The team at Visit Chester & Cheshire gets on the trail of the Tour of Britain and invites you to get on your bike to explore the county.
Cheshire is embracing cycling this autumn. Last month, Stage 5 of the 2021 Tour of Britain raced through the county from Alderley Park over the Plain and into the Peaks, finishing in Warrington in spectacular style.
Most of the British riders on the Tour – including Stage 5 winner Ethan Hayter – know Cheshire’s climbs and sprints, using the county as their training grounds for races.
Cheshire is also the proud home of Olympic and Paralympic cyclists including Jason and Laura Kenny, Emma Davies, and Dame Sarah Storey and a great place to explore on two wheels whether you’re looking for a gentle ride with the family, thrilling off-road mountain bike trails, or long-distance riding.
Following where the international and Olympic riders made tracks last month, we’ve put together some of our favourite spots to cycle in the county. And you don’t need a leader’s jersey to enjoy cycling across Cheshire.
Alderley Park
This year’s Tour of Britain Stage 5 started from Glasshouse at Alderley Park. Alderley Park is home to the UK’s largest single-site life science campus, plus a thriving technology hub.
The Park also has a wide range of amenities open to all including a conference centre, gym operated by Cheshire-based Everybody Leisure, outdoor sports pitches and the Churchill Tree pub and restaurant.
All of this is situated within 400 acres of stunning Cheshire countryside home to woodland trails and a working farm.
The parkland and woodland trails are open to the public and community to enjoy. You can find the woodland walks map on the Alderley Park website. Just a stone’s throw from Alderley Edge, with its vibrant local scene, Alderley Park is an exciting new prospect to explore on your cycling visit to Cheshire.
Holmes Chapel
Sitting in the Dane Valley, Holmes Chapel offers a great scenic location for autumnal cycling. Visitors can enjoy some great scenery following the River Dane along the village’s northern edge, joining the Dane Valley Way and taking in the Twemlow Green Viaduct.
Riders can explore the local area and the back lanes toward Cranage, Twemlow Green and Goostrey. Holmes Chapel is about five miles away from the world-famous Jodrell Bank Discovery Centre and a popular ride can be taken from the village to the iconic Lovell Telescope via Goostrey, coming back through Twelmlow Green.
If you want somewhere to stay, The Vicarage, in a Grade II 17th-century inn has stylish interiors, al fresco dining and a play area and the On Yer Bike package gives visitors a chance to rent bikes for the morning or afternoon with a handmade picnic to boot – perfect for autumnal exploring.
Congleton
Congleton is popular for its eclectic mix of historic buildings ranging from the 15th century onwards, particularly along the High Street. There’s a lively atmosphere in the town, with a range of bars, restaurants, shops and a strong arts community.
There are a whole host of events throughout the year in Congleton including food and drink festivals, art exhibitions, Pride festival and music including the Jazz and Blues festival.
And of course, you’re never far from some good cycling with great scenic routes along the River Dane and the Macclesfield canal, and the Biddulph Valley Way along the former rail line between the Stoke potteries and Congleton.
Macclesfield & Macclesfield Forest
Macclesfield has a rich industrial history and grew as one of the main silk centres of the country. Nowadays visitors to Macclesfield can find its hilly streets lined with quirky independents, restaurants, bars, galleries and museums including the famous Silk Museum.
There’s some great cycling to be had along the Macclesfield Canal, one of the last canals to be built in Britain, opening in 1831 – with routes both north and south. National Cycle Network Route 55 runs between Preston and Ironbridge, passing through Macclesfield.
The Middlewood Way, a traffic-free section, which takes you on to Marple runs close to the Macclesfield Canal and there are many options for easy circular walks and rides.
Being close to the Cheshire Peaks and Macclesfield Forest there are lots of scenic climbs and it is just a stone’s throw away is Tegg’s Nose Country Park. A 12-mile mountain biking route starts from Tegg’s Nose and runs through nearby Bottom of the Oven and past the Cat & Fiddle before returning to the Country Park.
A real gem of Cheshire forestry and a very popular spot for cyclists of all abilities. What you see today are the remnants of the Royal Forest of Macclesfield, a once-extensive ancient hunting reserve.
The roughly 400-hectare forest, bordered by two of Cheshire’s highest peaks, Tegg's Nose to the Northeast and Shutlingsloe to the Southwest, is set around the Ridgegate and Trentabank reservoirs, the latter being a much-loved wildlife reserve.
Intrepid riders can undertake the same climbs and descents as the Tour riders including a 20-mile ascent from outside Congleton past the village of Wildboarclough, the Forest Distillery (perhaps stopping for a quick tipple) to just shy of the famous Cat & Fiddle.
For something gentler, there is a range of routes around the forest around the reservoirs – a great way to leaf-peep at the autumnal foliage.
Bollington / Pott Shrigley
This is great cycling and walking territory with breathtaking views, hill climbs, descents and old stone cottages. For something a bit more challenging, there’s the Brickworks ascent. Climbing from Bollington and Pott Shrigley through the Old Brickworks of Bakestonedale Moor, this is one of the Peak District’s most famous cycling climbs.
