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.
Several sections are not suitable for road bikes.
Links to:
Farmington | Burford | Witney | Eynsham | Oxford
National Route 57 starts in the small village of Farmington, near Northleach. Here it meets NCR 48, which runs south to Northleach and Cirencester; the northern continuation to Bourton-on-the-Water and Stow-on-the-Wold is not yet open. [1]
NCR 57 continues on lightly trafficked lanes along the valley of the River Windrush to Burford and Witney; this section was formerly Regional Route 47. [2]
The route is not yet open between Witney and Oxford. Possible route options include Eynsham and a new cycle path along the B4044 to Botley, or across the Thames via a new bridge or ferry at Bablock Hythe. [3]
Oxford | Horspath | Littleworth | Wheatley | Waterperry | Worminghall | Shabbington | Thame
This section is largely on country lanes and is fully signposted.
This route flows from the centre of Oxford along the High Street and Cowley Road then away from traffic along paths through Marsh Park. Once out of the park there is a steep climb up Barracks Lane, which then follows a flat mainly traffic free route to Horspath passing BMW Mini site and Oxford City Athletics Club.
The route from Horspath through to Wheatley is along country roads so too is the section from Wheatley to just before Thame, which then becomes a cycle path into Thame before joining the old railway line Phoenix Trail. [4]
Thame | Horsenden | Princes Risborough
7 miles (11 km) in length, this section follows the Phoenix Trail along the route of a disused railway. [5] The surface is a mixture of tarmac and compacted grit.
Princes Risborough | Great Hampden | Prestwood | Great Missenden | South Heath | Chesham
This section leaves the relatively flat Oxfordshire countryside and continues on into the Chiltern Hills. Leaving Princes Risborough the route climbs up Kop Hill to the top of Whiteleaf Cross. From there it continues along small lanes to Prestwood. The short section between Prestwood and Great Missenden takes you off-road along a compacted grit path. [6]
This section has never been created.
Hemel Hempstead | Redbourn | Harpenden | Wheathampstead | Welwyn Garden City
Much of this section is traffic free as it follows the Nickey Line between Hemel Hempstead and Harpenden. [7]
However, between Harpenden and Wheathampstead there is no route owing to land ownership issues. The alternatives are either a steep climb up to the busy minor road on the ridge to the south or to follow the very busy Lower Luton Road (B653). Neither is particularly easy if riding with children.
At Wheathampstead there is then continuous off road path to Welwyn Garden City and then a signed on road route via the town centre to the junction at Twentieth Mile Bridge with route 12. The section between Wheathampstead and Welwyn is also known as the Ayot Greenway and follows the trackbed of the former railway line between Dunstable and Hatfield. [8]
Hertfordshire is one of the home counties in southern England. It borders Bedfordshire and Cambridgeshire to the north, Essex to the east, Greater London to the south, and Buckinghamshire to the west. For government statistical purposes, it forms part of the East of England region.
St Albans, commonly known as the City and District of St Albans, is a local government district with city status in Hertfordshire, England. Its council is based in St Albans, the largest settlement in the district. The district also includes the town of Harpenden and several villages. The district borders North Hertfordshire, Welwyn Hatfield, Hertsmere, Watford, Three Rivers, Dacorum, and Central Bedfordshire.
Thame is a market town and civil parish in Oxfordshire, about 13 miles (21 km) east of the city of Oxford and 10 miles (16 km) southwest of Aylesbury. It derives its name from the River Thame which flows along the north side of the town and forms part of the county border with Buckinghamshire. The parish includes the hamlet of Moreton south of the town. The 2011 Census recorded the parish's population as 11,561. Thame was founded in the Anglo-Saxon era and was in the kingdom of Wessex.
The Nickey line is a disused railway that once linked the towns of Hemel Hempstead and, initially, Luton but later Harpenden via Redbourn, in Hertfordshire, England. The course of most of the railway has been redeveloped as a cycle and walking path, and is part of the Oxford to Welwyn Garden City route of the National Cycle Network. It is approximately nine miles (14 km) long.
Haddenham & Thame Parkway railway station is a station in Buckinghamshire serving the village of Haddenham and town of Thame in the neighbouring county of Oxfordshire, England. The station is on the western edge of Haddenham, about 2 miles (3 km) north east of Thame, and is served by Chiltern Railways.
The Wycombe Railway was a British railway between Maidenhead and Oxford that connected with the Great Western Railway at both ends; there was one branch, to Aylesbury.
National Cycle Route 6 is a route of the National Cycle Network, running from London to the Lake District.
National Cycle Route 12 is part of the National Cycle Network managed by the charity Sustrans. It currently has a length of 121 miles (195 km) but is incomplete. When fully constructed it will run from Enfield Lock (London) to Grimsby (Lincolnshire) in the United Kingdom.
The Phoenix Trail is a 7-mile (11 km) footpath and cycleway which runs between the market towns of Thame in South Oxfordshire and Princes Risborough in Buckinghamshire, passing through the villages of Towersey and Bledlow.
Thame railway station was a station on the Wycombe Railway serving the town of Thame in Oxfordshire. It was opened in 1862 as the terminus of an extension from High Wycombe via Princes Risborough The cost of construction of the station building was £2,201 1S 5d additional general works were £2,137 8S 8d. In 1864 the line was extended from Thame to Oxford. The station was built with a train shed over its platforms.
The Dunstable Branch Lines were railway branch lines that joined the English town of Dunstable to the main lines at Leighton Buzzard and Welwyn. The two lines were under separate ownership and joined just east of the Dunstable North station.
Horspath Halt was an intermediate station on the Wycombe Railway which served the Oxfordshire village of Horspath from 1908 to 1915, and then from 1933 to 1963. The opening of the halt was part of an attempt by the Great Western Railway to encourage more passengers on the line at a time when competition from bus services was drawing away patronage. The possibility of reopening the line through Horspath Halt has been explored by Chiltern Railways, the franchise holder for the Chiltern Main Line which runs through Princes Risborough.
Abingdon Road Halt railway station was built by the Great Western Railway to serve South Hinksey, a village near Oxford.
Hinksey Halt railway station was built by the Great Western Railway to serve New Hinksey, a suburb of Oxford.
Hemel Hempsted station was a railway station in the town of Hemel Hempstead in Hertfordshire, England. UK. It was opened in 1877 by the Midland Railway and was originally the terminus of the Nickey Line, a now-defunct branch line which provided railway services to Chiltern Green and Luton and later to Harpenden.
National Cycle Network (NCN) Route 56 is a Sustrans National Route that runs from Chester to Liverpool. The route utilises country lanes, a former railway trackbed, a coastal path and a seaside promenade.
National Cycle Network (NCN) Route 657 is a loop of the White Rose cycle route, NCN 65. It branches off the main route to connect the town of Thirsk to the National Cycle Network. Prior to 2009 the route had been signed as part of NCN 65.
National Cycle Network (NCN) Route 665 is a Sustrans route from Wetherby to South West York. Two sections of the route are open. As of summer 2020 the route is not fully signed. The central section between Tadcaster and Newton Kyme is still a proposal.
National Cycle Network (NCN) Route 155 is a Sustrans regional route in Northumberland. Running from the North Sea coast at Newbiggin due west to Morpeth. The 90% of this 8 mile route uses shared cycle/pedstrian verge-side paths. There is a small on road section in Ashington. The route is fully signed and open.
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 Rye House (Hertfordshire) via Uxbridge, Watford, St Albans, Hatfield, Welwyn Garden City and Hertford in the United Kingdom.