From rail to trail: Some of the best cycle routes from Northern Stations

WHETHER you're looking for a 2 wheeled challenge or a chilled out pedal through some spectacular scenery, there is plenty of cycle routes from Northern's Stations.

It is free to take your bike on a Northern train, and you don't need to book in advance, although we do operate on a first-come, 1st served basis.

These are a few suggestioons from Northern:-

• Bradford Forster Square... Pick up National Cycle Network route 66 at Bradford Forster Square to head south towards Dewsbury and the Spen Valley Greenway. The route north becomes the Canal Road Greenway which is car-free most of the way to Shipley.
   

• Dent... A challenging, but rewarding cycle. This is the highest main line Station in England. From Dent Village (about 4 miles, at 1st steeply downhill from Dent Station) turn left towards Ingleton and follow the Pennine Cycleway to Settle Market Place.
  
   

• Dronfield... A great place to access the Peak District, via bridleways at Unstone. There is also the option to link up to the Sheffield cycle route to Derby by taking the Lea Road over the bridge at the north end of the Station, then turn right onto Cross Lane, then right onto Gomersal Lane, and left onto Gosforth Lane. This takes you to a bridge over the A61 bypass and suddenly you're in the countryside.
  
   

• Edale... The heart of the Peak District, Mountain bikers can head up Jacob's ladder and emerge at Hayfield, where there's a railway path down to New Mills. For road cyclists, Edale provides access to Mam Nick; a classic climb; and a popular route is via Peak Forest to return to Sheffield via Tideswell & Eyam or Millers Dale and Great Longstone.
  
  

• Garsdale... Not for the faint-hearted, but you can try out part of the Tour De France route from Garsdale Station. Take the A684 through Hawes and Aysgarth, then turn right for the B6160 through Buckden and Kettlewell. Alternatively, for a quieter tour of the Dales, turn right at Hawes for Gayle, passing the Creamery and take Beggarmans Road across the top to Buckden and Kettlewell.
  
   

• Hebden Bridge... As you leave the Station you will come across signs for National Cycle Network route 66. Turn Right for Sowerby Bridge or left for Rochdale. NCN68, the Pennine Cycleway, also passes through Hebden.
  
  

• Meadowhall... Despite its highly urbanised location, Meadowhall is at the crossroads of a number of important cycle routes, many of which are on the NCN. Routes 6 & 67, including the Chapeltown Greenway for routes to Penistone, Manchester, Barnsley, Leeds, York & Hull. You can use the scenic 5 Weirs Walk leading back into Sheffield City Centre, and the canal towpath for Rotherham and the canal network beyond.
  
   

• Kirkstall Forge... From this Station there is access to the National Cycle Network route 66 leading to a lovely route on the Leeds to Liverpool towpath.
  
  

• Low Moor... From here there is access to the Spen Valley Greenway from the Station; turning left will bring you down into Bradford, turning right will take you down to Dewsbury and the Calder Valley.

ON this year's extra day, North West Ambulance Service (NWAS) are currently asking Merseyside residents to take a few minutes out to learn Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation (CPR) and how to use public defibrillators, so people of the North West have a greater chance of surviving a cardiac arrest.

Cardiac arrest occurs when the heart suddenly stops beating, leading to a cessation of blood flow to vital organs, including the brain. In the UK, around 60,000 people have an out of hospital cardiac arrest every year. Survival rates from cardiac arrest which happen outside hospital remain worryingly low, with less than:- 1 in 10 people surviving.

In 2022 to 2023 there were over 3,500 cardiac arrest patients in the North West. The need for CPR education is a high priority for NWAS and its emergency service colleagues as someone in cardiac arrest will die within minutes unless treated immediately with CPR.