My kids are at the perfect age for a family bike ride, with two pretty confident cyclist and a little one who’s happy to sit on a bike seat and watch the world go by. They’re more than happy to cycle laps around a park but I wasn’t sure what would be a comfortable distance for us to all do.
The Waddesdon Greenway opened in September 2018 and being traffic free was an ideal option for a family bike ride in Buckinghamshire. A wide 4km of path that’s either paved or just fine grit, it’s great for cyclists, scooters, wheelchairs, buggies and walkers.
We started at The Aylesbury Vale Parkway Railway Station. Parking is £3 a day and free all day Sunday. If you’re looking straight at the station, the entrance to the Waddesdon Greenway is to the right, leading straight from the car park, through a little tunnel.
The wide, flat pathway crosses over a bridge and through the countryside with views across the fields. It takes about 20 minutes to ride (60 minutes to walk) and probably a bit longer if you’re trying to encourage little legs. It’s an A to B route, not circular so you need to factor in cycling back. While we were there, a few families sent the Dad back quickly to pick up the car and then drive round to collect the Mum and kids.
There’s one point at which you need to cross a road but there are gates up to stop you flying through without noticing and big stop signs.
Along the way there are regular picnic and resting spots. I loved these picnic benches which were artistic yet functional at the same time. There are also information boards. We learnt that the route we were talking followed an old Roman road. There wasn’t a major Roman settlement in the area but around 400 BC there was an Iron Age fort which inspired the iron sculptures you can spot along the way. We also noticed some interesting large stones which mark your way. These were discovered during the creation of the Waddesdon Greenway.
At the end of the Waddesdon Greenway, you can continue on to Waddesdon Manor, a gorgeous national trust property or a few more minutes will take you to Waddesdon village. The route on to Waddesdon is not traffic free and the cars to seem to fly through but there was a pavement that my kids kept on until we reached the lovely 94 coffee shop.
If you’re looking for a treat at the end or as a half way point like we did, the 94 coffee shop was great. Warm and welcoming, we shared a huge wedge or cake, hot chocolates and baby cinos. The baby cinos were only 50p and a juice carton £1.
