Peterborough is great!

[Andrew_Culture]

I've been visiting my in-laws in Peterborough for nearly twenty years but have never cycled there. So today (despite a mild hangover) I decided to have a bimble around on my old mtb.

What a fantastic city for leafy safe smooth flat cycle routes!

Just as I was chiding myself for not exploring sooner I rounded a corner and found this amazing place:

I had a very enjoyable five or six laps, much to the amusement and mild concern of some local kids on BMXs!

Peterborough, I'm so sorry I've been so mean about you in the past, can we start again?

 

[Tompy]

Respect for riding the BMX track!

 

[Andrew_Culture]

Respect for riding the BMX track!

Very very slowly, my wheels were leaving the ground at what seemed like 5mph!

I tried chatting with the kids but for some reason I can't put my finger on they seemed wary of a six foot fatty in lycra on a shoot-stick mtb covered in crap band stickers *shrugs*.

Actually I offered my tool kit as they were fixing a bike, they told me they were adjusting spokes, at which point I realised they knew more than I and made my flabby mincing exit.

 

[gbb]

Is that Orton Malborne Andrew ? I live nearby .
We used to take our nitro trucks there as well... Shove the kids off and burn the place up. Only joking, i think they used to like to see and hear them (crash usually)

 

[Andrew_Culture]

I think so, here's the ride, the bmx track was at the 3 mile mark http://www.endomondo.com/workouts/5...types=endoapp:track&fb_source=other_multiline

 

[gbb]

Yup, thats the one. Very popular for the local kids and they often have some quite big official competitions there in the summer.
Took me a long long time to get to like peterborough, but ride out of town in any direction, you've got nice countryside.

 

[Andrew_Culture]

I really wanted to see someone hack round it at speed. I'd love to see a race there.

Where is good to head for in the countryside nearby?

 

[gbb]

I really wanted to see someone hack round it at speed. I'd love to see a race there.

Where is good to head for in the countryside nearby?

My last day off today, bit busy or i'd meet up and show you...
Easiest for some nice quiet miles is to head into town, find the Key Theatre on the riverbank and head off out to Whittlesea. Its not THAT scenic, but its quiet, cycles (and the odd ped) only, about 5 miles to Whittlesea...follows the river for the most part, then off through old brickyard land and floodplains. At the end of the route, you find yourself on the outskirts of Whittlesea,
I you want to see the town itself, but its only a small town/large village, turn right onto Crosshand Way (IIRC) then left at the T jnctn 50 yards away by the garage. Towns about 3/4 mile up that road.

If you do....as the route goes along the river, it comes to a ped bridge, go over that and follow the gravel path to another small bridge, over that then keep left (with some lakes on your left)

I often just do the route to the football ground at the end of it...then turn round.

 

[Andrew_Culture]

I like the sound of the river ride, my brother-in-law works at the Key Theatre so I know it well. I live in Ipswich but visit Peterbugger reasonably often.

 

[Vikeonabike]

Even better... They have £1m to spend in Westwood, Peterborough... A cycle track similar to Hillingdon has been mooted as a posibility!

 

[Andrew_Culture]

Amazing, Peterborough is starting to sound like an appealing place to live. Shame it's so far from the sea though.

 

[Browser]

Not if global warming keeps up as the doom-sayers are constantly predicting, then it'll be Peterborough-Next-The-Sea It's no a bad place to ride a bike, some of the cycleways could do with overhauling/improving and the Green Wheel cycle route is only passable on Cyclocross/MTBs but as stated further up, you don't have to cycle too far to get out into the countryside.

 

[Vikeonabike]

AC That start finish point is on my Patch.. Allegedly I'm the local bobby for the area..not that there is such a thing in Peterborough anymore!