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You are here: Home > See & Do > Activities > Cycling

Cycling

The Great West Way offers a wealth of landscapes for cyclists of all stripes to explore, from tots trundling along on their first wheels to the next Laura Kenny.

You’ll soon discover that the UK is cycling crazy, so there’ll be no trouble finding your perfect ride... There’s family-friendly woodland paths, long distance cycle routes and downhill mountain bike trails for the daring.

The rural charm of the touring route, including 3 Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty, makes it a dreamy destination for any bike tour. Picture a leisurely Sunday road cycle through sleepy Cotswolds villages or a week-long group adventure from London to Bristol on Route 4.

If you’re visiting from abroad and don’t have your bike in tow there are plenty of places to hire one here including electric bikes, vintage bikes and tandems. There are also some really fun themed bike tours around cycling-friendly cities such as Bristol - one of which includes stopping off at independent eateries to sample their produce. What a satisfying way to take in the sights!

Things to do in Bristol

This city of boats, bridges and balloons is full of colourful things to see and do.
Top 10 Scenic Cycle Routes

Top 10 scenic cycle routes along the Great West Way.
Canal & River Trust

The beautiful Kennet & Avon Canal (or K&A as its known) flows along 87 miles of the Great West Way. From Bath to Reading, it winds through quintessential rolling Wiltshire hills, bustling towns and even a World Heritage Site. Since 1810, narrowboats have drifted along at four miles an hour, plying their trade from Bristol to London. Today, you'll find a mixture of holiday and live-aboard boaters, all seeking the calm and tranquillity that comes from life on or by the water.
Wiltshire

Between London and Bristol & Bath, and venturing up into the Cotswolds, you’ll find the county of Wiltshire. Patchwork fields, chalk plateauxs and irresistibly pretty villages. It’s not all rural heartland, of course, there’s market towns and a city to explore too...
The Cotswolds

The Cotswolds offers the sort of chocolate box views that many imagine when they think of England. Its honey-coloured limestone villages and rolling farmland, dotted with curly-haired Cotswold sheep, make up the largest Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty in the country.
A Guide to the Great Outdoors on the North Wessex Downs

Click here to see our guide to the great outdoors over the North Wessex Downs area of Outstanding Natural Beauty.