| National Cycle Route 5 | |
|---|---|
 A milepost on National Cycle Route 5 near Hawarden Bridge railway station, Shotton, Flintshire, Wales | |
| Location | United Kingdom |
| Designation | UK National Cycle Network |
| Trailheads | Reading (south) to Holyhead (north) |
| Use | Cycling |
| Waymark |  |
| Surface | Varies from on-road to traffic-free tarmac to compacted surface |
| Website | www |
National Cycle Route 5 (or NCR 5) is a route of the United Kingdom National Cycle Network , running from Reading to Holyhead .
Didcot | Abingdon-on-Thames | Radley | Oxford | Banbury | Stratford upon Avon
Stratford upon Avon | Redditch | Bromsgrove | Birmingham
This stretch of the NCR5 goes through the south of the West Midlands from Stratford-upon -Avon to Birmingham city centre.
NCR5 skirts around the town centre of Stratford-upon-Avon to join the tow path of the Stratford-upon-Avon Canal. If you wish to cycle through the historic town of Stratford-upon-Avon you can divert to National Cycle Route 41.
NCR5 leaves the towpath at Wilmcote and continues by road towards Coughton, passing Coughton Court and on towards Studley. The route leaves the roads and follows the trail along the River Arrow through the Arrow Valley Country Park. The route continues on along the river until a junction with National Cycle Route 55.
Re-joining the roads, NCR5 passes through Redditch town centre and past Redditch railway station. The route continues through the suburbs until opening out into country lanes heading towards Bromsgrove.
The NCR5 passes through suburbs towns Bromsgrove town centre where you can join National Cycle Route 46. Continuing on NCR5 takes you past the recreation ground and then through the suburbs until joining the Stourbridge Road and passing under the M42. The route then passes between the Lickey Hills and Waseley Hills to reach the first suburb of Birmingham, Rubery.
Continuing on to Longbridge, the NCR5 then joins the trail along the River Rea. Passing through Northfield until the route reaches the towpath at Kings Norton Junction where you can head south along the Stratford-upon-Avon Canal on the National Cycle Route 55 or head north to continue on NCR5.
The NCR5 continues along the towpath, before re-joining the River Rea trail and passing through parks and residential streets. The route cuts through Canon Hill Park and then heads on to the A38 and the Blue Cycle Superhighway which continues straight on to Birmingham City Centre and Birmingham New Street railway station.
Birmingham | Walsall | Lichfield | Stafford | Stoke on Trent
This stretch of the NCR5 goes through the North of the West Midlands from Birmingham city centre to Stoke-on-Trent.
The NCR5 heads north from Birmingham New Street railway station and joins the Birmingham Canal towpath outside of the National Sea Life Centre, Birmingham. The route leaves the towpath near Smethwick Galton Bridge railway station, continuing on the towpath joins the National Cycle Route 81.
After a few residential streets the NCR5 passes through Sandwell Valley Country Park until it reaches the River Tame. To pass under the M6 the route weaves through roads, a park trail and a short section of towpath, diverting to the Rushall Canal. From here the NCR5 leaves the canal to pass through houses and continue to Walsall city centre. After going over the railway line, the path continues through a park and becomes a straight run for some distance. The route continues on to Lichfield.
At Lichfield the NCR5 is connected with National Cycle Route 54. However, there is a break in the route here between Lichfield and Stafford where the NCR5 restarts. From Stafford the route passes through Stone and continues to Stoke-on-Trent where the route has a junction with National Cycle Route 555.
Stoke-on-Trent | Middlewich | Weaverham | Chester
The route has a junction with National Cycle Route 56 north of Chester Zoo.
Chester | Conwy | Bangor | Menai Bridge | Holyhead
The track leaves Chester (and England) on the Northern bank of the River Dee. Crossing into Wales, the high quality track crosses the Dee at the side of Hawarden Bridge and then enters the town of Shotton. At this stage the National Cycle Route heads inland and follows a series of quiet roads. Unfortunately the road surfaces are sometimes poor and gradients steep. There are plans to create a better quality route following the coast.
