National Cycle Route 622, the Preston Guild Wheel, part of the National Cycle Network in

North West England North West England is one of nine official regions of England and consists of the ceremonial counties of England, administrative counties of Cheshire, Cumbria, Greater Manchester, Lancashire and Merseyside. The North West had a population of ...

, is a 21-mile cycle and walking route encircling the city of

Preston Preston is a place name, surname and given name that may refer to: Places England *Preston, Lancashire, an urban settlement **The City of Preston, Lancashire, a borough and non-metropolitan district which contains the settlement **County Boro ...

in Lancashire and is one of the city's flagship Guild Legacy projects from the 2012

Preston Guild Preston () is a city on the north bank of the River Ribble in Lancashire, England. The city is the administrative centre of the county of Lancashire and the wider City of Preston local government district. Preston and its surrounding distric ...

. Preston is also the midpoint of the national cycle network.

History

The route was initiated by members of Preston Cycle Forum including Peter Ward an ex City Councillor and former racing cyclist and Mike Atkins, the County's former cycling officer. Following the completion of the Guild Wheel Peter Ward received an MBE for his services to cycling. The section along the river by Miller Park has been named Mike Atkins Way after Mike Atkins who died in 2013. The route is also promoted as a walking route.

Route

The route is a "greenway" encircling the city of

. The route opened in August 2012 in the run up to the main week of the Guild celebrations and passes sights such as Preston Docklands,

Avenham Avenham and Frenchwood are the central communities which make up the Town Centre ward of City of Preston, Lancashire, Preston City Council, in Lancashire, England. The name of the ward was chosen by the Boundary Committee for England prior to Pre ...

and Miller Parks and Brockholes Nature Reserve. The route follows mainly the

River Ribble The River Ribble runs through North Yorkshire and Lancashire in Northern England. It starts close to the Ribblehead Viaduct in North Yorkshire, and is one of the few that start in the Yorkshire Dales and flow westwards towards the Irish Sea (t ...

to the south, and goes as far as Broughton in the north. It uses traffic free multi-user paths with pedestrians and quiet roads. The route has led to an increased interest in cycling in the Preston area. Cycle flows at a count point on the Guild Wheel increased by 175% to just under 100,000 a year from 2011 to 2013 with peak of 968 cyclists in a day in 2013. The success of the Guild Wheel has led to proposals to create similar routes in Blackburn, Leyland and Longridge. Parts of the route are also well used by walkers and runners. The route is very much a recreation facility for all users. Following concerns about the speeds of some cyclists, a "Share with Care" campaign was launched in 2013 promoting a code of practise for the route.

References

External links

{{City of Preston culture Transport in the City of Preston National Cycle Routes