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Here's an index page for the Cambridge Video Clip Cycling Guide. Here's a full map of the coverage including the KML for the whole picture. The KML data is best viewed using Google Earth, especially in conjunction with the Excel tool, but still can be accessed using Google Maps through any web browser.
View Cambridge Video Routes Guide in a larger map or Download KML directly
There are several index pages in two types for this group of pages and associated YouTube clips and KML files.
- The Streets Index pages, listing in street order with route clips with start times and local area KML files for use and download
A-C / D-K / L-R / S-Z - The Routes Index pages, listing in route order showing streets used with detailed description and local area KML files for use and download
A-C / D-K / L-R / S-Z
There are some extra links provided where valid for taking a broader view. Both these indexes and the KML files will keep building as more clips get added on YouTube.
The Routes Index
Mixed
Saint Neots Road Cyclepath (YouTube) The shared-use path towards Hardwick, although it fails to go the whole way. Goes through areas West (Open KML), (Download KML);
| Enter the cyclepath from the Coton Road. Quite how this is meant to happen for people cycling along the main road if cars are waiting to pull out in Coton Road, I've no idea. The kerb is quite low for a while I guess, but take care and move the bike out to create more of an angle with it. The shared-use path is wide, solid, and not likely to have many people walking on it. There is the odd parked vehicle next to the path. Take care not to ride in the door zone. Near the roundabout, be aware that there are a number of side accesses in frequent use. After the roundabout, the path continues. Well before getting to the side road to Comberton, check traffic behind you for anything turning across the path. Plan your move with traffic. If clear, pull out to the right of the marked cyclelane across the side road. This gives you more chance to react to vehicles from the left and ensures that you are nearly at their stopping distance. After the turn, the cyclepath continues for a short while longer. At the end be aware that the "Cyclists Dismount" sign is advisory only. It's really trying to ensure you don't just ride into the road without checking that vehicles aren't driving into the onroad cyclelane. Completely the wrong way round of course. Either a protected exit (very easy to do) or, better still, continue the path all the way to Hardwick. There is a slightly muddy worn bit out of the cyclepath, clearly well used. Ensure you check for traffic before doing this, preferably a long way before so you can mesh with any of it. The onroad cyclelane is horrible. The road surface has deteriorated so much as to make very uncomfortable riding. Vehicles pass far too close and quickly essentially reading the cyclelane as a "dual carriageway" lane and ignoring Highway Code rule 163. Use the parking bays to try to get away from this. Whilst the first part of this route is great, it's a mystery as to why it wasn't completed. I'm not surprised it's hardly used by anyone from Hardwick, which is such a waste of money based on the rest of the good path. | Starts on St Neots Road, Hardwick; |
More links: Door Zone, Cyclists Dismount Sign, Cyclelane, Cyclepath, Path, Shared-Use Path, People Walking, Main Post
Hostile
Saint Neots Road, Hardwick (YouTube) Bad cycle provision. Goes through areas West (Open KML), (Download KML);
| This road is just so bad for people cycling. The on-road cyclelane actually makes this a more dangerous place to ride. In this bit you see four cars give me close overtakes and one of them stray into the cyclelane. This is not unusual here. It's because many drivers simply think of the cyclelane as being a separate traffic lane without having any concept of why rule 163 exists: to stop airwash knocking and battering people cycling, and to deal with any issues that someone cycling might have with potholes and/or falling off. There is plenty of room to do something about it here. This would make Hardwick village an easy and pleasant journey into Cambridge and take more people out of their cars. Highway code rule 163. http://www.direct.gov.uk/en/TravelAndTransport/Highwaycode/DG_070314 | Starts on Saint Neots Road, Hardwick; |
Reasonable
Sawston to Stapleford (YouTube) Mostly very quiet useful link spoiled by failing at junctions and base pavement level quality. Goes through areas South (Open KML), (Download KML);
| Reduced Description. See walkers, cyclepath. A great route between these two villages developed, probably, to support children going to school by bike. The junction with the main road is poorly handled and clearly ignored by a lot of people cycling. And the lack of priority over a side road is poor. | Starts on Cambridge Road, Sawston; Cambridge Road, Stapleford; at 00:46; |
Mixed
Sawston to Whittlesford (YouTube) A largely quiet green route round the villages to the South of Cambridge. Goes through areas South (Open KML), (Download KML);
| Reduced Description. See walkers, door zone, primary, secondary, shared-use path, cyclepath, dismount. A great route between these two villages developed, probably, to support children going to school by bike. Not quite sure why the route (a National Cycle Route) goes through a churchyard where signs say to dismount where there are alternative. | Starts on New Road, Sawston; Mill Lane, Sawston; at 04:00; Whittlesford-Sawston Cyclepath; at 04:06; Whittlesford Churchyard; at 04:39; Church Lane, Whittlesford; at 04:43; High Street, Whittlesford; at 04:51; |
More links: Door Zone, Cyclists Dismount Sign, Primary Position, Secondary Position, Cyclepath, Path, Shared-Use Path, People Walking, Main Post
Reasonable
School Lane, Apthorpe Lane, Cow Lane, Hinton Road, Fulbourn the Fulbourn Old Drift and cut through to Yarrow Road (YouTube) This is a reasonable quiet route round the back of Fulbourn village. Goes through areas East (Open KML), (Download KML);
| This is a reasonable quiet route round the back of Fulbourn village. The first part is going into the centre of the village from the main road. Remember to avoid riding in the door zone past the parked cars. In the village centre turn left past the main shopping area and then continue along that road. Be aware with the cars parked on the other side that oncoming people driving may not realise you need as much space as you do. Be prepared to stop if they just drive straight at you. The road is quite wiggly, but quiet. Turn right at the end to continue towards Fulbourn. Take care passing any parked cars. Turn right again at the corner to continue towards Fulbourn up the Old Drift. This is a quiet road as it's a dead end for all but buses. At the end, the shared-use path is a good link in towards Cherry Hinton. It's a bit narrow, especially at the first wiggle, where there's also an exit to the supermarket. At the end of the path, turn right across the railway crossing and cross the road to go on into Cherry Hinton. | Starts on School Lane, Fulbourn; Apthorpe Lane, Fulbourn; at 00:15; Cow Lane, Fulbourn; at 00:28; Hinton Road, Fulbourn; at 00:54; Fulbourn Old Drift, Fulbourn; at 01:17; Fulbourn Old Drift Cyclepath, Fulbourn; at 01:53; |
Hostile
Scotland Road, Dry Drayton (YouTube) A very hostile road environment with a lot of rat running. Goes through areas West (Open KML), (Download KML);
| Reduced Description. See primary, secondary. A very unpleasant road environment. This is used as a rat run by people driving at considerable speed, sometimes too close. | Starts on Scotland Road, Dry Drayton; |
Friendly
Senate House Passage, Garret Hostel Lane, Burrells Walk (YouTube) This is a nice shared path although with limited space. Goes through areas WestCity (Open KML), (Download KML);
| This is a very quiet route out west from the centre, although there are a number of places to be careful. Senate House Passage almost always has lots of people walking. This is where to keep your speed very low and be prepared to stop. At the end, there's an unsighted turn, again, dead slow. And likewise into Garret Hostel Lane. Just after the blind turn there's the bridge which is quiet a hump. Again, lots of people walking around so go very carefully and drop gears if need be on the upslope. I luckily time the Queens Road lights perfectly into Burrells Walk. Finally, use the left fork to go south along Grange Road, and the right fork to go to Adams Road and the west Cambridge cyclepath. Note that the lights at the end are cycle-only so are mandatory and you must stop if they are red. | Starts on Senate House Passage; Garret Hostel Lane; at 00:20; Burrells Walk; at 00:37; |
Friendly
Shelford Road Cyclepath (YouTube) A useful cyclepath in south Cambridge. Goes through areas South (Open KML), (Download KML); SouthCity (Open KML), (Download KML);
| This is a useful little link taking people cycling around the busy Shelford Road - Trumpington High Street junction. The cyclepath goes all the way from Anstey Way around the back of the bus-stop, although I'd suggest holding on until afterwards to avoid conflict with bus users. If coming from Grantchester, there's a useful crossing and linked cyclepath from Maris Lane. After this, the cyclepath is painted separately from the footway, although do note people walking will often not see this distinction. Always take care around people walking and give them plenty of space. Unfortunately, some people driving do illegally use the cyclepath as a parking space, despite plenty of space nearby for short stops. Note that crossing the cyclepath line inot the footway is technically illegal, although they maybe some leeway given someone has parked illegally. I stick ot the route, although I'm very careful as I'm riding in the door zone and very aware that the door may open across me at any moment. Then the short section to the new Addenbrookes Road keeps you mostly out of the roadspace. It's quite confusing as to where the off-road part of this route ends. There are two conflicting signs, one just after the bus-stop and one at the junction. This second sign is additionally confusing. Although it's true that continuing along Shelford Road no longer has this off-road cyclepath, the turn left along the new Addenbrookes Road does have a cyclepath along it. Whilst there seems to be confusion and some desire to crack down on illegal pavement riding despite lack of clarity of where this happens, I tend to ride in the on-road cyclelane. It's pretty wide getting you away from people driving. | Starts on High Street, Trumpington; Shelford Road; at 00:03; |
