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Bike Rides

EyeCycled the Bath and Bristol Railway Path via the Two Tunnels Greenway.

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Bath to Bristol via the Two Tunnels Greenway Path [GPX File]

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This was likely my last big ride of the year.

Departure from the George Inn in Bathampton
Departure from the George Inn in Bathampton

Since I rode from Bracknell to Bath in the middle of August, I wanted to extend that cycling experience to the Bristol and Bath Railway Path, a cycle path built on an old disused railway track between these 2 cities.

So, when my friend Fernando said he also wanted to do it, we united and drove to Bath in the early morning (just 90 min drive from Bracknell) and decided to start the ride in the nice village of Bathampton, close to Bath.

Clifton Suspension Bridge in Bristol
Clifton Suspension Bridge in Bristol

The plan was to cycle the portion of the Two Tunnels Greenway circuit to the towpath of the River Avon and then take a left towards the Railway path and Bristol. As we got to Bristol we decided to go visit the famous Clifton Suspension Bridge, built in 1864, a great feature of Victorian engineering.

The video below shows the entire 3 hours ride in just 20 min.

After arriving at the bridge we took a few pictures and left as we didn’t want to get back to Bath too late (we had still a 90 min drive after that).

I’ve also produced a compilation of “non-accelerated” best moments in the video below.

In Bath we had dinner and walked a little bit around the city centre, which still has it’s Christmas lights on, after riding back to Bathampton and driving back to Bracknell. Altogether rode just under 80 Km by bicycle and we left Bracknell at around 9:15am and arrived back at around 10:30pm (incl. the roughly 3h drive from and back to Bracknell)

The video below shows a few moments during the ride back in the early evening and a 360 view on Bath Abbey square at night.

What a great day of cycling. Highly recommended!

More Photos…

Fernando and I on the Clifton Bridge
Fernando and I on the Clifton Bridge
View to the right of the Clifton Bridge
View to the right of the Clifton Bridge
View to the left of the Clifton Bridge
View to the left of the Clifton Bridge
The Clifton Observatory on the top of the clif
The Clifton Observatory on the top of the clif
How did they get there?
How did they get there?
Fish on it's Nose (along the Railway Path)
Fish on it’s Nose (along the Railway Path)
Lots of little sculptures along the path, but only at night you see the light.
Lots of little sculptures along the path, but only at night you see the light.
Nice little details along the path (failed to capture them during the day)
Nice little details along the path (failed to capture them during the day)
This chap has a drinking problem
This chap has a drinking problem
Back to Bath
Back to Bath
Bath Abbey
Bath Abbey
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Bike Rides

EyeCycled the Bath Two Tunnels Greenway Circuit

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Bath Two Tunnels Greenway Circuit [GPX File]

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This is a follow-up post of my previous report about my bike ride from Bracknell to Bath on the National Cycle Route 4.

At the entrance to the Devonshire tunnel
At the entrance to the Devonshire tunnel
Devonshire Tunnel
Devonshire Tunnel

As I mentioned before the reason I cycled to Bath was to experience the Bath Two Tunnels Greenway Circular Route. After two days of brilliant weather and sunshine the day of this ride was pouring down with rain. Unfortunately weather is something we still cannot control and unlike people who might be doing this for living, this is my hobby and as such I don´t have the luxury of choosing to ride and record only in good weather.

Despite the bad weather it was worth it.

Just a few notes before we proceed to the video:

  • The route I took didn´t follow exactly the Sustrans route (PDF), but is very close. In urban areas the Sustrans signage is very poor and I got a bit lost a few times. Google Maps helped a lot as well as passers-by to which I am very grateful (if you can recognize yourself in the video drop me a note).
  • Visit Bath as a page dedicated to the Two Tunnels Greenway Path full of interesting pictures
  • If you are planning to do this with small children note there are portions of this route on busy urban roads
  • The Combe Down tunnel is said to be the longest cycling / walking tunnel only in the UK and possibly in Europe. It´s just over 1 mile long (or 1672 metres to be precise). It has some quite interesting light / music displays inside.
  • The Devonshire Tunnels is smaller at 409 m
  • On the cycle paths the surface is paved and smooth.
  • If you are not local and are staying at the YHA Bath, like I did, the closest point to the route appears to be the The Holburne Museum, which is where I started from and went back to.

Note to self 1: Next time I go out to cycle under heavy rain, need to remember to wipe the water of the camera lens more often.

Note to self 2: Find a better solution to protect my phone during rides under heavy rain. The phone pouch got completely wet inside.

Back to the hostel, soaking wet.
Back to the hostel, soaking wet.

Planning my next cycling to be around this area as well, taking the route from Bath to Bristol which is only 13 miles long, completely paved over an old railway track and full of things to see.

Keep tuned!

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