Objective: Starting from Beeston Lock, at the western end of the Beeston Canal, take in the Attenborough Nature Reserve, then cycle into Nottingham, to the junction with the Nottingham Canal, south to the River Trent, and back to the start point along the river.

Trip Type: solo cycle, circular ride

Distance: 15.2 miles

Time to complete: 1 hr 45 minutes, 8.6 mph

Nicholson Guide: Guide 6, pp 124-125

Costs: Free parking in Beeston. Circular ride so no train involved.

Difficulty: easy

Adjacent Rides: Erewash and Nottingham Canals

Overview

A short circular ride, which I extended to include the Attenborough Nature Reserve, which means the ride joins up with the Erewash and Nottingham Canals ride. The ride is very easy going, nice to do on a summer’s day when you could sample a few of Nottingham’s finer hostelries on the way round.

1. Attenborough Nature Reserve (3 miles)

Park your car on Canal Side, Beeston, NG9 1LN, where there is plenty of parking.

Cycle down to Beeston Lock and continue straight on past the Riverside Bar along the River Trent. Continue to the nature reserve on good quality gravel paths. Turn right where a track heads towards Kingfisher Hide and Attenborough Nature Centre. This is the point where you should have emerged when doing the Erewash and Nottingham Canals ride. At the roundabout by the car park turn right, and work your way round in a loop, back to the riverside path, then turn left to head back to Beeston Lock.

2. Beeston to Meadow Lane Lock (6 miles)

Cross the canal at Beeston Lock and immediately turn left on the gravel track, with the canal on your left.

At the first bridge, where on the opposite side of the canal Canal Side road turns left and becomes Meadow Road, make sure you join the metalled cyclepath immediately by the bridge, rather than continuing on the track. Pass under Thain Road bridge, and further on under the railway and Clifton Boulevard dual-carriageway as you head into the city centre.

Continue to the former junction with the Nottingham Canal, where the waterway turns sharp right. The Nottingham Canal to your left and north is now filled in, although some more northerly sections can still be cycled – see the Erewash and Nottingham Canals ride.

At the turnover bridge just round the sharp bend cross the bridge, down the ramp to double back under, and continue on the left hand side of the canal.

3. Meadow Lane Lock to Beeston Lock (6 miles)

At Meadow Lane lock, between the football grounds, cross and turn right to head back west along the river on a good path called the Big Track.

The path is tarmac for part of the way, then a signed gravel track mostly through woodland all the way back to Beeston Lock.

Cross the footbridge over the canal and turn right back to your car.

I could find no decent pubs in Beeston (I’m sure there are some), but there’s plenty in the city centre, including the famous Ye Olde Trip To Jerusalem, and close by on the canal the Canalhouse bar, which has a narrowboat parked inside.