And if visitors fancy a little relaxation and indulgence, Shrigley Hall, spanning 260 acres boasts a hotel, spa, country club and golf course. Just north of Pot Shrigley is Disley, proud home of Dame Sarah Storey, the most successful female British Paralympian of all time.
As well as 14 Paralympian gold medals, Storey is a 29-time World champion in swimming and cycling, a 21-time European champion and holds 75 world records.
Prestbury
Prestbury is a scenic locale and a great place to stay as part of a cycling trip to Cheshire.
This pretty village on the River Bollin has independent shops, bars and restaurants as well as some exceptional historic buildings including Georgian townhouses and the church of St Peter.
As part of the Cheshire Cycleway – the 176-mile loop that circles the entire county – the Henbury to Warren loop can be taken from Prestbury.
The route takes riders on a loop through the hills and moors east of Macclesfield before returning to gentler terrain as it heads back west and south again via Gawsworth.
There are some good places to stay including the popular Legh Arms, as well as The Bridge – the sister property of The Vicarage in Holmes Chapel – which also offers the On Yer Bike package to help you to explore the area on two wheels.
Knutsford
Its independent shops, restaurants and proximity to Tatton Park, make Knutsford the most popular tourist town in the Borough of Cheshire East.
With a vibrant town centre complete with quirky independents – including the much-loved Bikes n Gear for all your cycling needs – bars, restaurants and an award-winning market hall, Knutsford is a great base to explore Cheshire on your bike. An obvious choice for a relaxing ride is Tatton Park.
Set on 1,000-acres of Cheshire countryside, there are numerous routes to explore the historic estate. What’s more, even if you’re without a bike, you can rent one from Tatton’s Cycle Hire Shop on weekends.
There are also a number of popular routes from Knutsford in all directions towards destinations such as Rostherne Mere, Mobberley, Lower Peover and Budworth- these and a number of other routes can be found on the Cycle Knutsford website (cycleknutsford.wordpress.com).
Warrington
Warrington embraced the Tour this year as its finish destination with an event village that encouraged the community to get involved with cycling. Beyond the Tour, Warrington is encouraging people to get out and ride and it’s certainly a great place to explore on two wheels.
Alongside the vibrant town centre complete with plenty of shopping, leisure, bars, restaurants and the award-winning market, there are some glorious scenic cycle routes. Walton Hall and Gardens is a very popular spot to enjoy a gentle ride. Home to the Cycle Museum, with more than 40 historical bikes including a boneshaker, a hobby horse and several penny farthings, Walton Hall can be explored on your bike and there are some easy routes around the canal, the village of Walton and into Appleton.
For something longer, the Trans Pennine Trail comes through Warrington and follows the River Mersey, Manchester Ship Canal and then onto a disused railway line out towards Lymm.
The Mersey River section has magical views across a tidal section of the river. Or there’s the Sankey Valley Trail, which follows the Sankey Brook's course and the now disused Sankey Canal. Visitors can take in meadows, woodland and a wetland nature reserve with a variety of birdlife.
Warrington Borough Council’s cycling hub offers some great resources for cycling in Warrington (warrington.gov.uk/cycling).
Delamere Forest
It’s not just the terrain covered by the Tour of Britain that offers great cycling in Cheshire. Delamere Forest is a perfect place for everything from gentle family rides on forest tracks to steep uphill climbs up Old Pale Hill.
The forest has a number of cycle routes and offers a variety of fun for all levels of ability. The tracks are great for families as the routes are moderately easy with wide paths and have shallow climbs and descents making it easy for the whole family to ride together.
The popular Blakemere Trail has picturesque forest riding that loops around Blakemere Moss. The route is quite easy and is around 3.6 miles (6km).
The Whitemoor trail is longer at 6.8 miles (11km) and is slightly more difficult due to the longer length of the route, but it allows you to access the more peaceful, unseen areas of Delamere Forest making the extra few miles worth it.
Even if you’re without a bike, you can hire one from Delamere Forest Bike Hire located at the Delamere visitors Centre. Visitors can make a break of it by staying at Forest Holidays Delamere Forest. These secluded forest cabins offer a lot of luxury including outdoor hot tubs and pizza ovens.
Chester
There are routes of all kinds in and around Chester and to all kinds of destinations. You can even explore the city’s history on two wheels courtesy of Chester Cycle Tours (chestercycletours.co.uk).
A popular route for families is the Zoo Circular. This family-friendly 7.5mile ride takes traffic-free paths and quiet roads on a circular route from Chester out to the world-famous zoo. The Greenway, Shropshire Union Canal and River Dee all offer some fantastic cycling routes to explore further from Chester.
Local and visiting cyclists alike enjoy cycling the Greenway to Connah’s Quay over the border into Wales, perhaps taking the route further onto the North Wales Coastal route to the Welsh Coast.
Chester makes a great base to explore both far and near with easy access to sites like Beston Castle, Cheshire Oaks, the Wirral Peninsula and more. The Chester Cycling Campaign (chestercyclecity.org) has a whole host of cycle routes in and around Chester.
For the best places to stay and to explore more cycling in Cheshire, see visitcheshire.com
