National Cycle Network - In Derbyshire & Notts


Page originally written in 2003, and maybe outdated. The National Cycle Network is a mixture of on and off road specific routes. I know this site is about off road trails, but the National Cycle Network deserves a well deserved mention though about one third is traffic free. The Network is coordinated by the charity Sustrans and involves hundreds of organisations. These include local authorities, businesses, landowners and environmental bodies. The National Cycle Network currently provides 7,000 miles of cycling and walking routes throughout the UK. By 2005 this will be extended to 10,000 miles.

There are Many on road cycle routes in Nottinghamshire, no matter where you go in Notts, there always seems to be cycle lanes and cycle route sign posts even out in the middle of "no mans land" Though not all have a specific route number. Derbyshire on the other hand has not so many on road routes, though routes are being started and also more routes proposed. Derbyshire does have some good long off road trails, some are mentioned on this site, and I will try to list more routes when I get the chance.

This is just one of the National Cycle Routes which goes through Derbyshire and Nottinghamshire.
Derby to York
Route: Derby - Nottingham - Sheffield - Doncaster - York. Includes links to Chesterfield, Rotherham and Barnsley.

Distance: Derby to York is 154 miles. Map shows 182 miles of route of which 71 are traffic-free.

This route incorporates the central section of the Trans-Pennine Trail. Traffic-free paths include Clumber park - Clipstone Forest, Doncaster to the Earth Centre and the York to Selby.
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This Route is around Derby City.
Derby to Little Eaton
This route is a new section and is part of Route 54 of the National Cycle Network, it has on and off road sections, from the city to the outskirts of the city. This route also continues from Derby to Burton-on-Trent and Lichfield. Route 54 also links up to Route 6 which goes from Derby to Long Eaton thru to Melbourne (and no, I don't mean in Australia!!)

Proposed Routes in Derbyshire
Route 66 is proposed for Derby to Ilkeston and will be linked from Route 54, also a very long route is also proposed what will become Route 68 for Derby to Berwick upon Tweed and will be known as the Pennine Cycleway.