Cycling in Cambridge

The Cambridge area is a great place for cyclists and is one of the top cycling cities in Britain - an excellent opportunity to admire the city’s open spaces and beautiful architecture. Cambridge has a wealth of cycle hire shops, many in the heart of the city.

Cambridge is known as the cycle city and with good cause. Nowhere else in England will you find so many cyclists dominating the city streets and so many opportunities to enjoy the city on two wheels!

YHA Cambridge offers special facilities for cyclists staying with us, including nine individually lockable bike lockers, secure off-street storage for groups of cyclists staying with us, and a cleaning and maintenance station. Please note that due to space restrictions inside the building, we are not able to allow guests to bring bikes inside.

Whether you bring your own bike or not, we highly recommend taking part in one of the Cycle Tours offered by Cambridge Bike Tours, and if you book directly with us you’ll even get a discount. They offer a variety of tours, with their tour of the city going six days a week during the cycling season.

If you want to make your own way, here are a few suggestions for possible routes:

Gentle family cycle to Grantchester: Visit the famous Orchard Tea Gardens. Simply make your way to the Cam and follow the path along the river.

Cambridge – Waterbeach: Follow the River Cam and NCN route 11 on this lovely easy ride. The ride starts in the centre of Cambridge taking you past some of the famous colleges in this lovely university town. You will then follow the river to Waterbeach finishing at the train station.

Milton Country Park: This lovely park in Cambridge boasts nearly 100 acres of lakes and gardens interlaced with footpaths and cycle trails. The park includes a visitor centre with cafe, play areas, viewing platforms and a sensory garden. The park can be reached by following the River Cam and the Fen Rivers Way from the centre of Cambridge. This section also makes for a lovely traffic free cycle ride.

If you are after something a bit more challenging or a full day’s ride:

Cambridge – Ely: This route follows NCN routes 11 and 51 through Cambridgeshire. The route starts on the River Cam in Cambridge and heads along the river and NCN route 11 before joining NCN route 51 near Fen Ditton. A series of quiet country roads and off road paths take you to Burwell where you join NCN route 11 turning North West. Country roads then take you to a pleasant stretch through Wicken Fen Nature Reserve and then onto another off road section along the River Ouse before reaching the finish point by the Cathedral in Ely.