Peterborough Circular: Saturday Adventure Ride

** Please read the ride description carefully, including the travel arrangements, to decide if this is the ride for you!**

Overview

This is a long, challenging ride of just over 80km. We will have a very early start and quite a late return. Our train journey to/from Peterborough is 1 hour 30 mins each way.

This is a circular ride, exploring the countryside to the south of Peterborough.

Once we’ve left Peterborough, we are in sparsely populated countryside. There are no intermediate rail stations, so you need to be confident that you can complete the full distance.

There are no bike shops en route, so you need to make sure that your bike is in good working order and that you have a spare inner tube with you.

Although Peterborough is commonly associated with the Fens, most of this ride (50km) is across rolling countryside, through a landscape of arable farmland on quiet country roads, with a few moderately challenging hills. The final 30km is across flat fenland on exposed open land, with no tree cover.

Our refreshment stop is in Oundle, after only 31km of the ride. You will need to make sure you have enough water and food to last you for the rest of the ride without another café stop.

The Ride

From Peterborough station, we ride through parklands and along the River Nene, before heading into the countryside. A roller coaster ride of undulating hills and quiet villages brings us into the small market town of Oundle for our lunch stop (31km, approx. 12.30pm). There are several cafes here, or you might prefer to bring your own food. We will make sure we have plenty of provisions, especially water, before we ride on.

We have another approx. 1.5 hours (20km) of similar terrain, including a challenging climb past the Ashton Wold estate, property of the Rothschilds. We are eventually rewarded with a fast, sweeping descent to Glatton. Shortly afterwards, we enter the very different landscape of the Fens. We cross the Great Fen, and then turn north back towards Peterborough. After navigating the small town of Whittlesey, we come up onto the banks of the River Nene, which we follow back to Peterborough station.

Travel Arrangements

We will use ThamesLink services to/from Peterborough, departing from and returning to Farringdon.

For our outward jourmey, we will take the 07.41am departure from Farringdon, reaching Peterborough at 09.06am.

We expect to return to Peterborough by 5.30pm-6pm.
Return services run from Peterborough at 23 and 54 mins past the hour, journey time 1 hour 26 mins.

A Super Off Peak Return is currently £30.90. Senior Railcard discounts apply.

Please note:-

- the lifts to ThamesLink services at St Pancras are out of service until mid-Sept, so Farringdon is more convenient

- there is a fast LNER service from King’s Cross to Peterborough; however, this is more expensive, and bicycle reservations are required

- please do not buy Advanced Single tickets which are valid only on specific trains, as we cannot guarantee the time of our return journey

Train-assisted day ride, exploring the countryside south of Peterborough.

Quiet country roads. Shared paths through parks. Some short stretches on busier roads.

Refreshment stop in Oundle.

Buy train tickets in advance. Money/card for cafe. Plenty of water & snacks. Lock for your bike. Spare inner tube.