Friendly
Shelford Road, Trumpington High Street (YouTube) A good offroad link into Trumpington. Goes through areas SouthCity (Open KML), (Download KML); South (Open KML), (Download KML);
| Reduced Description. See walkers, door zone, shared-use path. The shared-use path goes right to the new traffic lights making it possible to ride all the way into Trumpington from there. Take care of people walking. | Starts on Shelford Road; High Street, Trumpington; at 00:47; |
Reasonable
Shelly Row, Albion Row, St Margarets Road, Madingley Road, Grange Road (YouTube) This is a quick link down towards Grange Road. Goes through areas NorthCity (Open KML), (Download KML); WestCity (Open KML), (Download KML);
| This is a quick link down towards Grange Road. It's not too bad, although can be busy. Traffic is usually naturally slowed by the nature of the road. Note that with the parked cars it can be quite narrow and you can get close passes (like the van). It may be advisable to take the primary position. With the downhill nature of this section, it's likely you'll be going almost as fast as motor traffic, hence passes being fairly pointless. Madingley Road is not very pleasant, although do note that the left hand pavement is shared-use, so use it if you want. Towards Grange Road, I turn onto the shared-use path to avoid the lights. Note on Grange Road there are lots of traffic calming measures as there are a lot of people walking around here. Sadly this isn't done particularly well as you can see the bus in front in the cyclelane as there's no space (or possibly the driver is giving too much space to oncoming traffic instead of vulnerable road users). Also, the cyclelane is fairly typically too small anyway. It's only use is if there's the unlikely case of a traffic jam along here. It's susceptible to rubbish, road debris, and puddles (hiding potholes). I ride on the edge of it to avoid these problems. | Starts on Shelly Row; Albion Row; at 00:08; St Margarets Road; at 00:11; Madingley Road; at 00:14; Grange Road; at 00:26; |
Hostile
Shelly Row, St Margarets Road, Madingley Road, Queens Road (YouTube) An unpleasant route made bad by parked cars and rat running. Goes through areas WestCity (Open KML), (Download KML); NorthCity (Open KML), (Download KML);
| Reduced Description. See walkers, door zone, shared-use path, primary. A classic example of a SMIDSY on the roundabout and some poor passes at the end. | Starts on Mount Pleasant; Shelly Row; at 00:14; Albion Row; at 00:20; St Margarets Road; at 00:21; Madingley Road; at 00:25; Queens Road; at 00:29; |
Friendly
Sherlock Road, Eachard Road, Hoadly Road, Hoadly Road Path (YouTube) A quiet link through north Cambridge. Goes through areas NorthCity (Open KML), (Download KML);
| This is probably useful for local residents as it's not so much on a main through route. It's a residential area so there are lots of parked cars. Remember to ride outside of the door zone. At the end of Eachard Road, there's a left turn into the dead end Hoadly Road which leads to a path. This has a segregated path up to Windsor Road. Again, some quite old infrastructure, and I'm sure we'd not put in concrete pillars next to a cyclepath now, but it is separated. But as it's so unusual don't expect people not to be walking here! | Starts on Sherlock Road; Eachard Road; at 00:13; Hoadly Road; at 00:35; Hoadly Road Path; at 00:42; |
Friendly
Short Street, Grantchester (East) (YouTube) This is a very short section taking you from the road in the centre of Granchester to the permissive path across Granchester Meadows. Goes through areas West (Open KML), (Download KML);
| This is a very short section taking you from the road in the centre of Granchester to the permissive path across Granchester Meadows. Be aware of people walking and avoid riding in the door zone past the parked cars.. | Starts on Short Street, Grantchester; |
Friendly
Short Street, Grantchester (West) (YouTube) This is a very short section taking you from the permissive path across Granchester Meadows to the road in the centre of Granchester. Goes through areas West (Open KML), (Download KML);
| This is a very short section taking you from the permissive path across Granchester Meadows to the road in the centre of Granchester. Be aware of people walking and avoid riding in the door zone past the parked cars.. | Starts on Short Street, Grantchester; |
Reasonable
Sidgwick Avenue, Grange Road, Adams Road (YouTube) A reasonable route in west Cambridge. Goes through areas West (Open KML), (Download KML); WestCity (Open KML), (Download KML);
| This is usually quite quiet but can have some slightly problematic areas. Sidgwick Road is sometimes a bit awkward. The narrowing for parking spaces does lead to conflict with people driving. Remember to ride outside of the door zone when passing parked cars and even take the primary position to stop poor passes where there isn't sufficient space. Additionally, be very aware of people walking across the road, this is a very busy area. This is a classic case of needing a 20mph limit. When there are no parked cars in the space, choose which route through suits you most. I prefer to be a bit further out, mostly to avoid swerving back and forth around the obstacles that are in the parking bays. It also means you can be better judged by people driving. In Grange Road there are some speed restrictions with refuges for people cycling to avoid them. Take care round these, especially the one just outside Robinson College. At West Road, be aware that some people driving misjudge people cycling and pull out of front of you where there's not enough space. Cover the brakes and prepare for evasive action should it be needed. At one point the road narrows from the left. I pull out earlier than the corner to stop poor passes and being driven into the pavement. When at the Robinson College restriction be very careful as people can run out of the college and into the road. It's worth considering taking the motor-vehicle route through here if it looks busy on the pavement. Oncoming people driving may not spot that you might do this, being further out will help. This may be required as often there are delivery and taxi vehicles parked up in the cyclelane here. It's a shame that Robinson College don't see fit to tell people driving on their behalf not to do this. Getting onto the cyclepath is awkward to spare the blushes of inattentive people driving. You should be able to get a good look down the path before making the left-right-left manoeuvre to check what's happening. | Starts on Sidgwick Avenue; Grange Road; at 00:23; Adams Road; at 00:45; West Cambridge Cycle Path; at 01:03; |
Reasonable
Sidney Farm Road, Mill End Road, Chelwood Road (YouTube) Linking from the off-road route from town to Cherry Hinton centre. Goes through areas EastCity (Open KML), (Download KML);
| Reduced Description. See door zone, primary. A short link to off-road routes out from town to Cherry Hinton High Street. | Starts on Sidney Farm Road; Mill End Road; at 00:09; Chelwood Road; at 00:16; |
Friendly
Silver Street (YouTube) This is a short section along a usually quiet road. Goes through areas WestCity (Open KML), (Download KML);
| This is a short section along a usually quiet road. The bridge works means the light have held traffic back. I skirt past the vehicles with several spaces spotted to pull in should there be oncoming traffic. Note that I'm well outside the van that attempts to pull out and that I get to the lights just in time. Also note that at any time if a vehicle pulls out I'm ready to stop, ceding right of way and will be well out of their way for progress. This is something I'm pretty well practised at, do not do it unless you feel very comfortable that you know what you are doing. I use the main road through the bollards as most traffic is well behind me. Use the side path if anything has just stopped at these, but be careful pulling back out into the road just in case a vehicle is pulling off. | Starts on Silver Street; |
Reasonable
Silver Street, The Backs, Queens Road (YouTube) This starts along a short section along a usually quiet road and then stays off-road as much as possible. Goes through areas WestCity (Open KML), (Download KML);
| This starts along a short section along a usually quiet road. The bridge works means the light have held traffic back. Crossing Queens Green be aware of people walking and give them plenty of space. Staying offroad after that maybe a bit slower, but it is a lot nicer and avoids the traffic on Queens Road for as long as possible. At Garrets Hostel Lane, take great care of people walking and riding in either direction across your path. Finally join Queens Road where it's not quite as narrow as earlier. | Starts on Silver Street; Queens Green; at 00:09; The Backs; at 00:23; Queens Road; at 00:50; |
Friendly
South Caldecote Cyclepath (YouTube) A bizarre short section of segregated cyclepath. Goes through areas West (Open KML), (Download KML);
| Reduced Description. See walkers, shared-use path, cyclepath. In the middle of the village there's 500 yards of segregated path. It stops before getting to the useful amenities in the middle of the village. Clearly a requirement on the new hosing development and a great example of the sticking plaster approach to cycle facilities building. | Starts on South Caldecote Cyclepath; |
Reasonable
South Cambridge Guided Busway and Hauxton Road (YouTube) A slightly awkward route to get from the guided busway to south west of town. Goes through areas South (Open KML), (Download KML); SouthCity (Open KML), (Download KML);
| Reduced Description. See walkers, primary, shared-use path, cyclepath. This would be a good route apart form the linkage from the end of hte guided busway path to the continuing route. There's a lot of space here so not sure why it was done properly. | Starts on South Cambridge Guided Busway; Hauxton Access Road; at 00:43; Hauxton Road; at 00:52; |
Friendly
South Cambridge Guided Busway Cyclepath (YouTube) This is a quiet way along the cyclepath and a quiet route towards central Trumpington. Goes through areas SouthCity (Open KML), (Download KML);