At Talacre the coastal route improves again. It passes through a large caravan site and golf course en route to Prestatyn. From Prestatyn westwards the route hugs the coast and in many places one is just a few metres from the sea.
The path continues through Rhyl where it crosses the River Clwyd and then to Kinmel Bay, Pensarn, Llanddulas, Colwyn Bay and Llandudno. The Llandudno promenade, although not on the official route, is a much better route than the official line which was created before the promenade was opened to cyclists after a long campaign.
The path was much improved West of Conwy in September 2012 by the creation of a traffic free cycle path which now bypasses a particularly dangerous stretch of the A55. Heading further west, the path is highly engineered around the Penmaenmawr area before following quiet lanes into Bangor.
Since 2012, Wales Coast Path in North Wales follows part of the Reading to Holyhead National Cycle Route 5. [1]
It crosses (with road traffic) the Menai Suspension Bridge and terminates in Holyhead. Much of the road across Anglesey follows country lanes rather than dedicated bike tracks.
A towpath is a road or trail on the bank of a river, canal, or other inland waterway. The purpose of a towpath is to allow a land vehicle, beasts of burden, or a team of human pullers to tow a boat, often a barge. This mode of transport was common where sailing was impractical due to tunnels and bridges, unfavourable winds, or the narrowness of the channel.
The Grand Union Canal in England is part of the British canal system. It is the principal navigable waterway between London and the Midlands. Starting in London, one arm runs to Leicester and another ends in Birmingham, with the latter stretching for 137 miles (220 km) with 166 locks from London. The Birmingham line has a number of short branches to places including Slough, Aylesbury, Wendover, and Northampton. The Leicester line has two short arms of its own, to Market Harborough and Welford.
Stratford-upon-Avon, commonly known as just Stratford, is a market town and civil parish in the Stratford-on-Avon district, in the county of Warwickshire, in the West Midlands region of England. It is situated on the River Avon, 91 miles (146 km) north-west of London, 22 miles (35 km) south-east of Birmingham and 8 miles (13 km) south-west of Warwick. The town is the southernmost point of the Arden area at the northern extremity of the Cotswolds. In the 2021 census Stratford had a population of 30,495.
The Stratford-upon-Avon Canal is a canal in the south Midlands of England. The canal, which was built between 1793 and 1816, runs for 25.5 miles (41.0 km) in total, and consists of two sections. The dividing line is at Kingswood Junction, which gives access to the Grand Union Canal. Following acquisition by a railway company in 1856, it gradually declined, the southern section being un-navigable by 1945, and the northern section little better.
The Trent and Mersey Canal is a 93+1⁄2-mile (150 km) canal in Derbyshire, Staffordshire and Cheshire in north-central England. It is a "narrow canal" for the vast majority of its length, but at the extremities to the east of Burton upon Trent and north of Middlewich, it is a wide canal.
Icknield Street or Ryknild Street is a Roman road in England, with a route roughly south-west to north-east. It runs from the Fosse Way at Bourton on the Water in Gloucestershire to Templeborough in South Yorkshire. It passes through Alcester, Studley, Redditch, Metchley Fort, Birmingham, Sutton Coldfield, Lichfield, Burton upon Trent and Derby.
Redditch is a town and non-metropolitan district with borough status in Worcestershire, England. It is located south of Birmingham, east of Bromsgrove, northwest of Alcester and northeast of Worcester. In 2021 the town had a population of 81,637 and the district had a population of 87,037. In the 19th century, it became a centre for the needle and fishing tackle industry.
Warwickshire is a ceremonial county in the West Midlands of England. It is bordered by Staffordshire and Leicestershire to the north, Northamptonshire to the east, Oxfordshire and Gloucestershire to the south, and Worcestershire and the West Midlands county to the west. The largest settlement is Nuneaton and the county town is Warwick.
