Royal Chilterns Ways: More than lines on a map

I had the pleasure of attending the new Adventure series route launch on 18 August and be part of the taster ride taking route creators, contributors and dignitaries on a 15km section of the route. While creating a route may seem as simple as plotting a line on a map, the launch shone a light on the colossal amount of work that goes into creating a route of this scale.

Public rights of way officers, councillors, landowners, major donors and mayors filled the room to listen to Programme Manager Ross Adam’s presentation. This was just a few of the total number of stakeholders Ross and route creator Max Darkins had spent months liaising with.

From keeping stakeholders in the loop as a matter of courtesy, to negotiating access to key sections of the route and everything in between, it’s safe to say getting a route like this off the ground is as much about relationship building as it is about maps.

Value added

The room hummed with excitement about the route and its potential to bring value to the area. We learned that the average multi-day rider spends around £80 a day – highlighting the economic benefit these routes bring to local communities. This isn’t just drawing lines on a map; it’s a meaningful exchange, bringing tourism and investment to the region.

One of the most impressive things about the route is its accessibility. This means different things to different people, whether its accessibility by transport or how physically accessible the trail is to riders with reduced mobility.

This route, although not 100% accessible to a trike or similar cycle, does have large sections that can accommodate more than just a standard two-wheeler.

Rail and ride

There is a total of 13 train stations along the route made up of three loops that criss-cross at transport hubs, making it an ideal route to break down into more manageable chunks.

This has clearly been built into the design: making it possible for people to ride a section, head home, and come back another time to do more. It’s a nice contrast to some of the more remote Adventure Series routes.

Riding the taster route, it struck me how few gates the route featured – something reiterated by Bikmo’s Josh Worrall-Hardman, who rode a large part of the route days before.

Not only does this create a really flowy ride, but moreover, when coupled with the lack of technicality of the terrain, opens up the route to riders with reduced mobility or on non-standard cycles – something close to my heart as CDO on the Inclusive Cycling Experience.

Building a buzz

While the in-person event was occurring, behind the scenes the wider communications plan continued to be successfully implemented. Weeks of planning and scheduling of messaging to build momentum and deliver a wider national impact was coming to fruition.

Shared press releases were now being turned into national publications, ranging from respected cycling specific media such as Cycling Weekly, to adventure tourism platforms including Much Better Adventures, all the way through to huge audience reach with BBC Countryfile.

The route launch was a brilliant example of Cycling UK working across departments. It shone a light on the key work the Fundraising team does in securing and managing our supporters and running a successful fundraising campaign in the build-up to the route launch.

It also highlighted Ross’s monumental achievement of coordinating the project, taking it from an idea all the way to a framed route on a map – presented to Martin from the Gill Foundation, as the match-funders of our routes.

Thank you to everyone who contributed to Royal Chilterns Way – through donations, ideas, and time. This project is a true testament to what’s possible when we unite for cycling.