| This is a quiet way along the cyclepath and a quiet route towards central Trumpington. It's a duplicate of the 'Guided Busway Cyclepath and back of Hauxton Road' route. It's probably not quite as useful as the routes through Foster Way. This starts where the Addenbrookes Guided Busway Spur joins the main route. The cyclepath is wide with a good surface although can retain puddles after rain. You can find all sorts on the path from people on horses to skateboarders and people walking. So take care especially at night when there's limited vision with no 'streetlighting'. Even good bike lights won't show up people until you are on them. At the end the route takes a wide bend around a sharp slope. I'd think this is quite hard with weight so be prepared to get off or drop down the gears. Access onto the road is awkward, so remember to look behind you for traffic along the side road. Note the number of bikes chained here suggesting that the bike parking is quite limited. Turning back along the side access road takes you towards Trumpington centre. Then, crossing a side access to a new housing development comes up with a ridiculous cycle crossing. This is usually designed to make it "safe for cyclists" but it's nothing less than trying to excuse people driving not looking carefully enough. It firmly puts the priority on driving over sustainable transport, something that should be a major embarrassment to the designers. Still the lights are not cycle-one mandatory, so you can cross on red. At the end, the shared-use path crosses the supermarket entrance and continues into the centre of Trumpington. | Starts on South Cambridge Guided Busway; Hauxton Access Road; at 00:40; |
Friendly
South Cambridge Guided Busway Cyclepath onto Brookgate (YouTube) This is the way to get from Addenbrookes or Trumpington to the Hills Road / Brooklands Avenue junction onto the guided busway cyclepath. Goes through areas SouthCity (Open KML), (Download KML);
| This is the way to get from Addenbrookes or Trumpington to the Hills Road / Brooklands Avenue junction onto the guided busway cyclepath. Starting at the end of the link towards Addenbrookes this route goes into town. The cyclepath is wide with a good surface although can retain puddles after rain. You can find all sorts on the path from people on horses to skateboarders and people walking. So take care especially at night when there's limited vision with no 'streetlighting'. Even good bike lights won't show up people until you are on them. Under Long Road the cyclepath turns under a side tunnel with very limited sightlines. Slow down and be prepared to stop. Note the connection path to the left alongside Long Road after the tunnel. Just before going under Hills Road railway bridge, the cyclepath stops, although the pavement is still shared-use. Join the road carefully, the guided buses are very quiet. Turning left into the short section to Hills Road has cyclelanes around the rising bollards to stop all but buses coming down here. Sadly, the links from here are a little awkward. There's a pedestrian crossing (on the right side of this road) to the other side of Hills Road to continue into town or down Brooklands Avenue. This route is a little slower than the road routes, but it's much more pleasant. | Starts on South Cambridge Guided Busway Cyclepath; Brookgate; at 00:51; |
Friendly
South Cambridge Guided Busway, Foster Road, Anstley Way (YouTube) A nice quiet and shorter link into Trumpington from the guided busway. Goes through areas SouthCity (Open KML), (Download KML);
| A nice quiet and shorter link into Trumpington from the guided busway. The path at the start is now fully tarmaced and confirmed as a shared-use path. Again, this means be careful of people walking. Especially at the bus-stop link and at the corners near the allotments. Pulling out onto Foster Road is usually quiet, but always check. There's a few parked cars of which to be careful. Note even cars parked onto the verge can have door zones into the road. Avoid riding too close. There are a number of traffic calming measures here, not really sure why (possibly kids racing?). The cycle accesses are sometimes blocked by parked cars and are pretty poor surfaces. Well worth avoiding but do look at people driving towards you to make sure they've acknowledged you if it's your right of way. Turning out of this estate on Anstey Way, from the postbox left turn, the left path is shared-use which can be used up to the nearby road crossing (and on from there). I merge with traffic and cross to the right turn island for Maris Lane. This isn't too difficult in quieter periods. | Starts on South Cambridge Guided Busway; Foster Road Path; at 00:02; Foster Road; at 00:15; Anstley Way; at 00:35; Trumpington High Street; at 00:41; |
Reasonable
Spalding Way, Tillyard Way, Gunhild Way Path (YouTube) This is a useful route through south-east Cambridge towards Cherry Hinton from Queen Ediths. Goes through areas EastCity (Open KML), (Download KML);
| Reduced Description. See door zone, primary, cyclepath. A residential route through ending in some rather 1980s segregation. Not sure those concrete pillars would be chosen now! | Starts on Spalding Way; Tillyard Way; at 00:13; Gunhild Way Path; at 00:35; |
Friendly
St Andrews Road, River Bridge, Riverside, Tescos Path (YouTube) A useful quiet link in Chesterton crossing the river on the new bridge. Goes through areas EastCity (Open KML), (Download KML);
| A useful quiet link in Chesterton crossing the river on the new bridge. Wait until the road hump to turn into the bridge path. This is a shared-use path, so be careful of people walking. The bridge is a great little route which should have plenty of room for both people walking and riding. It's good to separate the paths over the water as it makes it natural for the two modes to separate. Coming down the ramp be aware that people may be cycling along the road next to you. The path up next to the superstore isn't great and seems to be aimed at just stopping people move naturally. Probably an attempt to avoid potential legal issues with collisions although as usual very poorly done. Take care when making the final turn into the carpark. People are likely to be moving without looking. The path meanders up round the car park, which is pleasant to avoid the cars, but quite limiting whilst riding. I can understand people riding through the car park instead. Again, there's more pointless barriers to avoid, and then a rather straightjacketed pavement route with no access to the ASL at the lights. | Starts on St Andrews Road; River Bridge; at 00:08; Riverside; at 00:29; Tescos Path; at 00:37; |
Hostile
St Andrews Street, Hobson Street, King Street (YouTube) A fairly hostile road environment when busy through the centre of town. Goes through areas EastCity (Open KML), (Download KML); CentreCity (Open KML), (Download KML);
| Reduced Description. See walkers, door zone, primary, secondary. Look out for people crossing St Andrews Street and over-ranking by taxis. Hobson Street is narrow and can be difficult when sharing with buses, although it will be a slow speeds. Kings Street cna be awkward for people trying to drive pass without enough space. | Starts on St Andrews Street; Hobson Street; at 00:18; King Street; at 00:32; |
Reasonable
St Barnabas Road, Tenison Road, The Triangle (YouTube) A useful quiet link from the Mill Road area towards Hills Road. Goes through areas SouthCity (Open KML), (Download KML); EastCity (Open KML), (Download KML);
| Reduced Description. See walkers, door zone, primary. Look out for parked cars in the streets and especially in the busier Tenison Road. Then take care of walkers in The Triangle. | Starts on St Barnabas Road; Tenison Road; at 00:26; Station Road; at 00:41; The Triangle; at 00:45; |
Friendly
St Matthews Street, Norfolk Street, Gwydir Street (YouTube) A useful quiet link from the Grafton centre towards Mill Road area. Goes through areas EastCity (Open KML), (Download KML);
| Reduced Description. See walkers, door zone, primary. A good quiet route from the Grafton Centre towards the east and south of town. | Starts on St Matthews Street; Norfolk Street; at 00:23; Gwydir Street; at 00:31; |
Mixed
St Peters Street, Pound Street, Queens Road (YouTube) A slightly strange route out of Castle Hill, but just to show these routes are quiet. Goes through areas WestCity (Open KML), (Download KML); NorthCity (Open KML), (Download KML);
| A slightly strange route out of Castle Hill, but just to show these routes are quiet. St Peter's Street is a quiet road up the back of Mount Pleasant, then Pound Street goes back down towards the backs. A lot of parked cars mean more avoiding the door zone and the last little bit past the church can be busy on Sunday! Getting onto busy Northampton Street can be a bit awkward. This is a slightly unpleasant road as it's narrow and busy. The beginning of Queens Road is a bit better but still busy. The vast amount of parked cars make this quite dangerous as riding to avoid the door zone can lead to impatient, close passes. This is often followed by sharp breaking and mostly gets nowhere as there are queuing cars ahead. If you don't like this, use the backs to the left as a quiet refuge, although take care of people walking. I turn off at the end to head across Queens Green. | Starts on St Peters Street; Pound Street; at 00:09; Northampton Street; at 00:20; Queens Road; at 00:25; |
Hostile
Station Road, High Street, Middle Watch, Village College, Swavesey (YouTube) A fairly hostile road environment in Swavesey village. Goes through areas West (Open KML), (Download KML);
| Reduced Description. See door zone, primary, secondary. This is not a pleasant place to cycle, there's far too many people driving taking too many risks in a narrow space. Look out for parked cars and people pulling out without properly looking. | Starts on Station Road, Swavesey; High Street, Swavesey; at 00:22; Middle Watch, Swavesey; at 00:39; Gibraltar Lane, Swavesey; at 00:55; |
Mixed
Station Road, Tenison Road, Tenison Avenue, Gresham Road, Regent Terrace, Regent Street (YouTube) A quiet route into town from the station. Goes through areas CentreCity (Open KML), (Download KML); SouthCity (Open KML), (Download KML);
