Birmingham (England) by bicycle · Birmingham (England) by bicycle
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Birmingham (England) by bicycle
Birmingham (England) by bicycle
Birmingham is not a particularly cycle-friendly city (especially compared to the rest of Europe), but it is possible to get around without too much trouble. There are plenty of places to lock a bike up in the city centre, but few cycle lanes and lots of pedestrians. Unless you're touring the UK on pedal power, the best use for a bike is to do one of the following: explore the extensive canal network, enjoy the country parks, travel to out-of-town attractions, or experience more distant places such as Warwick, Leamington Spa and Stratford-upon-Avon.
Birmingham City Council produces an excellent cycling and walking map of the area. You can pick one up from any local library, tourist information office, leisure centre or bike shop.
Road and cycle path maintenance in the area is far from perfect, and it is not uncommon for trees and parked cars to obstruct the right-of-way. The standard of driving is as bad as in other cities, so exercise extreme caution on main roads and at night. The canal network can be accessed in the city centre from the Broad Street/Gas Street area, or at most road crossings elsewhere. The towpath is generally well-maintained to within a few miles of the city, and after that tends to be packed earth with plenty of mud and embedded bricks. A permit from British Waterways (free) is needed for towpath cycling.
The Sustrans National Cycle Network Route 5 (Oxford to Derby) passes through Birmingham from the south to the north-west. The local stretch is known as the Rea Valley Route, there is also the Cole Valley Route to the east.
Bicycle hire:
On Your Bike, 33-40 Bradford St, Birmingham +44 121 666 6933, ( , fax: +44 121 666 6388), . M,W,F,Sa 10AM-6PM, Th 10AM-7PM, Tu,Su closed.
Midland cycle hire, 1 Fieldhouse Lane, Romsley, Halesowen, B62 0PR, +44 156 271 1144
The Most Frequently Asked Travel Questions about Birmingham (England)
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Birmingham (England) Travel Guide from Wikitravel. Many thanks to all Wikitravel contributors. Text is available under Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0, images are available under various licenses, see each image for details.