A Tale of Two Cycle Routes

Many of you reading this post will have received an email from me recently, informing you of consultation meetings on the proposed Bakewell to Matlock cycle route. Given the failure a couple of years ago of a planning application made by Peak Cycle Links and John Grimshaw to open precisely this path, mainly due to protests coming from certain quarters in our local area, it is imperative that you give your support to this project. Click here to do this now. As I’m sure you know, the extension of the White Peak Loop from Bakewell to Matlock is only part of the Pedal Peak project, led by Derbyshire CC, which last year succeeded in obtaining grants totalling £7.5 million. I think that we can expect to see more and more projects of this kind taking shape over the next few years, both here in the UK and across the Channel.

In south-west France, the River Isle runs through the middle of the département (county) of the Dordogne, flowing through the capital Périgueux and into the River Dordogne, over 100 km downstream. Périgueux already has a superb greenway, about 15 km long, which follows the river. In the near future, this is to be lengthened to 30 km. To the west, the département of the Gironde (capital Bordeaux) also has several wonderful greenways, mostly running over old railway track beds, some more than 50 km long. The latest news is that a number of communes (parishes) in the Dordogne have got together to build an 86-km long cycle route alongside the Isle. This will consist of present minor roads linked by new sections of greenway - and it is due to be finished by May 2015. It will link with the Périgueux greenway and hopefully with others in the Gironde. It includes no fewer than five substantial crossings of the river (I’m talking 75 metres or so). The cost of the whole véloroute is 12 million euros (£9.6m). Eventually, it will form part of an even longer véloroute all the way from Bordeaux to Limoges – that’s a long way! So make a note in your diaries to ride this one day! If you want to know more about this route, click here and scroll down to the bottom right, to open a pdf file of maps ("Véloroute voie verte de la Vallée de l'Isle"). I'm looking forward to the completion of both of these routes!