| This starts in the bus station as a quiet, wide road. Take care of people crossing the road without looking and be prepared to stop. At the end of the road, there's a useful cyclepath to the left just in case a bus is stopped at the rising bollards. Be careful if using this and make sure it's safe to pull out again afterwards. Station Road is usually busy and has loads of parked cars. Avoid riding in the door zone and use the primary position if you feel threatened by poor passing. Tenison Road is a little less busy, but still slightly unpleasant. I turn down Tenison Avenue to get away from it as fast as possible. This is now a quiet but windy section, although plenty of parked cars and door zones to be avoided. Lyndewode Road has a helpful right turn lane, although look out for people driving cutting the corner (although there's very little access from that direction). Finally, Gresham Road can have people driving into it from the left with poor sight lines. Be prepared to stop and ride wide so you can be seen easier. The lights across Gonville Place are cycle-only so you must stop if they are red. You could get off and push your bike across legally, but often here it's not going to be sensible as there's a lot of traffic. On Parkers Piece be aware of people walking and riding from all directions. There are lots of accesses for people driving as well. At the crossing onto Regents Street, the lights are again cycle-only so you must stop if they are red. Regents Street is slightly unpleasant for riding, although it's only buses and taxis after the rising bollards. Use the left side cyclepath at the rising bollards if there's a vehicle stopped, but take care when rejoining the carriageway. This clip shows a slightly frustrating wait as motor vehicles prove to big to pass in the space available, whilst bikes would easily get through. | Starts on Station Place; Station Road; at 00:07; Tenison Road; at 00:17; Tenison Avenue; at 00:24; Lyndewode Road; at 00:33; Glisson Road; at 00:36; Gresham Road; at 00:40; Parkers Piece; at 00:54; Regent Terrace; at 00:56; Regent Street; at 01:13; |
Friendly
Stockwell Street, Charles Street, Rustat Road, cut through to Clifton Road (YouTube) A useful cut from Mill Road going south avoiding bridges and lights. Goes through areas SouthCity (Open KML), (Download KML); EastCity (Open KML), (Download KML);
| A useful cut from Mill Road going south avoiding bridges and lights. Getting into Stockwell Street is a little awkward. You'll need to pull well out into the road to be able to make the turn. The street itself is full of parked cars, so be careful to avoid the door zone. People driving towards you may not appreciate this so be prepared to slow. The cut-through to Charles Street is poorly sighted so be prepared to stop for oncoming people cycling and walking. Likewise the restricted access to Rustat Road. Be aware that people might come down the cycle bridge fast and be prepared to stop. Once in Rustat Road, you'll find there's a bit more traffic, so try to take care of that and the door zone of the parked cars. Just at the wiggle in the road, there's a short shared-use path to Clifton Road. This is useful by getting you further along the busy Cherry Hinton Road without using it. Clifton Road is the typical industrial estate. Parked cars and vans pulling out from the side. At the end of Clifton Road if the lights are red, use the cyclepath along the right pavement to get all the way to the Hills Road lights without having to stop. | Starts on Stockwell Street; Charles Street; at 00:07; Rustat Road; at 00:14; Clifton Road Cyclepath; at 00:31; Clifton Road; at 00:35; Cherry Hinton Road; at 00:53; |
Reasonable
Storeys Way (South) (YouTube) A quiet link through north-west Cambridge. Goes through areas WestCity (Open KML), (Download KML); NorthCity (Open KML), (Download KML);
| This starts on Huntingdon Road going north west from the junction with Oxford Road which gives this a through-route feel. There's some interesting cycle infra paint here with separate turn right cyclelanes painted in the middle of the road. I'd be very dubious of these being any use and would stick to using the proper lanes. Storey Way is mostly quiet, although there can be people speeding on Storey Way despite (or more probably because of) the traffic calming measures. It goes up between Churchill and Fitzwilliam colleges which should mean a fair amount of people cycling. This is a link between Huntingdon and Madingley Roads so does have people going quickly between the traffic calming measures. Not so pleasant, especially where the roadspace narrows with parked cars. Luckily enough it's wide at other points so overall the entire road isn't too bad. At the end, the Madingley Road shared-use path starts early and can be accessed by a raised road section. Although take care when at the corner as people can be riding quite quickly along Madingley Road path in line with the road crossing. | Starts on Huntingdon Road; Storeys Way; at 00:07; |
Friendly
Storeys Way, Madingley Rise Crombie Laboratory (YouTube) A great quiet link through west Cambridge. Goes through areas WestCity (Open KML), (Download KML);
| Access through Madingley Rise Crombie Laboratory is not obviously public, although the Google Street view cameras did come up here. Starting at the top corner of Storeys Way there's the residential road off it. Remember to ride outside of the door zone. The route goes up a slight rise and then round to the left. This isn't that clear but seems to be a lots of use. At the end of this section, a shared-use path goes straight on, turning right quickly afterwards. The path goes fairly straight towards the Madingley Rise Crombie Laboratory area. At the little left kink, there's a turn to the left to the Madingley Rise Observatory. Eventually the route takes a left turn. Next to this, there's steps to the right to access a university farm. Finally the route comes back out to a road with some barriers to make it a bit awkward to spare the blushes of inattentive people driving. The road comes out on Madingley Road opposite the new developments. | Starts on Storeys Way; Madingley Rise Astronomy Dept; at 00:19; Madingley Rise Crombie Laboratory; at 00:38; |
Reasonable
Storeys Way, Oxford Road, Warwick Road (YouTube) A long quiet route across north west Cambridge. Goes through areas NorthCity (Open KML), (Download KML); WestCity (Open KML), (Download KML);
| A long route across north west Cambridge. This is mostly quiet, although there can be people speeding on Storey Way despite (or more probably because of) the traffic calming measures. Storey Way goes up between Churchill and Fitzwilliam colleges which should mean a fair amount of people cycling. This is a link between Madingley and Huntingdon Roads so does have people going quickly between the traffic calming measures. Not so pleasant, especially where the roadspace narrows with parked cars. Luckily enough it's wide at other points so overall the entire road isn't too bad. Turning into Huntingdon Road is not too easy, despite the cyclelanes as traffic does go quite quickly here. It's good to turn off it into Oxford Road. Oxford Road is dominated by parked cars so remember to ride outside the door zone and possibly in the primary position to stop dangerous passes. The speed humps are quite mighty lumps, so take care of them. At the end there's a useful link straight ahead taking you into Warwick Road. Be wary of people walking here, especially at the school end. Warwick Road is quiet and wide. | Starts on Storeys Way; Huntingdon Road; at 00:35; Oxford Road; at 00:40; Warwick Road Path; at 00:57; Warwick Road; at 01:02; |
Mixed
Stretten Avenue, Carlton Way, Mere Way, Arbury Road (YouTube) A reasonable link through north Cambridge. Goes through areas NorthCity (Open KML), (Download KML);
| This is a reasonable route from the town centre, although there can be people speeding despite (or more probably because of) the traffic calming measures. In Stretten Avenue there are a lot of parked cars. Again remember to ride well outside the door zone when passing them and also maintain a straight line rather than dipping in and out of them. With the narrow width between parked cars you may want to pull over if you get someone driving behind you. If there's plenty of road ahead, I'll often find a spot that doesn't slow me too much to let cars past. One in front is less of a worry than one behind! In Carlton Way there are slightly less parked cars although they still create a door zone from a layby, so remember to ride well outside the door zone when passing them. Once in Mere Way, I ride mostly in the secondary position but occasionally move to the primary position past junctions. At the end, approaching Arbury Road, I've decided to sacrifice some priority for a slightly safer environment and use the shared-use path. This didn't lose me much, if any, time. Although in busier times that might not be the case. If using the roadspace, take great care when pulling into Arbury Road. | Starts on Stretten Avenue; Carlton Way; at 00:10; Mere Way; at 00:30; Arbury Road; at 00:48; |
Reasonable
Teasel Way, Lucerne Close, Primrose Close, Bridewell Road, Colville Road (YouTube) A reasonable and useful route further out in east Cambridge. Goes through areas EastCity (Open KML), (Download KML);
| Reduced Description. See walkers, door zone, primary. Useful non-traffic route through Cherry Hinton. Look out for the school on Colville Road and getting onto the sahre-use path at the end. | Starts on Teasel Way; Lucerne Close; at 00:11; Primrose Close; at 00:24; Bridewell Road; at 00:29; Colville Road; at 00:33; |
Friendly
Tenison Road, Lyndewode Road, Glisson Road (YouTube) A link into town form the south. Goes through areas SouthCity (Open KML), (Download KML);
| Starting from Devonshire Road lights and turning right into Tenison Road, almost immediately turn back to the left through the restricted access path into Lyndewode Road. Take care of other people walking and riding at this junction as it's quite limited space. Lyndewode Road has plenty of parked cars, so ride out of the door zone and beware of incoming people driving not taking this into consideration. Turn left into Glisson Road to get to Hills Road and the shopping area there. | Starts on Tenison Road; Lyndewode Road; at 00:06; Glisson Road; at 00:25; |
Friendly
Tennis Court Road, Brookside, Pemberton Terrace, St Eligius Passage (YouTube) A quiet route through the south centre of town. Goes through areas SouthCity (Open KML), (Download KML);
| A quiet route through the south centre of town. The first part of Tennis Court Road is two-way but usually quiet. Take care near the parked cars avoiding riding in the door zone whilst avoiding oncoming traffic. Then the road changes to one-way with a contraflow cyclelane. This is usually good, although in this case there's a bus illegally parked up in it (driver moved after I took a photo!). You should walk round these obstacles despite how irritating they are, and look before walking out into the road. Likewise take care opposite (again illegally) parked vehicles. Passing people driving may well pull out into the contraflow lane without looking or thinking. I turn right at the end (not in clip!) onto Lensfield Road, which can be busy. There's a useful pedestrian crossing just to the left of the junction which usefully stops traffic quite regularly. This end of Brookside is two-way and narrows quickly, but thankfully not very busy. Be careful turning left into Pemberton Terrace as people driving may cut the corner. Then turning right into St Eligius Passage is a useful shortcut through to Bateman Street avoiding the one-way Panton Street. St Eligius Passage is very narrow and likely to have schoolchildren around at several times during the day. It's worth being very careful here. | Starts on Tennis Court Road; Brookside; at 00:25; Pemberton Terrace; at 00:29; St Eligius Passage; at 00:35; |
