Great Rides – St Albans

Historic and charming, St Albans is the perfect size for two-wheeled exploration.

As a designated Cycling City, St Albans – rich with Roman-era history and mosaics and known for its beautiful cathedral – is anchored by the 9-kilometre Green Ring, which connects more than a dozen greenspaces, railway stations and heritage sites. National Cycle Routes 6 and 61 meet in the centre of town and 57 runs through nearby Harpenden – don’t miss the 6.5-mile section of Route 61 called the Alban Way, which follows a former railway line to Hatfield and crosses a cool train bridge.

Want climbs? Head toward the Chiltern Hills, keeping in mind that they’re an escarpment. (Translation: the scarp side, on the northwest, is steep.) Ride north from St Albans to the Woburn Bike Trails for loads of dirt jumps, lightning-quick and technical singletrack and family-friendly bridleways. (The stiff climbs, rooty sections and berms of the Longsdale Trail are a highlight.) A bit further on, Rushmere and Chicksands have both downhill-style and XC trails.

For gravel, head for the beech woods and open meadows of the chalky Chiltern Hills, where the Chilterns Gravel X and the Chilterns Wildwood Gravelcross rides take place every year. Thousands of cyclists participate in the St Albans Charity Cycle Ride every year, which has routes from 10 to 40 miles – a perfect event for the whole family.

Aston Clinton 47

Distance: 47.6 mi
Elevation: +/- 2103 ft

St Albans

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Puckeridge

Distance: 46.2 mi
Elevation: +/- 2,301 ft

St Albans

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Chiltern

Distance: 58 mi
Elevation: +/- 3,249 ft

St Albans

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East

Distance: 29.2 mi
Elevation: +/- 1,218 ft

St Albans

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Black Horse

Distance: 43.2 mi
Elevation: +/- 2,199 ft

St Albans

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Kimpton segment Loop

Distance: 22.8 mi
Elevation: +/- 750 ft

St Albans

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Gaddesden Lane to Bison Hill loop

Distance: 39.8 mi
Elevation: +/- 1,472 ft

St Albans

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Dunstable Downs Loop

Distance: 35.9 mi
Elevation: +/- 1,180 ft

St Albans

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Ivinghoe Beacon Loop

Distance: 52.9 mi
Elevation: +/- 2,357 ft

St Albans

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Berkhamsted

Distance: 56.6 mi
Elevation: +/- 2,060 ft

St Albans

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G4 St Albans Circular

Distance: 29.4 mi
Elevation: +/- 1,187 ft

St Albans

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Harpenden Loop

Distance: 22 mi
Elevation: +/- 719 ft

St Albans

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Alban Way/Charrington Place Loop

Distance: 8.1 mi
Elevation: +/- 156 ft

St Albans

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The White Horse Loop

Distance: 11.9 mi
Elevation: +/- 478 ft

St Albans

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Symondshyde Great Wood

Distance: 12.8 mi
Elevation: +/- 439 ft

St Albans

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Verulamium Park Loop

Distance: 9.7 mi
Elevation: +/- 260 ft

St Albans

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