Maidenhead - 27 km easy ride
An easy circular ride from Maidenhead, including a traffic free section of the National Cycle Network. No challenging climbs, one exhilirating descent towards Cookham.
Leaving Maidenhead station, turn left
Leaving Maidenhead station, turn left following the main road for a short distance, then ride straight ahead along Grenfell Road. At the top our route takes the A4 (or the adjacent cycleway) for a very short distance before turning right at a roundabout to follow St Mark’s Road which leads into Pinkeys Road. Just over 3 km from the start, you will meet Pinkney’s Drive to turn left
Left into Pinkney’s Drive, signposted to Henley
Route map for Maidenhead Knowl Circuit Circular 27 Km
After passing houses in Pinkneys Green, the route meets the Henley Road. When I rode this on a Friday morning, there were several other cyclists on this road which takes some traffic from the busy A404 from Marlow. The road climbs gently at 1 or 2% but it’s a heavy surface until it meets a junction where the route turns right on the A404. Here the surface is much smoother as the route drops down to a roundabout for a left turn into Burchetts Green Road. The speed humps on this road can only be described as vicious; it’s easy to ride around them on a bike but it’s not a road I’d drive on.
Shortly, a left turn into Burchetts Green Lane by the Crown Pub.
Left at the Crown into Burchetts Green Lane
Burchetts Green Lane drops very gently at first between houses, then open farm land on both sides and finally houses on the right again before it meets the A4 where the route turns right for a very short distance to another roundabout with a sign for a left turn to the Maidenhead Business Park. The route continues along Westacott Way towards the business park, with very little traffic courtesy of WFH. Shortly after a cycle traffic sign, it’s a right turn on to the National Cycle Network.
Joining the National Cycle Network from Westacott Way
It’s a good surface with only a very short muddy section by a gate just before the route meets Bottle Lane. Less than a kilometre to the right (along NCN 52) are houses and the A4; our route turns left towards White Waltham.
The route soon merges on to the B3024 passing the Royal Oak in Paley Street; at the time of my ride this former gastropub which held a Michelin star for some years has been put up for sale by Sir Michael Parkinson’s son Nick. Another victim, perhaps, of COVID and the energy crisis.
At Touchen-End the route turns left along the A330 for about 1 km. I generally avoid A roads but this section is well used by cyclists and never feels unsafe. A right turn to pick up the B3024 again brings riders to a left turn into Coningsbury. It’s perhaps more a hamlet than a village. The first building on the right is Grove Farm, shortly after which are a number of barns converted to dwellings. As the road bears right, Coningsbury Farm is on the left.
It’s left at a junction to continue for just over 1 km where the route crosses the A308 into Monkey Island Lane. Initially, it’s tarmac but I could feel every joint in the surface. At Bray Marina it becomes concrete, then tarmac again but with no joints to bump over.
Just after a bridge over the Cut (which feeds into the Thames on the right), there’s a sign for Eton Wick on NCN4. Our route continues straight ahead towards Bray.
Monkey Island Lane - right to Eton Wick, straight on to Bray
The route crosses over the M4 on a bridge, giving a view of the 4 lane “smart” motorway. Work has now been completed to ensure that there is greater capacity for traffic in this era of concern over climate change.
Monkey Island Lane becomes Old Mill Lane as the route continues into the village of Bray. This is home to Jesus Hospital, a Grade 1 listed building which has housed “the poor and aged” of the parish since 1627. It was saved from sale to developers by a local campaign group. As almspeople, the residents of Jesus Hospital occupy the properties under licence and have no rights under housing law; the work of the campaign group was invaluable both to the residents and to those of us who value our built heritage.
Looking back in Bray
From almshouses for “the poor and aged” the route passes The Fat Duck and the somewhat less expensive Hinds Head before turning right on to Bray Road. It’s less than 2km to a roundabout where the route turns left into Stafferton Way. The NCN route takes cyclists through the side of a retail park to emerge at a light controlled crossing where it’s a right turn for an extremely short distance back to Maidenhead station.
