOJ) Team Leader within our Cycle Department. She has 11 years’ experience managing road traffic accident claims, and 6 years’ experience managing MOJ claims.

Diane enjoys a challenge and always strives for the very best results for her customers; something that is clear in the way her team continually adapts its strategies in order to secure the most desired outcome. Diane has worked her way through the legal ranks here, and is proud to now have a strong, specialist team that is committed to customer satisfaction.

Diane believes that happy clients make a happy working environment, and it is this that ensures a productive and efficient workforce.

Nina Haddock

Chartered Legal Executive

Nina has over 30 years’ experience in the legal sector. She specialises in recovering compensation for injury claimants as a result of road traffic accidents. Her focus for each and every claim is to help her clients secure the funding that they need to pay for ongoing treatment and support.

Nina became a CILEX Fellow in 2006 and now helps her clients and their families at a time when they have been through a traumatic experience, and everything they hold dear to them appears to be changing.

One case Nina is particularly proud of is supporting a client who had successfully sought asylum in the UK, following a road traffic accident. The claim was successfully pursued through the MIB and the client was left with significant injuries. Her client was able to use the compensation to aid family members with their applications to seek asylum in the UK.

Julian Fox

Cycling Accident Solicitor

Julian qualified as a Solicitor in 2005 and has worked in all areas of personal injury since 2000. Julian has a well-rounded understanding of personal injury law, having represented both claimants and defendants.

Julian always aims for maximum damages to meet his clients’ needs for injury and rehabilitation expenses, and can often secure interim payments to help meet clients’ financial needs. Julian is highly proactive in ensuring cases are progressed, ensuring a timely conclusion.

When not at the office, Julian is a keen cyclist, both on roads and virtually -he will often do an hour of ‘Zwifting’ in the mornings before starting work.

Richard Atherton

Cycling Accident Solicitor

Richard has 12 years of legal experience and qualified as a Solicitor in February 2014. He has been a Team Manager with us since 2019. Throughout his career, Richard has specialised in personal injury, handling an array of Road Traffic Accident cases, in addition to employer and public liability.

Richard prides himself on his very strong strategic and planning skills, which come into their own in complex injury cases where more technical arguments are involved. On every case, he is committed to ensuring that his clients receive full compensation for their injuries.

Away from work, Richard enjoys sport; he is a season ticket holder at St Helens Rugby Club and a Liverpool FC fan. Not only a spectator, Richard also likes going to play golf as often as he can.

Dave Gardner

Litigation Executive

Dave has over 20 years of experience in the legal sector. His specialism is personal injury and he has dealt with hundreds of cycling injury claims during his career. Excellent client care and communication is paramount to Dave. He prides himself on being accessible and available, attending court hearings where damages are in dispute to ensure the best outcome for his clients. One case Dave is particularly proud of is when he supported an elderly client who suffered serious injuries following a road traffic incident. The police had not taken any action against the defendant, so Dave had to be proactive and act within a 24-hour window. The case proceeded and the client was in receipt of £30,000 in damages, which he would not have been entitled to had the client not approached Dave. He is also an avid supporter of Glasgow Rangers and travelled abroad on many occasions to see them play in European competitions.

Gerard Horton

Partner

Gerard is a Senior Solicitor at Cycle SOS. In his 13 years of experience, Gerard has built a national reputation in the catastrophic injury sector, dealing with high value and complex cases. Alongside his legal role, Gerard supports several charities including Headway Central Lancashire, Northwest Regional Spinal Injuries Centre and spinal injury charity, Back Up.

Julia Eyton

Partner

Julia brings a wealth of knowledge and expertise to the Cycle SOS team.

Specialising in representing those who have had life changing injuries, Julia handles some of the most serious and complex personal injury cases both within Cycle SOS and nationally.

She often works on high value claims and is skilled in winning complex liability cases.

NADIA KERR

Partner

Nadia has over 30 years of legal expertise and has represented hundreds of vulnerable road users. With a focus on ensuring timely rehabilitation, speedy repair or replacement of bikes and kit, and securing fair compensation, Nadia is committed to advocating for justice and client rights. Alongside her legal career, Nadia actively participates in national campaigns to benefit vulnerable road users and acts as a Trustee/Director for the national cycling charity, Cycling UK. Nadia was named in Cycling UK’s ‘100 women’ and was a founding member, now running a women’s cycling group, TeamGlow in South Manchester. Among her many achievements, Nadia takes pride in her spot on BBC Breakfast, where she provided expert commentary on long term government funding for pothole repairs.

Caroline Morris

DIRECTOR OF SERIOUS INJURY

Caroline has specialised in personal injury for over 25 years, recovering more than £56 million in damages during that time, to help clients rebuild their lives after injury.

Caroline is committed to achieving rehabilitation options early, meaning her clients benefits from the best care and treatment at the earliest stage possible.