School’s out for summer and the team behind West Yorkshire Combined Authority’s £60m CityConnect programme aimed at encouraging more people to cycle and walk has compiled a list of their favourite places to visit with the kids on cycling routes segregated from traffic.
At 14km the award-winning CityConnect Bradford Leeds Cycle Superhighway is the longest continuous route of its kind in the UK.
As the name suggests it connects two of Yorkshire’s major cities, Bradford and Leeds, both of which are home to plenty of child-friendly activities.
Bradford is home to the National Science and Media Museum and its wonderful exhibition spaces, collections and IMAX cinema, particularly Wonderlab, provides hours of entertainment.
Just across the way is City Park. With 100 fountains and the Mirror Pool, the UK’s largest urban water feature it’s the perfect place to cool down on a warm summer’s day. (Remember to take a change of clothes).
If it gets so hot only ice will do then there’s always Bradford Ice Arena just around the corner.
At the opposite end of the Cycle Superhighway, delve into the past at Leeds Industrial Museum or the Royal Armouries, check out some of the family holiday activities on offer at Leeds City Museum or take a walk on the wild side on the Leeds Owl Trail.
A day out in the park with a picnic is as good as anything. From the Superhighway Armley Park and Bradford Moor Park are both easily accessible.
The Aire Valley Towpath is a flat route providing an opportunity to explore part of the longest canal in the UK, the Leeds Liverpool canal.
Just a few miles along the towpath from Leeds city centre is Kirkstall Abbey or further along is Rodley Nature Reserve.
The UNESCO World Heritage Site of Saltaire is also easily accessible with the towpath running close to Salts Mill.
The Castleford to Wakefield Greenway links Fairies Hill Locks by Whitwood Golf Course with Methley Bridge, with the option to treat the kids to some cake at Methley Bridge Farm Shop.
From the Greenway, linking up with Sustrans’ Wykebeck Way will take you to the 700 acre Roundhay Park, where the kids can discover their inner explorer at Tropical World.
The recently completed Calder Hebble improvements mean you can cycle from the marina in Sowerby Bridge, and link to Hebble Trail to the centre of Halifax, for the children’s museum, Eureka.
Make the most of the Spen Valley Greenway for the Streetbikes ‘Rock Up And Ride’. Every Saturday morning at 9.15am – book your place to take part. They can even provide you with a bike!
Share pictures of your cycling adventures, however big or small, on Twitter and Facebook.
