Bike Routes From Midland Mainline Stations
From Pedalpushers
!Under Construction - Many links not yet in place.
Suggested Cycle Routes from East Midlands Trains Stations
Great news from Midland Mainline - the cycle reservation fee has been scrapped! Book your bike for free at any staffed National Rail Station, or by phone on 08457 125 678 (Sorry, but we haven't managed to persuade them to drop the idea of train fares yet - you still have to pay for yourself). Virgin have also dropped cycle reservation charges - please do make a reservation, we need the train companies to recognise that there is a market out there.
A couple of words of warning about EM Trains:
(i) Their Connect service between Liverpool and Norwich is highly unreliable.
(ii) The trains they are using between Sheffield and London only carry two bikes. If you want to travel to London as a group of up to four with bikes, take a Cross-Country Trains Service to Doncaster and a National Express East Coast service to Kings Cross.
You can now book your bike on-line at National Express East Coast.
Sheffield.
From Sheffield Station, cross Sheaf Street. (Please note that work is taking place to create a new public square outside Sheffield Station, most cycle routes are disrupted. To leave the Station by bike, cross Sheaf St at the main crossing (near the ticket office) mount the pavement on the opposite side of the road and turn right - there is a short section of off-road cycle lane that will get you to Harmer Lane (at the south end of the bus station) turn left here and left again to Pond St. Dismount at Howard St to climb up to the Town Hall, Library, Peace and Winter Gardens, or for a less steep climb continue to Paternoster Row (the Showroom cinema should be on your left) and turn right by the Hallam Students Union (formerly the Centre for Popular Music, known locally as the Kettles)
For the University and Hospitals, follow the marked cycle route along Brown St, left onto Sydney St & Sylvester St and join the off-road route at the junction with Eyre St. Cross at the pelican crossing and then follow the route along the Ring Road.
This information is correct as at October 2006 but is subject to change.
Take Howard St for the Peak Park Millennium route which will eventually lead you to Hathersage in the Peak Park.
Turn Right for the Trans-Pennine Trail , access point at the Canal Basin, on the other side of Park Square, which leads to Rother Valley Country Park and on to Chesterfield, with onward connections to Chesterfield, Clumber Park, Sherwood Forest, Mansfield, Bulwell, Nottingham and Derby, or Meadowhall for Penistone, Rotherham, Doncaster, Manchester, Liverpool, York, Leeds Hull and points en route.
For a guide to local routes in Sheffield click here
For a great ride to Derby, click here.
Chesterfield
The Southern spur of the Trans-Pennine trail starts outside Chesterfield station. Follow this for Sheffield and points North, South, East and West.
Derby
Leave the Station by the East Entrance for Pride Park, where you can connect to National Cycle Network Route 6/52 to Nottingham, Sheffield, and York, or route 6/51, the South Midland Route, for Melbourne, Loughborough, and Leicester.
Nottingham
Take to the Canal towpath, adjacent to the station, for interesting rides to Beeston, Attenborough, & Trent Bridge, where you can head north along the Erewash Canal, past the enormous Toton locomotive depot as far as Langley Mill, where Central Trains (or, occasionally, MML) can pick you up and take you back to Nottingham, or on to Chesterfield and Sheffield. The Erewash Canal at one time connected with the Cromford Canal, which still exists between Ambergate (once a significant railway junction) and Cromford Wharf which is not far from
Matlock,
but that's another story. Oh alright then.. from High Peak Junction just south of Cromford, you can climb up the old railway incline to the High Peak Trail, which will take you to Parsley Hay in the heart of the magical White Peak. Central Trains (also part of the National Express group) run between Derby and Matlock.
Loughborough
A spur from Route 6/61 will connect you with the South Midlands Cycle Route.
Leicester
This town is something of a cycling Mecca, with two braids of the South Midlands route heading south, and options to head for the cycling & sailing honeypot of Rutland Water, near Oakham, or Melton Mowbray, home of the Pork Pie. Alternatively, get on to the towpath of the Grand Union Canal, through beautiful countryside for Foxton Locks and the Market Harborough Arm.
Market Harborough
A short ride through the exquisite town centre will take you to the Market Harborough Arm of the Grand Union Canal, (see Leicester) giving you access, again for the South Midland Cycle Route towards Oxford, Coventry and Milton Keynes, or stay on the towpath for the UK's canal network, much of which is cyclable along the towpaths.
St Albans.
Change at Luton for a First Capital Connect train to the ancient Roman town of Verulanium. The Alban way, avoiding motorways and major roads, will take you through to Hatfield, the pleasant county town of Hertford, London via the Lea Valley, and Stansted Airport, and is described in more detail here.
London St Pancras
The southernmost terminus for Midland Mainline, and soon to be the London terminus for Eurostar. Cycle north along York Way, on the eastern side of Kings Cross, to reach Regents Canal. If you head east you can link to the River Lea and head north for St Albans (see above) - if you head west you can sample the delights of Camden Market, and if you continue, reach the starting point of the Grand Union Canal, (cycling is not allowed in the Regent's Park section, however) - for Birmingham.
If you know of a great bike ride from a Midland Mainline station, or a useful route to a University, Shopping Centre, local town or whatever, please tell us!
For information on the National Cycle Network Click Here
