Cycling UK Forum

How much of it is off road/child friendly? Where’s best to park?

The majority is off road, a large proportion being tarmaced, any roads you do cycle on are quiet mainly. There is a couple of mile stretch that goes on a path alongside the A583 dual carriageway until you do a left which takes you on a bridge across
it. If you are going to do the whole route I would do it clockwise, there is a steep climb on a cobbley section where the signage says to dismount, easier to push down this rather than up (at Brockholes I think). I think there's a car park at Brockholes just before the hill I mentioned (if you were going anti-clockwise). If you went clockwise from there it takes you alongside the Ribble through water meadows and past a lovely park (Avenham and Miller) and up to the docks, all off road virtually, with a couple of busy roads to cross with light controlled pedestrian crossing, if you didn't want to do it all, that's where I would start.
I join it at Broadgate (see map) as that's my route in from home by bike, it looks like there's plenty of parking in the streets round there, it depends where you're coming from for parking. Here's a link to a ride with a car park as a starting place.
https://www.letsride.co.uk/rides/a-nice ... ld-wheel-7
I've found it a really enjoyable ride , though I've managed to get lost a couple of times even though the path is well marked by signs or 'GW' painted markings on the path itself. Take a map !

Thanks, that’s really useful. I’d probably go to Brockholes as I know there.

Top of the cobbled bit , and half way down it looking back up the hill.
20% cobbley slope, under trees what could possibly go wrong !

This is my regular circuit. I must say the mention of the hellish bit through Brockholes made me laugh... It's like suddenly you're thrown into some kind of extreme mountain biking hell. Not pleasant on a more civilised variety of cycle, in fact impossible.

I would recommend anyone do the wheel clockwise to at least keep this section as downhill rather than trudging up there pushing their bike especially if it's remotely damp.

Great ride though, but yes the signposting is not foolproof by any means though pretty good.

Just come across this mentioned on Facebook - Utube:-
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JeRy8_m ... 3llNQmgDR8

And the website link which gives current alterations due to building works etc:-
http://www.visitpreston.com/visit/thing ... uild-wheel

We saw Andrew Flintoff here,on a tandem with Shane Warne

We went with our son and his family who live in Fulwood. We rode out via Sherwood Way and joined along Oliver’s Place going clockwise around the GW.

Not sure about parking although there is plenty of space at Brockholes unless it is a busy summer’s day.

Ous son's lad at 6 years old managed it very well on a singlespeed Ridgeback. The younger grandson was in a rear cycle seat.
We also had with us two of our daughter's children from the states who are not used to riding at all, let alone on the left, but they managed to go round the route ok.

The descent down to Brockholes was exciting so we all walked that bit. We were on our tandem (26 x 1.75 tyres) and found the going was ok.
However for us, there was some getting off and back on again to negotiate barriers etc. We later rode the route (with them again) on our latest tandem (700 x 28 tyres) and still found the going ok.

I guess the Guild Merchant is closed at the moment, but is was a good place to stop for a rest with the children, as was the Pavilion Café at the bottom of Avenham Park.

Have not ridden the route since the changes to the A6 (Broughton Bypass ?) so not sure how this part of the GW has changed.

Colin Stanley wrote: ↑11 Feb 2021, 5:22pm
Have not ridden the route since the changes to the A6 (Broughton Bypass ?) so not sure how this part of the GW has changed.

There is a separated cycle path down the RHS of Garstang Rd, then zebra-crossing over to LHS onto cycle path on opposite pavement then around the corner to cross the by-pass dual carriageway (James Towers Way) by a light-controlled bike/pedestrian crossing into D'urton Lane.

I went around the Guild Wheel (GW) yesterday, a short part of path that runs beside the dual-carriageway (A583 Blackpool Rd) out of Preston is closed and diverted through the near-side lane of the road and isolated by solid plastic barriers which end by the bridge where the GW path crosses the road. I think they are using the path for storage etc, it was like it a couple of months ago as well.
I don't know what all the earth works are for on the other side of the bridge, but they've been going on for a year or so now, there is a wide unmetalled track constructed around them for the GW and you resume it's normal course just before Preston North End's Training ground. The last piece of the diversion here is a steep downhill, loose surfaced path, about 200m long approx' with a sharp right turn at the bottom, something to be aware of perhaps if you're riding with small children.
Picture : where you turn left to go over the bridge. You can see the earthworks on Google Maps here :-
https://www.google.co.uk/maps/@53.76494 ... !1e3?hl=en
The downhill stretch I mentioned is next to where it says Savick Brook, top right hand side of the image.
A lovely ride there yesterday in the sunny weather.
Edited a couple of times for clarity .

The earth works I mentioned above are, part of the construction of a link road between the A583 and M55, due to open
2023. Information here for anyone interested, with description, maps & 3D fly through simulation :-

https://www.lancashire.gov.uk/council/s ... stributor/