Stone is a market town and civil parish in Staffordshire, England, situated approximately 7 miles north of the county town of Stafford, 7 miles south of Stoke-on-Trent, and 15 miles north of Rugeley. As a notable canal town, Stone is recognised for its rich history, originating from the early Bronze Age and continuing through the Industrial Revolution, with the introduction of the Trent and Mersey Canal shaping the town's development and local industry.
The Cross-City Line is a suburban rail line in the West Midlands region of England. It runs for 32 mi (51 km) from Redditch and Bromsgrove in Worcestershire, its two southern termini, to Lichfield, Staffordshire, its northern terminus, via Birmingham New Street, connecting the suburbs of Birmingham in between. Services are operated by West Midlands Trains.
The Monarch's Way is a 625-mile (1,006 km) long-distance footpath in England that approximates the escape route taken by King Charles II in 1651 after being defeated in the Battle of Worcester. It runs from Worcester via Bristol and Yeovil to Shoreham, West Sussex.
Kings Norton railway station serves the Kings Norton and Cotteridge areas of Birmingham, England. It lies on the Cross-City Line from Redditch and Bromsgrove through Birmingham New Street to Lichfield. The station's main entrance is located on Pershore Road South, the A441.
Enfield Lock is an area in the London Borough of Enfield, north London. It is approximately located east of the Hertford Road between Turkey Street and the Holmesdale Tunnel overpass, and extends to the River Lee Navigation, including the Enfield Island Village. The locality gains its name from the lock on the River Lee Navigation. Today's Enfield Lock was rebuilt in 1922. The area forms part of the Lee Valley Park and the Enfield Lock Conservation Area. On its eastern boundary Enfield Lock has marshland formerly used as a testing site between the Royal Small Arms Factory and the Gunpowder Mills, beyond this is the village of Sewardstone and the Epping forest boundary. To the south is Brimsdown, the north Waltham Cross and to the west Bullsmoor and Freezywater. Enfield Lock forms part of the London boundary.
Redditch railway station serves the town of Redditch, North Worcestershire, England. It is the southern terminus of the Cross-City Line 14.5 miles (23 km) south of Birmingham New Street. The station, and all trains serving it, are operated by West Midlands Trains. Redditch station sits at the end of a single track branch line from Barnt Green which forms part of the Cross-City Line. The line used to continue south to Ashchurch and also Evesham but this was closed in the 1960s.
Chester Road railway station serves the areas of Pype Hayes, Erdington, Wylde Green and Boldmere in north-east Birmingham, in the West Midlands county of England. It is sited on the Cross-City Line between Bromsgrove/Redditch and Lichfield Trent Valley, via Birmingham New Street. Pedestrian access to the station is via Green Lanes, near to the junction with the Chester Road (A452). It is above road level, as the line here is on an embankment.
National Cycle Route 4 is a route of the United Kingdom National Cycle Network, running from London to Fishguard, Pembrokeshire. Between these, the route runs through Reading, Bath, Bristol, Newport, Swansea and St David's. Within Wales, sections of the route follow branches of the Celtic Trail cycle route.
National Cycle Route 1 is a route of the United Kingdom 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 6 is a route of the United Kingdom National Cycle Network, running from London to the Lake District.
The Birmingham station group is a station group of three railway stations in Birmingham city centre, consisting of New Street, Moor Street, and Snow Hill. The station group is printed on national railway tickets as BIRMINGHAM STNS and does not include the international station of Birmingham International, which is located some 14 kilometres (8.7 mi) east of the city centre next to Birmingham Airport and National Exhibition Centre.
 Transport in Worcestershire | |||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Road |
| ||||||||||||||
| Rail |
| ||||||||||||||
| Buses |
| ||||||||||||||
| Waterways |
| ||||||||||||||
| Footpaths |
| ||||||||||||||
| Cycle paths | |||||||||||||||
