National Cycle Route 4 (or NCR 4) is a route of the National Cycle Network , running from London to Fishguard , Pembrokeshire . [1] Between these, the route runs through Reading, Bath, Bristol, Newport, Swansea and St David's. [2] Within Wales, sections of the route follow branches of the Celtic Trail cycle route. [1]
The total length of the path is 443.6 miles and takes an estimated 36 hours to complete by bike. Just under half (47.4%) of the route consists in traffic-free paths. [1]
The route roughly follows the course of the River Thames between London and Reading, and forms a junction with NCR 5 and NCR 23 at the latter. [2]
At its east end, the route meanders mostly set about one "block" back from the Thames, including several small parks. It shortcuts through: Rotherhithe and mid-Pimlico. It finds the Thames at the Chelsea Embankment. It zig-zags through Hurlingham and Barnes Common.
It finds the Thames Path at Ham, facing Teddington Lock Footbridges, until Staines-upon-Thames. A longer route from Putney is to remain on the towpath (Thames Path) to avoid traffic.[ citation needed ]
Much longer, the Reading to Bath section follows the Kennet & Avon Cycle Route which partly follows the towpath of the Kennet and Avon Canal [1] and the course of the River Kennet, [2] with other sections on low-traffic roads. [1]
Approaching Bath, Route 24 and the Two Tunnels Greenway are a corollary, rejoining Route 4 west of the city centre.[ citation needed ]
The Bath to Bristol section of the route follows the Bristol & Bath Railway Path, a dedicated cycle path on a disused railway line. This is entirely traffic-free. "Bristol and Bath Railway Path". Sustrans. Sustrans. Retrieved 5 July 2022. Its 13 miles are completely traffic-free and almost entirely flat
After passing through Bristol city centre, the route heads north into South Gloucestershire, and over the Severn Bridge. [1] Passing through Chepstow, it then goes south, passing through Caldicot before arriving in Newport. The route passes to the north of the Newport Wetlands Reserve and across Newport Transporter Bridge in the south of the city.[ citation needed ]
After Newport, the route heads west to Caerphilly, then north towards Pontypridd during which it crosses the Taff Trail. It then heads west towards Port Talbot. Near Briton Ferry, it crosses the A48 bridge and then follows the A483 road (Fabian Way) into Swansea and passes through the Maritime Quarter. Just before the Maritime Quarter, it crosses National Cycle Route 43. It then follows the seafront promenade along Swansea Bay to Blackpill where it turns north up the Clyne Valley cycle track passing the village of Dunvant until it reaches Gowerton. In Gowerton, the trail follows public roads to the south of Loughor towards the Loughor bridge. Once over the Loughor bridge it continues along the Millennium Coastal Path to the south of Llanelli.[ citation needed ]
 | This section needs expansion. You can help by adding to it. (June 2008) |
| | This section needs expansion. You can help by adding to it. (June 2008) |
NCR 4 follows the Millennium Coastal Path along the south Carmarthenshire coast. Between Pembroke and Haverfordwest, NCR follows the route of a disused railway called the Brunel Trail and crosses over the Cleddau Bridge.[ citation needed ]
The Kennet and Avon Canal is a waterway in southern England with an overall length of 87 miles (140 km), made up of two lengths of navigable river linked by a canal. The name is used to refer to the entire length of the navigation rather than solely to the central canal section. From Bristol to Bath the waterway follows the natural course of the River Avon before the canal links it to the River Kennet at Newbury, and from there to Reading on the River Thames. In all, the waterway incorporates 105 locks.
The A4 is a major road in England from Central London to Avonmouth via Heathrow Airport, Reading, Bath and Bristol. It is historically known as the Bath Road with newer sections including the Great West Road and Portway. The road was once the main route from London to Bath, Bristol and the west of England and formed, after the A40, the second main western artery from London.