Friendly
Teversham Drift (North) (YouTube) A good quiet link avoiding Cherry Hinton High Street. Goes through areas EastCity (Open KML), (Download KML);
| Reduced Description. See walkers, door zone, primary, shared-use path, cyclepath. Avoiding the terrible Cherry Hinton High Street. | Starts on High Street, Cherry Hinton; Teversham Drift Path, Cherry Hinton; at 00:07; Teversham Drift, Cherry Hinton; at 00:18; High Street, Cherry Hinton; at 00:41; |
More links: Door Zone, Primary Position, Cyclepath, Path, Shared-Use Path, People Walking, Main Post
Reasonable
Teversham Drift, Church End, Rosemary Lane (YouTube) A reasonable link to Coldhams Lane from the north end of Cherry Hinton. Goes through areas EastCity (Open KML), (Download KML);
| Reduced Description. See door zone, primary. Look out for the lack of dropped kerb at the beginning alongside some 1980s failed cycle safety restrictions. This is mostly very residential although some people can drive at speed around Church End and Rosemary Lane. | Starts on Teversham Drift, Cherry Hinton; March Lane; at 00:18; Church End, Cherry Hinton; at 00:22; Rosemary Lane, Cherry Hinton; at 00:39; |
Reasonable
The Footpath, Granchester Road, Coton (YouTube) A quiet, then slightly busy link to the west of Cambridge. Goes through areas West (Open KML), (Download KML);
| The first part is quiet, the road after can be a bit busy. Coming off the west Cambridge cyclepath into Coton is quite quiet. Note the number of parked cars and don't ride in the door zone. Turning onto the main road and it gets a bit busier. There's not too much through traffic, but it can be going fast outside of the village. Holding a wide secondary position along the road and the primary round some of the blind corners is the best way to avoid bad passes. At the end I'm about to turn onto the bridleway to Barton across the firing range, which is quite muddy! | Starts on The Footpath, Coton; Grantchester Road, Coton; at 00:14; |
Friendly
The Tins (YouTube) A useful quiet route parallel and just south of Coldhams Lane. Goes through areas EastCity (Open KML), (Download KML);
| A useful quiet route parallel and just south of Coldhams Lane. Starting at the level crossing on Cherry Hinton High Street this starts as a local side access. At the end the shared-use path turns a sharp blind corner, so take care of people walking and riding the other way. The back of gardens is also a place to look out for people walking onto the route from the side. The residential road crossing needs to change priority. I can't see why this couldn't be the other way round. There's hardly any conflict, so it's just a plain good idea to reinforce the need for people driving to look out for people not. The path becomes a lot narrower and has a couple of completely blind side accesses. Take great care here. There's hardly any space for passing, although people walking are usually very kind to allow people cycling to do so. Always slow down and thank people who stop! Eventually the route comes out onto a private access road. You can get to this route from the right, although the road is often littered with broken glass and the entrance form Coldhams Lane is very poor. This part of the lane gets very messy in autumn and usually lasts until spring. Then the path past the gym. This is great, although it's not uncommon to find delivery vans parked in it. Be aware that your speed will increase and take care of people walking next to you or across your path. Meanwhile, have a small smug though about the amount of money the people inside the gym are paying in fees, as well as how much petrol it cost them toe drive there. At the hotel end, take care to look for traffic crossing the path. Despite it being no priority either way, they may well assume they have it and they have the bulk to not care. Around the hotel, be aware that you will need to slow down by the end of the section as the path narrows dramatically. Eventually it turns into a shared-use path with no demarcation. Drop gears and really go slow here as the bridge is really awkward. It's usually blind, very narrow, and has a big ramp meaning it slows you but speeds up people coming toward you. On the exit of the bridge remember the issue you faced going up to it and think of people coming the other way. Go slowly and look as much as you can. The path stays shared-use but widens considerably to make it easy for all travelling along it. Where the path splits assess the smallest number of people on each side and use that. At the bridge, take great care of people driving and riding along the road, they have right of way. Finally, at the lights there is a side entrance to crossing lights. Note that these lights are not cycle-only so you can cross when they are on red. Routes on are to the right up Mill Road (not so nice) and left to a quiet route to the railway cycle bridge. It's a bit more windy and slower, but much nicer. | Starts on The Tins; Brookfields; at 00:59; |
Friendly
The Tins (East) (YouTube) A good offroad link into town from Cherry Hinton. Goes through areas EastCity (Open KML), (Download KML);
| Reduced Description. See walkers, shared-use path, cyclepath. A great route to the east of town, although has a lot of old style restrictions at the end. Some of this is to be redeveloped. | Starts on Brookfields; The Tins; at 00:02; |
Reasonable
The Tins, Norman Way (YouTube) A reasonable route from Brookfields to Cherry Hinton. Goes through areas EastCity (Open KML), (Download KML);
| Reduced Description. See door zone, primary, shared-use path. The route along The Tins to the back of Cherry Hinton. The Tins is a great route, but take great car at through the unsighted bridge turns and of people walking all the way along. On Norman Way, the left side pavement is meant to be shared-use but with it's turns and lack of priority at side accesses it's pretty much useless. | Starts on Burnside; The Tins; at 00:06; Norman Way; at 00:37; |
Mixed
The Triangle, Station Road, Tenison Road, Tenison Avenue, Lyndewode Road, Glisson Road, Gresham Road (YouTube) This is a reasonably quiet route into town to avoid Hills Road. Goes through areas SouthCity (Open KML), (Download KML);
| This is a reasonably quiet route into town to avoid Hills Road. It starts just after the railway bridge and Brooklands Avenue lights on the right. The Triangle is a private development so I suspect the route through here is only permissive. The left then right in Station Road is the busiest bit of the route. Pull out carefully and check before turning right. Tenison Road does get some of the station traffic, although it is now a 20mph limit. Take care around stopped cars, avoiding the door zone and looking for pullouts. Tenison Avenue is very quiet, likewise Lyndewode Road, although look out for other people riding. It continues to twist and turn its way round the back streets. Look out for unsighted pull outs by people driving into Gresham Road. The lights across Gonville Place are cycle-only so you must stop if they are red. You could get off and push your bike across legally, but often here it's not going to be sensible as there's a lot of traffic. The route goes onwards up Regents Terrace or across Parkers Piece. | Starts on The Triangle; Station Road; at 00:08; Tenison Road; at 00:12; Tenison Avenue; at 00:21; Lyndewode Road; at 00:30; Glisson Road; at 00:37; Gresham Road; at 00:42; |
Mixed
The Triangle, Tenison Road, Devonshire Road, Carter Railway Bridge (YouTube) A reasonable link from Hills Road over the railway. Goes through areas EastCity (Open KML), (Download KML); SouthCity (Open KML), (Download KML);
| This is a reasonably quiet route from Hills Road, just after the railway bridge, after Brooklands Avenue lights on the right. The Triangle is a private development so I suspect the route through here is only permissive. Take care of people walking here, although there's plenty of space. The left then right in Station Road is the busiest bit of the route. Pull out carefully and check before turning right. Tenison Road does get some of the station traffic, although it is now a 20mph limit. Take care around stopped cars, avoiding the door zone and looking for pullouts. Turning into Devonshire Road can be a bit awkward as the cars parked do block this lane a lot and create a very narrow space with oncoming traffic. Finally the turn onto the Carter Railway Bridge needs to be done with care, even if trying to maintain speed to get onto the slope at speed. People cycling can be coming quite fast in the other direction. Also, people walking can take the cyclepath section route onto the bridge to cut the corner. Slow right down when exiting the bridge onto Rustat Road. The sightlines are poor and there is a lot of people walking, riding, and driving here. | Starts on The Triangle; Station Road; at 00:15; Tenison Road; at 00:20; Devonshire Road; at 00:30; Carter Railway Bridge; at 00:35; |
Friendly
Thornbury Bridleway (YouTube) Summer only. Goes through areas West (Open KML), (Download KML);
| This is a very quiet route around the south east corner of Comberton. Probably for summer only. To start the route is solid although very rapidly gets quite rutted. Ruts are a real problem on a bike as you cannot move the bike around underneath you to maintain balance. Also you can find yourself getting stuck moving towards a block in your rut. So take care if you have little experience of them. I get stuck a few times. Once out onto the fields track, it's easier to manoeuvre but harder on the grassy surface. At the end turn right and continue along until the road. I'm not sure how useful this route is? | Starts on Thornbury Bridleway; |
More links: Main Post
Reasonable
Through Harlton onto Haslingfield (YouTube) A reasonable route between two villages. Goes through areas West (Open KML), (Download KML);
| Reduced Description. See door zone, primary, secondary. Look out for parked cars in the village. | Starts on Eversden Road, Harlton; High Street, Harlton; at 00:23; Haslingfield Road, Harlton; at 00:40; Harlton Road, Haslingfield; at 00:59; |
Reasonable
Through Orwell (YouTube) A reasonable link route through the village. Goes through areas West (Open KML), (Download KML);
