mickc
Mountain Bike to Notts
Daily Commute
Now the world has shifted in terms of work location for a lot of people, including myself, I was reminiscing about my commute to work every day. I miss it! 16 miles there and 16 miles home. Along route 6 and into the centre of Nottingham. Five days a week getting into work fresh and being able to eat what I want knowing I’ll burn it off.
I found one of my old videos pre-covid times where I captured a particularly wet commute, which I don’t miss. It brings back some fond memories.
The commute is a mixture of national cycle route, paths, quiet and busy roads, parks, and woods. Everything you could want really, a multitude of surfaces in one ride. The only thing missing is an amazing downhill, which I guess isn’t so bad as that would mean an up hill on the way home.
The Route:
Starting on the edge of Kingsway Park in the centre of town, the first half a mile is a path along the edge of Kingsway Park coming out on Hornbeam way and then onto Grives Lane. Go right at the traffic lights and onto Kingsway (B6021). Follow the road left and up the steep sharp mutton hill to the traffic lights heading right onto Derby Road (A611). Fly down the hill, past the garage and through the traffic lights until you reach the left turning to Newstead. Take the turn and then enjoy the ride down into Newstead along Annesley Cutting Road and onto Hucknall road sweeping right around the bend. Take the left turn towards Newstead village with Newstead Primary school on your right as you past it. Fly round the right-hand bend and down the hill crossing the train line. Then swing right before ‘the Pitt’ pub so the cricket ground is on your left and the train station is on the right. Follow this round the left-hand bend under the bridge and then look out for National cycle route 6 on the right. Switch back right onto the trail, before reaching the Newstead Abbey gates. A little climb and then left onto a couple of miles of straight track we call ‘the yellow brick road’ but is officially route 6.
Exit the ‘yellow brick’ road at the mini roundabout in Linby and take the road straight opposite, Waterloo Road. Go on the pavement on the left for a few yards until you see a path on the left. Take the path, which is traffic free, it crosses back over Waterloo Road and continues until you reach a road. Go right on the road and duck left down Bishop’s way. Enter the path again at the end of the road and around the grassed area. Enter Buckingham Avenue and swing right and into the cul-de-sac. Carry on straight to the end which looks like a dead end. However, between the houses is another path. This takes you right toward the train line, but just before reaching the train line switchback left and pop out onto a housing street with a short distance to Papplewick Road a busier road. Turn right onto Papplewick Road for a few hundred meters. This is a busy area of Hucknall with the train station and Tesco nearby. When you reach a roundabout go straight over to Wigwam Lane. Then enjoy the fast ride along the industrial estate road.
After half a mile or so you reach a gap leading into Bestwood Country park. Go through the gap and then swing right on to the path. You will come out with the lakes on your left. The path takes you around a long sweeping left until the lakes turn to a stream which you cross. The path then narrows, and you carry straight on. You’ll be aware of the roads re-appearing around you even though you can’t see them. Cross a couple of bridges and ignore any paths taking you down to the road. Eventually you will come out on the busy Moor Bridge Hucknall road which goes toward Nottingham. Carefully cross over to the quieter Bestwood Road opposite which runs parallel to Bulwell Recreation ground for a short time. After reaching St Albans Rd you will see the train line crossing on your right. Head straight over to the path which takes you into the estate. The first road you ride is Colston Rd which swings left and comes to a T-junction. Go right onto Austin Street. Ride for a couple of 100 meters and take the second right, just before the road swings left, onto Belmont Avenue. At the end of the Avenue go between the garages coming out on to church lane which takes you to the very busy B682 heading into Bulwell centre.
Turn right onto the B682. Be traffic aware and head straight through the traffic lights. Don’t go full throttle down the hill as the road takes a sharp left bend. The centre of Bulwell is on the right with the train station on the left. Go past the bus station on the right but stay on the left. After the last building on the left take the path on the left that goes toward the park. It swings onto the river path with the River Leen on your left. Enjoy the next couple of miles off road following the river away from the traffic.
Eventually the path opens out and swings left with the Basford Football ground on the right. Take the left fork just after the ground to continue to follow the river side. After 100 yards there are two exits off the path to the right taking you into a housing estate. Take the second exit to Swallow Close, which leads to Firecrest Way, going left follow the road left until you reach a busier road and a set of traffic lights. Cross the road onto the path opposite to head into the estate. You are now heading into the built-up outskirts of Nottingham. The trails are now behind and you need your whit’s about you. Carry straight on around the left corner of Bramble Close, through the cut through to Coriander drive and then another cut through to Arkers close. Turn right onto Lindum Road and up to the busier road of Percy Street. Turn left onto Percy Street and then right to the traffic lights. At the traffic lights go right onto Bar lane. Go past Ellis Guilford School on the right and head straight on. this is a long straight section of road. At the lights cross over the A610 onto Melbourne Road which is a really wide road with plenty of room, sometimes splitting into two distinct roads. After half a mile or so, crossing two large quiet roundabouts, you reach the busier Aspley Road (A690). Turn left, and when possible cross over the road to the wide path on the right. Head right onto Trentham drive for a short while and then there is a little chicane of roads. Go left and then right onto Redbourne drive. Cross over the traffic lights down towards the path taking you from the housing estate to an industrial road, Peppercorn gardens and Radford Bridge Road. Head straight on until you realise you are about to hit the extremely busy Nottingham bypass Western Boulevard. Look for a path on the right just before the bypass. This takes you onto the under pass missing all the busy traffic. Appear out of the underpass onto the path at the left side of the bypass. Travel a short distance and then turn left on the quiet Orston drive with the bypass behind you.
The next section has a good feeling as you travel through the medical school before reaching the business park. Follow Orston Drive first swinging right and then crossing a quiet roundabout. At the T-junction turn left which looks like a dead end. It’s not a dead end, take the path that goes right lined with trees, and busy with students. The path exits to a set of pedestrian traffic lights. Cross over the road onto Hill side heading between the buildings and the river. The road changes to a path and goes up to Lean Gate Road and chicanes across the road. Continue to follow the river path until you head up to the A6005. Turn left off the path along the A6005 for a few metres, cross over the pedestrian traffic lights and right down priory street. This is a back road going left to join Old Church Street and meeting Lenton Lane with the tram line in the middle of the road. Turn right onto Lenton lane. Cross over the river on the bridge and if you wish to go on a bigger loop (not to work) look out for the path back down to the canal which heads out to Beeston, Long Eaton and after miles of riding back towards Kimberley and then Hucknall, a great day ride. I head to work though, so pass Warhammer world on the right and just after the right-hand bend cross over the road to go left onto the path into Kings Meadow Nature reserve. After a hundred yards head right and right again. This brings you out at the back of the Queens Drive industrial estate onto Rennie Hogg Road. From here it’s a short scoot into work for a well-earned shower and breakfast.
I said at the start that I miss the commute, which I do, but being at home and planning my time does allow me to get out on the bike at lunch and before work. One of the pros of the new world is I can pick and choose the best times to go when the weather is the most bikeable. That is one benefit as commuting doesn’t allow you to have a day off when the weather isn’t the best. However, you could look at it another way, if the weather is bad or work is piling up for a length of time you aren’t forced to bike, so you may put it off and off until you realise you haven’t been biking for a week or so impacting all the health benefits and fitness you have built up. All swings and roundabouts, but none the less, the commute has great memories for me. Who knows I may decide to do the ride again one day and head straight past work to Beeston and Long Eaton.
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