The National Cycle Network (NCN) is the national cycling route network of the United Kingdom, which was established to encourage cycling and walking throughout Britain, as well as for the purposes of bicycle touring. It was created by the charity Sustrans who were aided by a £42.5 million National Lottery grant. However Sustrans themselves only own around 2% of the paths on the network, these rest being made of existing public highways and rights of way, and permissive paths negotiated by Sustrans with private landowners, which Sustrans have then labelled as part of their network.
Sustrans is a United Kingdom-based walking, wheeling and cycling charity, and the custodian of the National Cycle Network.
Midford is a village approximately 3 miles (5 km) south-south-east of Bath, Somerset, England. Although relatively small, it extends over 2 counties, is part of two unitary authorities and is part of five parishes. Although all five parishes extend very near to the village centre, most of the residents reside in the parish of Southstoke and are part of the Bath and North East Somerset unitary authority.
The West Wales lines are a group of railway lines from Swansea through Carmarthenshire to Pembrokeshire, West Wales. The main part runs from Swansea to Carmarthen and Whitland, where it becomes three branches to Fishguard, Milford Haven and Pembroke Dock.
Transport in Wales is heavily influenced by the country's geography. Wales is predominantly hilly or mountainous, and the main settlements lie on the coasts of north and south Wales, while mid Wales and west Wales are lightly populated. The main transport corridors are east–west routes, many continuing eastwards into England.
The Celtic Trail is a network of dedicated cycle routes in the National Cycle Network, crossing West, South and Mid Wales, and covering 377 miles in total. It is divided into east and west sections. The west section links Pembroke and Fishguard on the west coast to Swansea, and the east section covers the area from Swansea to Chepstow, Abergavenny and Hay-on-Wye in the east. It is largely traffic free but sections along the route are still being upgraded and improved. In some places there is a choice of a low-level route, or a high-level route for mountain bikes.
National Cycle Route 1 is a route of the National Cycle Network, running from Dover to Tain. The 1,264 mi-long (2,034-kilometre) cycle-path is located in the United Kingdom.
National Cycle Route 5 is a route of the National Cycle Network, running from Reading to Holyhead.
National Cycle Route 6 is a route of the National Cycle Network, running from London to the Lake District.
National Cycle Route 24, otherwise known as the Colliers Way currently runs from Dundas Aqueduct to Frome via Radstock, although it is intended to provide a continuous cycle route from Bristol and South Wales to Southampton and Portsmouth.
National Cycle Route 78 runs from Campbeltown to Inverness. It was officially launched as the Caledonia Way in 2016 as part of the wider redevelopment of Scotland's cycle network. It runs from the Kintyre peninsula to the Great Glen and the route varies from on road to traffic-free forest trails and canal paths.
National Cycle Route 23 is a route of the National Cycle Network, running from Reading to Sandown. The partially signed route passes through Basingstoke, Eastleigh and Southampton; once across the Solent, it continues through Cowes and Newport.
National Cycle Route 57 is part of the United Kingdom's National Cycle Network. When complete, it will run west to east from Farmington, Gloucestershire near Northleach to Welwyn Garden City in Hertfordshire.
EuroVelo 2 (EV2), named The Capitals Route, is a 5,500 km (3,400 mi) long EuroVelo long-distance cycling route running from Galway, Ireland to Moscow, Russia. This east-west route passes successively through seven countries – Ireland, the United Kingdom, the Netherlands, Germany, Poland, Belarus and Russia – and visits all their capital cities.
National Cycle Route 61 is part of the National Cycle Network managed by the charity Sustrans. It runs for 34 miles from Maidenhead (Berkshire) to Hoddesdon (Hertfordshire) via Uxbridge, Watford, St Albans, Hatfield, Welwyn Garden City and Hertford in the United Kingdom.
Newbury Bridge, also known as Kennet Bridge or Town Bridge, is a bridge across the River Kennet in the town centre of Newbury in the English county of Berkshire. The bridge carries Bridge Street, which links Northbrook Street, to the north of the river, with Bartholomew Street, to the south. The river channel under the bridge is also used by boats navigating the Kennet and Avon Canal. The current bridge was built between 1769 and 1772 and has three arches, although the two outer arches are now hidden by flanking buildings. It is a Grade II* listed structure.
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