| Reduced Description. See door zone, primary. A quiet link road through the village. Take care of parked cars. Look out for people driving at speed on the road after the village. | Starts on Hurdleditch Road, Orwell; Town Green Road, Orwell; at 00:13; High Street, Orwell; at 00:44; Barrington Road, Orwell; at 01:09; Orwell Road, Barrington; at 01:18; |
Friendly
To Barhill Centre (YouTube) A useful link to the centre of the village from the route to Dry Drayton. Goes through areas West (Open KML), (Download KML);
| Reduced Description. See walkers, door zone, shared-use path, cyclepath. This village is designed to have crossing non-motor routes in the middle of it. It's not clear whether these are for people cycling, but Google/Sustrans has them as such. They are certainly mostly wide enough. Where the path narrows, slowing down is appropriate. On the roads, look out for parked cars. | Starts on Saxon Way, Bar Hill; Little Meadow, Bar Hill; at 00:14; Centre to Little Meadow Path, Bar Hill; at 00:30; Centre Car Park, Bar Hill; at 01:06; |
Mixed
To Cambridge Beer Festival! (YouTube) A little fun route, well the ending was fun! The beginning is in Hills Road. Goes through areas CentreCity (Open KML), (Download KML); SouthCity (Open KML), (Download KML);
| A little fun route, well the ending was fun! The beginning is in Hills Road. The cyclelane here has taken on a odd shape now the war memorial has moved. It seems to be very narrow at the start, then widens a long way to the left only to come back in narrow just where buses pull into it. Take great care here as drivers may not know what to do with it either. I soon pull up behind the bus and walk to the cash machines. A beer festival needs cash! Travelling on shows some of the problems of Hills Road, buses stopped in the bus/cycle lane, and the jam at the Lensfield Road traffic lights. Look as pulling out and when filtering through stopped traffic check the drivers aren't about to move. When pulling onto Regents Terrace for Parkers Piece be aware people may be driving in the other direction. On Parkers Piece itself, take care of other people walking and riding. At the end of Parkers Piece, there's a useful exit onto the road usually protected by a parked car. This makes it reasonably easy to get to the ASL to enable the right turn into Clarendon Street. Clarendon Street has a lot of parked cars, so avoid the door zone. At the end of the Grafton centre take care to avoid people walking across your route. The crossing over Maids Causeway is not mandatory (isn't a road traffic style 3 lamps), so you can go on the red light phase. Midsummer Common is also quiet and full of people walking. Again leave plenty of space. Likewise the Victoria Avenue crossing and Jesus Green! | Starts on Hills Road; Gonville Place; at 00:33; Parkers Piece; at 00:35; Clarendon Street; at 00:39; Parkside; at 00:43; New Square; at 00:52; Fair Street; at 00:55; Midsummer Common; at 00:57; Jesus Green; at 01:05; |
Friendly
Trinity Steet, Kings Parade (YouTube) The central area is thankfully free of traffic most of the day. Goes through areas CentreCity (Open KML), (Download KML);
| The central area is thankfully free of traffic most of the day. There are lots of people walking and riding here, so it's worth going very slow and being prepared to stop at anytime. The route is narrow and has plenty of side accesses to add to the flow. Kings Parade has added localised traffic. Usually people drive pretty slowly here as there are so many people riding and walking. It's probably what the concept of 'shared space' is meant to be about. But as it's a dead end and only used by a few vehicles, so I'm not sure it's a good way to judge the concept. | Starts on St Johns Street; Trinity Street; at 00:06; Kings Parade; at 00:17; |
More links: People Walking, Additional Pedestrianised Riding Clip
Hostile
Trumpington High Street (YouTube) A very hostile roadspace with no defence against regularly impatient driving. Goes through areas SouthCity (Open KML), (Download KML);
| Reduced Description. See primary, cyclelane. Miles of decent cycleroute are ruined by this one short section of onroad cyclelane. The side of the road is littered with debris, potholes, and puddles. Avoid all of them and ride out from the kerb. If needed and you feel you can, adopt the primary through here. Sadly, the painted cyclelane makes it less safe for people cycling here as people driving assume they can pass within inches as they are in another lane. | Starts on High Street, Trumpington; |
Reasonable
Trumpington Road (Brooklands Avenue to Long Road) (YouTube) This shows the roadspace on this section of road, although it's worth using the separate shared-use path on the other side of the road. Goes through areas SouthCity (Open KML), (Download KML);
| This shows the roadspace on this section of road, although if going further along Trumpington Road it's worth using the separate shared-use path on the other side of the road. The junction with Brooklands Avenue can be a little awkward, although be aware that the left pavement is shared-use up to the first road, so can be used if this space is threatening. The bus lane is useful to get away from private vehicles, although note that I do not go right to the left edge of the lane. This is to stop close passes by buses which would be incredibly dangerous. At the pedestrian crossing further up, there is a cycleroute to the left to cut the corner to Long Road along quieter roads. | Starts on Trumpington Road; |
Hostile
Trumpington Road (to Brooklands Avenue) (YouTube) The roadspace gets more hostile as going south. Goes through areas SouthCity (Open KML), (Download KML); CentreCity (Open KML), (Download KML);
| The first bit has the lovely traditional gutters. Nice but can be dangerous as there's no side exit from people driving towards you towards the gutter like a normal pavement affords. Also, it's narrow and that can lead to close passes with oncoming traffic. Luckily, there's not very much traffic in this direction. The parking bays do a nice job of keeping the road narrow when it does finally widen out. Remember to ride out of the door zone. The roundabout doesn't really require 3 lanes with this low traffic. Traffic is queuing because of the further roundabout. What could that other lane be used for? At the second roundabout be careful of drivers coming from the right. It's their right of way and you may well not have good sight lines. After this, the pinch points need care, take the primary to stop poor passing. The road thankfully widens after that and a cyclelane appears. Only to narrow and stop a little later. Finally, one of the most absurd cyclelanes in Cambridge. AVOID AT ALL COSTS next to parked cars. It's firmly in the door zone. People often park half in it, and doors are regularly opened into it without looking. | Starts on Trumpington Street; Trumpington Road; at 00:26; |
Friendly
Trumpington Road Cyclepath (YouTube) A good off-road route, sometimes overgrown and not a full route. Goes through areas SouthCity (Open KML), (Download KML);
| Reduced Description. See walkers, shared-use path, cyclepath. A good off-road route, although sadly top and tailed by very bad provision. Getting onto the path can be awkward as people often drive right up to the line from the side road and, on the other hand, people often drive impatiently if you stay on the main road until the first drop kerb.Take care around the side accesses and roads. | Starts on Trumpington Road; |
Reasonable
Trumpington Road, Pemberton Terrace, Union Street (YouTube) A useful link through the south centre of town. Goes through areas SouthCity (Open KML), (Download KML); CentreCity (Open KML), (Download KML);
| As the junction of Brooklands Avenue and Trumpington Road, the shared-use path shows signs of ending, but it keeps going through a rather nasty section. This is well worth using to avoid the terrible onroad cyclelane which is entirely in the door zone and to be avoided at all costs. There's usually more people walking here than the previous sections of shared-use path, so slow down and take care when passing them. Also avoid the inside door zone. After the parked cars, there are plenty of places to come out onto the roadspace. Time your entrance to mingle with traffic already there. The onroad cyclelane may help this, but do not rely on it to be clear. The crossing allows cycling access, so I use the refuge in the road middle and turn onto the conduit bridge when the oncoming lane is clear whilst taking care of any people walking. When coming off the bridge, take care of people driving from all directions. Pemberton Terrace is usually quiet and is Union Street except for school opening/closing times. Crossing Panton Street takes care as people can drive quite quickly up it. Union Street is narrow given parked cars. Take the primary position if you feel threatened by a close pass. | Starts on Trumpington Street; Pemberton Terrace; at 00:26; Union Street; at 00:34; |
More links: Door Zone, Primary Position, Cyclelane, Path, Shared-Use Path, People Walking, Main Post
Reasonable
Two Acre Plantation Path and Babraham High Street (YouTube) A useful link for some bike types, then a quiet village high street. Goes through areas South (Open KML), (Download KML);
| Reduced Description. See walkers, door zone, primary, shared-use path, dismount. This has been converted to a shared-use path, although thanks the the bridge it's only for certain types of bike. On the road through Babraham, take care near the traffic calming measures as people driving do try to squeeze through too quickly. | Starts on Two Acre Plantation Path, Babraham; High Street, Babraham; at 01:10; |
More links: Door Zone, Cyclists Dismount Sign, Primary Position, Path, Shared-Use Path, People Walking, Main Post
Reasonable
Union Lane, Chesterton High Street, Ferry Lane, Green Dragon Bridge (YouTube) A reasonable link down and across the river. Goes through areas EastCity (Open KML), (Download KML);
| After the unpleasant space of Arbury Road, Union Lane is a much more pleasant space. Mainly due to the reduced amount of traffic. It does have a lot of parked cars, so remember to ride outside the door zone. Turning left into Chesterton High Street gives a similar road environment but a bit more traffic. Finally turning down Ferry Lane gets you away from a lot of traffic, although take care as there's more people walking and riding in a more narrow space. From Ferry Lane ensure you slow down for the Green Dragon bridge. Again it's narrow here and you must take care of people walking. Do note that the "Cyclists Dismount" sign is advisory only, there's no need to do so other that taking care of people walking. Take care exiting the bridge as it has limited sight lines and there are people walking and cycling through a quite busy little junction. This goes for going along the river on Stourbridge Common as well. This is a busy area with lots of people walking and riding from all directions. | Starts on Union Lane; Chesterton High Street; at 00:17; Ferry Lane; at 00:32; Green Dragon Bridge; at 00:41; |
