Cycling in and around Brighton

Brighton has a lot to offer cyclists; several cycle routes are on offer around the city as well as many miles of cycle lanes. This post is an illustration of the great variety of scenery on offer as you cycle round Brighton. As I went on a late September bike ride stopped to take these three panoramic pictures within an hour of each other.


(Click the images for a larger view)

The Level
The first photo represents cycling within the city itself, there are several cycle lanes which take you straight through the to centre of town. When you get there ample facilities are provided to park your bike, especially on busy days you can save yourself a good 20 minutes not having to park a car (as well as money). Unfortunately the main shopping centre is on a fair sized hill but it doesn’t take long to recover from that.

Brighton Sea Front
The second photo represents cycling at the sea front. Brighton has a cycle lane running the whole way along the front, part of national route 2, which currently starts at Dover in Kent and extensions are planned to St. Austell in Cornwall. This is a popular route with visitors and tourists and hence will sometimes get crowded with pedestrians and holidaymakers.

The route along to Worthing is very flat and continues on to Littlehampton the only problem with being by the sea is that the wind can sometimes hold you back. However I had no problems on this beautifully calm September afternoon. As you cycle along you can also appreciate the fine architecture of the grand hotels and houses that line the front.

South Downs
For a more challenging ride (because of the hills) there is the South Downs, stretching out behind Brighton and neighbouring towns. The final photo was taken just past Rottingdean, a picture postcard little village. The South Downs provides stunning panoramic views of English countryside.

A popular destination in the Downs is Devils Dyke, a national trust site that has a pub among other facilities on site. It’s only about 7 miles outside of Brighton so isn’t to far to go for amateur cyclists. A great ride for those looking for a bit more piece and quiet, away from the noise of the traffic.

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