Great rides around Warwickshire
“Warwickshire is a fantastic place to explore via bike, with scenic routes, varied landscapes, and points of fascinating history and heritage to discover."
For visitors and residents inspired to get on their bikes by the Warwickshire stage of the Lloyds Tour of Britain Men’s race, Visit Warwickshire is launching Great Rides, an online resource which highlights some of the best cycling routes around the county.
Warwickshire offers a rich and varied experience that blends world-renowned heritage with hidden local treasures. These include incredible spaces for outdoor leisure and fitness, including municipal parks and gardens, Warwickshire Country Parks, waterways, nature reserves and miles of cycling routes, both on and off road.
In celebration of the Lloyds Tour of Britain (ToB), Visit Warwickshire has launched Great Rides, an online resource which lists just some of the cycling routes the county offers, introducing Warwickshire’s towns and inspiration for leisure cycling to residents and visitors alike.
Great Rides will enable enthusiasts to follow the drama of the race and showcases Warwickshire’s year-round offer for cyclists. The Leisure Cycling section lists some of the best-known biking journeys in Warwickshire, including National Cycle Network (NCN) Route 5 and NCN Route 41. There is also a section on accessible off-road routes available at Warwickshire’s country parks and greenways.
Great Rides offers a carefully curated collection of route suggestions complete with maps, trail descriptions and points of interest along the way.
Warwickshire welcomes the return of the ToB on 5 September on the back of the county’s success as a cycle tour host, with multiple professional cycling events being held over the past 10 years including The Commonwealth Games Road Race 2022. The event will leave Atherstone town centre and take in the varying landscapes of Warwickshire including Arden, Cotswold and Feldon.
Exhilaration will build in anticipation of the "King of the Mountain"; the accolade given to the rider who accumulates the most points in the climb section of the stage, where Warwickshire’s landscapes will provide a stunning, natural backdrop.
At 116.2 miles, the Warwickshire stage is the longest on this year’s ToB circuit and will pose the riders all manner of challenges along the way with climbs including Sun Rising Hill and ascents within Burton Dassett Hills Country Park.
Councillor Mike Bannister, Portfolio Holder for Customer & Localities at Warwickshire County Council, said: “Warwickshire is a fantastic place to explore via bike, with scenic routes, varied landscapes, and points of fascinating history and heritage to discover. I hope that hosting this iconic cycling event will inspire more people to enjoy the county on two wheels, and the new Great Rides resource is a brilliant place to start.”
* For more information about Great Rides, visit Great rides – Visit Warwickshire