The Circa Trails: The Best Cycle Rides Around Bracknell
October 24/The Haywoods Group
Our new development Circa in Bracknell is launching this month, and as part of our Haywoods Incentive Scheme we are kitting Circa out with a collection of mountain bikes for our buyers! Circa’s excellent location in Bracknell, with its quick routes out into the surrounding countryside, offers the opportunity to explore the area, and what better way to do it than by bike!
To this end, we have been researching some great cycle routes from Circa that will take you out to both local areas and further afield to historical places like Windsor, and along both challenging mountain bike trails and quiet, peaceful B roads. We have also found some excellent pubs along the way to stop for lunch or refreshments! Here are some of our favourite cycling routes around Bracknell, and our picks for a pit stop.
Swinley Forest – Blue Trail 9km
Swinley Forest is more than eleven square kilometres of woodland, offering off-road mountain bike trails for those seeking adventure. It has several marked trails, and the Blue Trail is of moderate difficulty. This pine forest trail offers a mixture of smooth cycling and patches of mud, roots and rocks, and some good gradient action. Hills and dips wind through beautiful Swinley Forest. This trail is shown by easy-to-follow blue markers.
Our favourite central Bracknell pub is the Prince of Wales, at 64 Shepherds Ln, Bracknell RG42 2B, which is a good choice to finish in after your ride. Try one of their vast array of burgers!
Swinley Forest – Red Trail 14km
This is Swinley Forest’s advanced trail, and branches off from the blue above. This one has all the challenges of a woodland trail: tight, twisting tracks, steep banks, long descents and climbs and several drops. Good way to get your energy levels going! This trail is shown by red markers.
Stop off on your way at The Three Mariners, a 16th Century pub in Bagshot, for a good choice of real ales. Find it at 56 High St, Bagshot GU19 5AW.
Wind your way through residential streets before joining the B3348 heading south all the way down to Sandhurst, before looping back up Rackstraw Road (A3095). Branch left on small, peaceful South Road and head straight to rejoin the B3348 back up north to Bracknell. For full route details click here.
Our favourite pubs on this route are the Golden Retriever, a beautiful country pub at Nine Mile Ride, Crowthorne, Bracknell RG40 3DR, and the Bird In Hand, at High St, Sandhurst GU47 8LQ
Bracknell, Ascot and Windsor – 23km
A lovely mixture of A, B and country roads mixed with a small section of off-roading through Windsor Great Park, this route takes you through Ascot High Street and up to Windsor, with views of the castle ahead of you.
Windsor is a great place for a halfway stop before heading back towards Bracknell, or instead try the Thatched Tavern, at Cheapside Rd, Ascot SL5 7QG, a 400 year old pub with traditional fires and amazing food.
Pretty A and B road cycling, through the villages surrounding Bracknell in the Berkshire countryside. Head from Bracknell down to Wokingham via Peacock Lane, then turn left on Barkham Road to Arborfield Cross. From here, turn left onto the A327 towards Farnborough before turning left onto the B3348 (Fleet Hill) through the pretty villages of Finchampstead and The Ridges. Loop round on New Forest Ride before heading left back into Bracknell.
A great stop along this ride is the Tally Ho in Eversley, an old farmhouse converted into a pub with a great atmosphere, a choice of cask ales and plenty of character. Find it at Fleet Hill, Eversley, Hook RG27 0RR
As the name implies, this well-established route starts at Garth Hill College, Bracknell, and takes you through Berkshire, Oxfordshire and Buckinghamshire. It’s also an annual charity event complete with marshals and signs, but can be undertaken by intrepid cyclists on their own time! The route takes you up into the beautiful Chiltern Hills and passes plenty of villages for refreshment stops. Visit their site here for full details.
There are plenty of great pubs along this route, but our favourite has to be the Stag and Hounds at Forest Rd, Binfield, Bracknell RG42 4HA, well worth a small detour!