Friendly
Vicarage Lane, Stapleford (East) (YouTube) A very quiet link useful for schoolchildren. Goes through areas South (Open KML), (Download KML);
| Reduced Description. See walkers, dismount. The status of this route is not clear. It's described as a lane and clearly has restrictions aimed at slowing (but not stopping) people cycling on it. | Starts on Vicarage Lane, Stapleford; |
Friendly
Vicarage Lane, Stapleford (West) (YouTube) A very quiet link useful for schoolchildren. Goes through areas South (Open KML), (Download KML);
| Reduced Description. See walkers, dismount. The status of this route is not clear. It's described as a lane and clearly has restrictions aimed at slowing (but not stopping) people cycling on it. | Starts on Vicarage Lane, Stapleford; |
Reasonable
Victoria Avenue from Staples Corner (YouTube) The first part of Victoria Avenue from Mitchams Corner is pretty hostile but it soon widens going south into town. Goes through areas NorthCity (Open KML), (Download KML);
| The first part of Victoria Avenue from Mitchams Corner can be busy and unpleasant as it's narrow. Although if you're with traffic that's gone round the gyratory you should be used to it by now. There is a tendency for poor passing over the river bridge, so take the primary if you feel threatened. As you can see it's usually not even worth it. After the crossing lights there's plenty of room for passing and good sight lines. At the end of the road look out for buses. They can be stuck out into the road and might have people walking around them in the road. Give them a wide berth. | Starts on Mitchams Corner; Victoria Avenue; at 00:02; |
Hostile
Victoria Road (West) (YouTube) A narrow, arcing road, with poor sight lines. Goes through areas NorthCity (Open KML), (Download KML);
| A narrow, arcing road, with poor sight lines. Usually busy with traffic. Take the primary position as it's rare that anyone will gain anything by the traffic lights. | Starts on Victoria Road; |
More links: Primary Position, Main Post
Hostile
Victoria Road to Staples Corner (YouTube) This starts as a narrow, arcing road, with poor sight lines. Goes through areas NorthCity (Open KML), (Download KML);
| This starts as a narrow, arcing road, with poor sight lines. Usually busy with traffic. Take the primary position as it's rare that anyone will gain anything by the traffic lights. On the straighter section, if there's no oncoming traffic pull over to the secondary position to let motor traffic through. Pull out carefully onto Mitcham's Corner, traffic comes quickly round the corner. Take the left lane to ensure no poor passing which also allows you to pull to the right side of the lane if not going up Milton Road. Look carefully before changing lanes although traffic is usually going quite slowly round here.B142 | Starts on Victoria Road; Mitchams Corner; at 00:30; |
Hostile
Village College, Middle Watch, High Street, Station Road, Swavesey (YouTube) A fairly hostile road environment in Swavesey village. Goes through areas West (Open KML), (Download KML);
| Reduced Description. See door zone, primary, secondary. This is not a pleasant place to cycle, there's far too many people driving taking too many risks in a narrow space. Look out for parked cars and people pulling out without properly looking. Some of the later left pavement is shared-use, but I couldn't see how ot get on it. | Starts on Gibraltar Lane, Swavesey; Middle Watch, Swavesey; at 00:08; High Street, Swavesey; at 00:19; Station Road, Swavesey; at 00:38; |
Friendly
Vinery Road (YouTube) A quiet route through the east of town avoiding the busy ring road. Goes through areas EastCity (Open KML), (Download KML);
| A quiet route through the east of town avoiding the busy ring road. There's plenty of parked cars here, so avoid riding in the door zone. Note that I give way in the restricted section, despite being there first. I'd suggest hanging back at the giveway line, unless there is space in the parking bays. Interesting to see that the restricted access space has been 'adjusted' to be bigger. Sadly, at the end of the road, it's left or right into a busy roadspace. It's not far to the cyclelane up Barnwell Road though. | Starts on Vinery Road; |
Friendly
Vinery Road, Suez Road (YouTube) A quiet route parallel to Coleridge Road. Goes through areas EastCity (Open KML), (Download KML);
| A quiet route parallel to Coleridge Road. Vinery Road is a useful quiet link from Coldhams Lane. Crossing Mill Road into Suez Road continues that quiet route through to Radegund Road. The route has lots of parked cars so ride out of the door zone and be aware of oncoming people driving without taking that into consideration. At the restricted access be aware of other people driving, walking or riding. At the end turn right up to Coleridge Road or left towards links to Perne Road. | Starts on Vinery Road; Suez Road; at 00:08; |
Friendly
Warwick Road, Oxford Road (YouTube) A quiet link through north-west Cambridge. Goes through areas NorthCity (Open KML), (Download KML);
| Warwick Road is quiet and wide, although there are a lot of parked cars. Remember to ride outside of the door zone. At the end there's a useful link straight ahead taking you into Oxford Road. Be wary of people walking here, especially at the school end. Oxford Road is dominated by parked cars so remember to ride outside the door zone and possibly in the primary position to stop dangerous passes. The speed humps are quite mighty lumps, so take care of them. Turning into Huntingdon Road is not too easy, despite the cyclelanes as traffic does go quite quickly here. It's good to turn off it into Oxford Road. | Starts on Warwick Road; Warwick Road Path; at 00:09; Oxford Road; at 00:15; |
Friendly
Water Street, Water Lane, Riverpath (YouTube) A quiet useful link through east Cambridge. Goes through areas East (Open KML), (Download KML); EastCity (Open KML), (Download KML);
| Reduced Description. See walkers, door zone, shared-use path | Starts on Water Street; Water Lane; at 00:08; Riverpath; at 00:20; |
Friendly
West Cambridge Bridleway (YouTube) A route from the West Cambridge Cyclepath to Madingley Road alongside the M11. Summer only. Goes through areas WestCity (Open KML), (Download KML);
| A slightly muddy route from Madingley Road to the West Cambridge Cyclepath alongside the M11. This end of the bridlepath is pretty muddy at times and gets quite overgrown in summer further alone. Not long after the start there's a few breaks in the left hedge with access into the Schofield Centrifuge Centre car park, with it's fancy tarmac drive. It's a lift over but effective if you want. A little over halfway, the route joins a tarmac path from the road access to the left. Things get a lot easier from here. There's a slightly better tarmac option to this route! | Starts on West Cambridge Bridleway; |
Friendly
West Cambridge Bridleway (Road Option) (YouTube) A route from the West Cambridge Cyclepath to Madingley Road alongside the M11. Goes through areas WestCity (Open KML), (Download KML);
| A route from the West Cambridge Cyclepath to Madingley Road alongside the M11. This is a shared-use route, so take care of people walking and potentially riding horses. After a short while, the route turns right to join a tarmac path from the road access to the left. This ends up in the back of the Atlas Centre carpark which allows entry to the access roads around this part of the university. Finally, there's a short access bridlepath to Madingley Road. Take care exiting here onto the road as people can be driving fast. | Starts on West Cambridge Bridleway; High Cross Access; at 00:12; |
Friendly
West Cambridge Cyclepath (YouTube) A great cyclepath link in west Cambridge. Goes through areas West (Open KML), (Download KML); WestCity (Open KML), (Download KML);
| This is a great way of getting around west Cambridge and to Coton. Getting onto the cyclepath is awkward to spare the blushes of inattentive people driving. You should be able to get a good look down the path before making the left-right-left manoeuvre to check what's happening. Once onto the route it's great to have the separation between walking and riding space clearly defined and it works much better than a painted line. However, do take care of people walking and give them space. There's always the chance people will change direction in front of you, so ride to avoid any collisions. Also note that maintenance vehicles can be along here, albeit rarely. And take more care around the egresses to the route, people can come around the corners quickly. When the path narrows, it's worth slowing and taking a bit more care. lots of people walk along here and need space. Likewise, many people walking are aware that there are people cycling along here and it's usually a polite, good natured shared-use space. Remember to smile and thank people who stop to get out of your way! Take care on the corners as visibility is limited and likewise around the motorway bridge, noting the footpath accesses nearby. On the downside of the bridge, brake well before the end as there's likely to be leaves or other mess making the surface bad on a corners. As you enter Coton, note that cars do come down the side of the village green. And that people will step out of the properties to the right without necessarily checking. Adams Road is quiet but has a lot of parked cars, so avoid the door zone. This can lead to some conflict with oncoming traffic where people driving don't allow enough space to people cycling. To begin with, staying out in the road makes you more visible, and will lead to slowing if necessary. Of course, pull over and slow down yourself as you get closer. | Starts on Adams Road; West Cambridge Cycle Path; at 00:02; The Footpath, Coton; at 01:33; |
Friendly
West Cambridge Cyclepath (East) (YouTube) A great offroad link from Coton into town. Goes through areas WestCity (Open KML), (Download KML); West (Open KML), (Download KML);
| Reduced Description. See walkers, door zone, primary, shared-use path. Be aware of parked cars on the first section in Coton. Be aware of people walking all the way along here, including the segregated section at the end. | Starts on The Footpath, Coton; West Cambridge Cyclepath; at 00:17; |
More links: Door Zone, Primary Position, Path, Shared-Use Path, People Walking, People Walking, Main Post
Friendly
