National Cycle Route 410: The Avon Cycleway

The Avon Cycleway is an 85 mile circular route around Bristol, mostly on country lanes.

We're building a page here describing the route and what you can find along the way; what you see here at the moment is very much a work in progress.

The route was originally signed as regional route 10, it's now known as national route 410, so you'll find brown 'Avon Cycleway' signs, blue '10' signs, and new red '410' signs along the route.

Click on a to show the current location on the map; click on a linked placename for local links and information.

The route

Heading clockwise, starting at the Avon:

Shirehampton

Hallen

The route heads along Berwick Lane into Easter Compton, and joins the B4055 to go through the village before turning off on Station Road to go by Pilning station and on towards Tockington. Just before crossing the motorway, the route turns left up Awkley Lane, then right again to cross first the M4 then the M48.

Heading into Olveston, the route joins onto the main road through the village and gives you a chance to pause at the White Hart before passing St Mary's Church. Here we join route 41 of the National Cycle Network and head up Elberton Road.

The route takes a little wiggle through Elberton and crosses the B4461 Aust to Alveston road.

Near Littleton-upon-Severn the Avon Cycleway briefly parts company with route 41; the national route continues on into the village, whereas the Avon Cycleway cuts off the corner. The two routes join up again for the next stretch of road, then the 41 turns left into Kington Road to carry on to Berkeley and Gloucester, and the Avon Cycleway heads along Kington Lane towards Thornbury.

Thornbury: The cycle route enters Thornbury from the west along Kington Lane. At the end of this lane, joining Castle Street, Thornbury town centre is off to the right - offering plenty of shops and pubs for refreshments, and car parks to start or end your ride from, but the cycleway heads left, past Thornbury Castle and St Mary's Church. Then it's along Park Road, Whitfield Road and a short stretch of the B4061 before turning right onto Severn View Road just before the Anchor pub. At the top of the road (which has changed into Easton Hill Road), turn left, then left again for a cycles-only gap to cross the main Moreton Road onto Crossways Lane. From here it's back to quiet lanes for the climb up Clay Lane and across the A38.

Milbury Heath sees you at the top of a hill, with excellent views to the north. From here it's down and across the bridge over the M5 and back up the other side.

At the end of this road there's a junction: left follows the Avon Cycleway into Cromhall, right is the start of the Avon Cycleway Filton Link (regional route 18) down through Tytherington, Itchington and Stoke Gifford, ending at Abbey Wood station.

Cromhall: it's down and up a hill at Abbotside, then the lanes narrow and it's straight on with St Andrew's Church across the field to your right, until you reach the B4058. The Avon Cycleway turns right to head south on the B4058 here, but you can go left to stop off at the Royal Oak a few hundred yards away, or straight across for the small village shop. The B4058 is not a great road to cycle on - too many lorries - and after a mile the cycle route heads off to the left along Cowship Lane.

After Wickwar the route makes a loop through a pleasant bit of countryside, but if you're looking to shorten the route a bit, take a shortcut via Hall End and Limekiln Road, rather than dicing with the B4060. You'll rejoin the route just north of Yate.

At Wickwar it's left onto the main road (or right into the High Street for somewhere to stop), then right back on to narrow lanes to head off east towards Inglestone Common and the rise of the Cotswolds beyond.

Before the hills kick in though, the route turns south towards Horton. If you want an alternative, hillier, route, you can admire the church at Hawkesbury or visit Horton Court.

At Horton we turn right and head west. Soon we hit a junction where the Avon Cycleway heads off along Mapleridge Lane to cross the B4060; carrying straight on takes us across Sodbury Common into Chipping Sodbury. Beware, though: both choices seem to be labelled route 10...

Yate

Iron Acton

Frampton Cotterell

Coalpit Heath

Bristol-Bath Railway Path