07/09/2010

Issued by Cycling City York

If you'd like to get out in the autumn sunshine and explore some of York's hidden gems, make sure you pick up one of Cycling City York's new leisure ride maps!

The latest maps in a series of popular off-road leisure ride routes have just been published and you can pick copies up - free of charge - from tourist information points, libraries, City of York Council reception points and other venues across the city. Copies of all the maps (there are now eight in total) will also be available at Cycling City York's annual Festival of Cycling, which takes place at Rowntree Park this Saturday and Sunday 11 and 12 September.

The beautifully illustrated maps feature handwritten notes about facilities and places of interest along the way, and were devised, designed and tested out by a team of local volunteers. The first four maps in the series were published last summer and have proved extremely popular with cyclists of all ages and abilities. 

The following new maps are now available:

Ride Number 5 follows cycle route 66, part of the National Cycle Route Network, from Dunnington to Stamford Bridge Viaduct, and back. It takes around one-and-a-half hours to complete, longer if you decide to stop off at the Balloon Tree Farm Café. This ride is nine miles long and mainly traffic-free, making it ideal for families who want to get out and enjoy the countryside, although it may be too far for some very young cyclists.

Ride Number 6 is a ride around the bridges and riverside areas of York and will take approximately one hour to complete, although there is the option of stopping off for a coffee in Rowntree Park. Starting at Scaborough Bridge, the route is five miles long and mainly follows cycle paths. However some sections of the route will bring cyclists into contact with city centre traffic, so this ride is not recommended for young children.

Ride Number 7 starts at the beginning of the Foss Islands Cycle Track and is (approximately) a one-hour and ten-minute journey out to the Farming Museum at Murton, and back. The seven-mile route follows the cycle track and country lanes, where the level of traffic varies depending on the time of day. It's worth checking whether the cattle market is open on the day you plan to ride as the traffic is heavier on market days. There a couple of café options on this route if you'd like to make a pit-stop before heading back to York.

Ride number 8 starts at Millennium Bridge and mainly follows traffic-free cycle routes out towards Hob Moor and Acomb Wood, and back. It takes around one hour to complete, longer if you decide to stop of for refreshments at West Bank Park. This relatively easy seven-mile ride is suitable for cyclists of all ages.

Robert Walker, marketing and events officer for Cycling City York, said: "We had a fantastic response to the first four maps and received lots of positive feedback from people who've enjoyed using them to explore different areas of York.

"The maps were a real team effort; Olwyn Fonseca, a volunteer ranger for Sustrans, came up with the idea and drew the maps herself, as well as writing the accompanying notes. Members of the First Friday Cycling Group, which meets for a bike ride on the first Friday of every month, tested out all the routes, and Monica Nelson, a member of that group, produced attractive watercolour paintings to illustrate the front of each map."

Cycling City York also runs a programme of guided cycle rides, which includes rides suitable for people of all ages and abilities. The dates for the September rides are available from Cycling City York's new-look website - http://www.cyclingcityyork.org.uk/

(ENDS)