West Cambridge Cyclepath and Burrells WalkA quiet link from Coton to the centre of Cambridge. Goes through areas WestCity (Open KML), (Download KML); West (Open KML), (Download KML);
| CLIP LOST! Reduced Description. See walkers, door zone, primary, shared-use path, cyclepath. A great route into town. Take great care of walkers, especially on Burrells Walk. | Starts on The Footpath, Coton; West Cambridge Cyclepath; at 00:10; Adams Road; at 01:44; Burrells Walk; at 02:06; |
More links: Door Zone, Primary Position, Cyclepath, Path, Shared-Use Path, People Walking, Main Post
Reasonable
West Road (YouTube) A quiet route in West Cambridge usefully linking to a crossing and Queens Green. Goes through areas WestCity (Open KML), (Download KML);
| A quiet route in West Cambridge usefully linking to a crossing and Queens Green. A lot of parked cars, so be careful not to ride in the door zone. Also be aware that there are a lot of people walking around here at times, crossing the road. Be prepared to stop. At the end, there's a useful crossing that connects into the Queens Green path going further into the centre. | Starts on West Road; |
Friendly
Whole Way (YouTube) A rough route between parallel roads. Goes through areas West (Open KML), (Download KML);
| Reduced Description. See walkers, shared-use path. This bridleway is a rough track but quite a pleasant way to cross the hills here, avoiding the heaveir used roads. Take care in the ruts, especially downhill. Get your balance wrong and you could be thrown off. | Starts on Whole Way, Orwell; Whole Way, Harlton; at 00:48; |
Mixed
Wimpole Folly and the Three Cams (YouTube) A largely quiet green route round the villages to the West and South of Cambridge. Goes through areas South (Open KML), (Download KML); West (Open KML), (Download KML); WestCity (Open KML), (Download KML); SouthCity (Open KML), (Download KML);
Reasonable
Wimpole Road (YouTube) A reasonable route from Wimpole Folly down past Wimpole Hall. Goes through areas West (Open KML), (Download KML);
| Reduced Description. See walkers, door zone, primary, secondary. This is quite a tourist place, especially on this day! I join in the queue when it's moving but if I have space to overtake, I do. Turning left at the end, there is a cyclepath but I choose the road for a short distance to the right turn onward. | Starts on Old Wimpole Road, Wimpole; |
More links: Door Zone, Primary Position, Secondary Position, Cyclepath, Path, People Walking, Main Post
Reasonable
Windsor Road, Akeman Street (YouTube) A quiet link through north Cambridge. Goes through areas NorthCity (Open KML), (Download KML);
| This starts as a useful link for local residents as it's not so much on a main through route but does end in a reasonable useful area. It's a residential area so there are lots of parked cars. Remember to ride outside of the door zone. In Windsor Road it's good to see kids being taught about cycling, sadly with far too much hi-viz and helmets on display. The limited access stops this being a rat run for large amounts of traffic. Crossing Histon Road into Akeman Street si a bit fraught, but once here, it's back to quiet residential streets. The road has been converted quite a while back to stop rat running again. The odd restricted space turn and bump do make a difference. At the end is a give-way-to-all-directions junction. This time it works as the different directions have equal traffic modes and everyone slows and checks. | Starts on Windsor Road; Akeman Street; at 00:30; |
Mixed
Woollards Lane, Hinton Way, Chaston Road, Addenbrookes Path Extension in Shelford (YouTube) The village streets are slightly hostile but connects through quiet streets to the Addenbrookes cyclepath. Goes through areas South (Open KML), (Download KML);
| A route that has some slightly awkward points but generally a good way of getting through this area. Wollards Lane has a lot of parked cars, so be careful to avoid riding in the door zone. Also, as it has a lot of shops there are likely to be people walking and driving without looking carefully. Be prepared to stop or make evasive manoeuvres. Like when the car pulls out in front of me. At the lights, cars can be turning left without indicating. Get into a position either behind them and let them go, or in front where you can be seen. The latter can be very hard to do with bigger vehicles, so better to rely on the former. After the lights, the lane is narrow, especially with the oncoming traffic queued. Take the primary position as I did to avoid bad passes. The red car that eventually passed me after I pulled back in waved a cheery wave having realised what I was doing. Going through the level crossing, ensure your wheels are more or less parallel to the track rails. Luckily as this a little lower than the surrounding area there's a good slope for a speed build up here. The correct left turn is the second road after the level crossing into Chaston Road. Yet more parked cars, so avoid the door zone. The Addenbrookes shared-use path was the 10,000 mile of Sustrans supported cycletrack. It's also supported by the local genome research projects. Hence it having the genetic code of BRCA2 painted on it, with 10,229 pairs. At the end of the first section, take care exiting and crossing the road as it's completely unsighted and cars are still going fast after coming down Granhams Lane hill. | Starts on Woollards Lane, Shelford; Hinton Way, Shelford; at 00:23; Chaston Road, Shelford; at 00:39; Addenbrookes Path Extension, Shelford; at 00:52; |
Friendly
Worsted Street (South) (YouTube) A beautiful track over the hills south of Cambridge. Goes through areas South (Open KML), (Download KML);
| Reduced Description. See walkers. A great green route used by many. This is parallel to the A1307 and is passable for much of the year. Some of the ruts have been removed since this clip. | Starts on Worsted Street; |
More links: People Walking, Main Post
Friendly
Worsted Street from Copley Hill (YouTube) A beautiful track over the hills south of Cambridge. Goes through areas South (Open KML), (Download KML);
| Reduced Description. See walkers. A great green route used by many. This is parallel to the A1307 and is passable for much of the year. Stunning views from near Copley Wood all the way to the Worsted Lodge. | Starts on Worsted Street; |
More links: People Walking, Main Post
Friendly
Worsted Street from Worsted Lodge (YouTube) A steady climb along a quiet track to the south east of Cambridge. Goes through areas South (Open KML), (Download KML);
| Reduced Description. See walkers. A great green route not far from the A1307 and much more pleasant. It can be ridden most of the year. | Starts on Worsted Street; |
More links: People Walking, Main Post
Hostile
Worts Causeway Hill (YouTube) An awkward road south of Cambridge just a bit too narrow for the speeds people drive at. Goes through areas South (Open KML), (Download KML);
| Reduced Description. See primary, secondary. Despite the stopping space halfway up, drivers go at considerable speed along here and can try to overtake round blind bends. | Starts on Worts Causeway Hill; |
Reasonable
Worts Causeway, Hills Road (YouTube) Worts Causeway is a quiet road into town from the south. Goes through areas SouthCity (Open KML), (Download KML);
| Worts Causeway is a quiet road into town from the south. It's the end of Worsted Street that is a green route in from near Hildersham near Linton. Or you can find people cycling and driving round over the back of the Gog Magogs from Fulbourn. It's completely parking free out of town, which is nice and only the other side when in town. If coming out of town, remember to ride outside the door zone. At the traffic lights, the right side pavement is shared-use and is usually more worthwhile than waiting at the lights that can take a long time. Especially if no traffic is coming once you've turned the corner. I ride over the grass to get onto the road but this can be difficult. There's plenty of opportunities to cross further down. If the road is busy, there's a dual-use crossing further down. I take the lane into the roundabout so I can be seen and stop bad passing, I'm easily going fast enough for all other traffic. If this doesn't appeal, the path to the left is shared-use as well and will get you onto the roundabout a bit further round, although there's no direct alternative all the way round to the Hills Road exit. | Starts on Worts Causeway; Hills Road; at 00:45; |
Friendly
York Street (YouTube) A short link through east Cambridge. Goes through areas EastCity (Open KML), (Download KML);
| A short link through east Cambridge. A lot of parked cars, so ride out of the door zone. It goes straight on to the Newmarket Road crossing. | Starts on York Street; Abbey Street; at 00:10; |
Friendly
York Street, Sturton Street, Kingston Street, Devonshire Road (YouTube) A quiet link through east Cambridge. Goes through areas EastCity (Open KML), (Download KML);
| A quiet link through east Cambridge. From the Newmarket Road crossing it's straight on into York Street or right the left to get into Sturton Street. Lots of parked cars so take to ride outside of the door zone. At the restricted access link into Kingston Street, be aware that people maybe walking in this section, so be prepared to stop. At the Mill Road crossing into Devonshire Road take care of people walking along the street and note the contraflow cyclelane back into Kingston Street. Devonshire Road is usually quiet, although there is often quite a few builders vans near the beginning next to Jewsons. The road does sometimes act as a quick route away from the station and there's a chance oncoming traffic will not slow despite the narrow space. Notice the narrow pavement means it's worth giving people walking a bit of space just in case. Round the corner, the cyclebridge brings in more people cycling and a onroad cyclelane. Sadly this lane is right in the door zone for the parking bay, so avoid it there. The traffic lights at the end are set to change at exactly the right time from turning the corner and doing 12mph up to them. | Starts on Abbey Street; New Street; at 00:04; Sturton Street; at 00:08; Kingston Street; at 00:35; Devonshire Road; at 00:48; |
All Other Indexes
There are several index pages in two types for this group of pages and associated YouTube clips and KML files.
- The Streets Index pages, listing in street order with route clips with start times and local area KML files for use and download
A-C / D-K / L-R / S-Z - The Routes Index pages, listing in route order showing streets used with detailed description and local area KML files for use and download
A-C / D-K / L-R / S-Z
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