NCN 6 St. Albans to Northampton
Traffic-free cycling near Hyde
NCN 6 Stage 2.
145km
St. Albans to Northampton
A delightful and just about entirely traffic-free route through the understated and gentle southern English countryside, riding on one of the longest cycle paths in Southern England, as well as on stretches of the Grand Union Canal. The route passes through many beautiful country towns as well as being near to some of the great houses of England including Althorp.
Ride details
Distance: 105km
Start: St. Alban’s Cathedral
Finish: Northampton Market Square.
Nearest Mainline station: St. Alban’s city
Nearest Mainline to the finish: Northampton
Time needed: 1 day. (5 hours)
Difficulty: Easy and flat.
Traffic and Surfaces: Shared paths alongside the Grand Union canal and disused railway lines. Generally surfaces are reasonable, although the tarmac is often worn and lumpy. Through the cities, the routes are well signed and often use protected cycle lanes.
Cycle Paths: NCN 6, 61, 57.
Cafes/Pubs: Box Kitchen, Mountsorrel.
What to see: (£) In Northampton, there is the only house in England designed by architect Charles Rennie Mackintosh and the museum has extensive exhibits on the leather and shoe industries, which made Northampton so prosperous. Nearby, but off route, is Althorp Estate, where Diana, Princess of Wales grew up and is buried.
Ride details; The route out of St. Albans is well signed, but you have to keep your eyes firmly peeled as the little blue stickers stuck onto the thin posts of road signs can easily be missed, and there are a lot of labyrinthine housing estates to weave your way through. At Harpenden, Sustrans have removed the NCN6 signs as the road on which you ride can be busy with traffic. However, the busy stretch lasts only 4km. There is a rarely-used footway beside the road, if you are nervous about the passing cars. In Harpenden, look out for Walker’s road on your right - and once taken, you are free of traffic, although the riding is scenically challenging. From here through to the other side of Luton, there are many housing estates, with quick successions of left and right turns. It’s part of the journey, but not a pretty part.
Luton
The route takes you through the centre of Luton (km89) which must rank as one of the ugliest places in Britain. Wallow in its ugliness, and ride on to Dunstable, another unattractive place to ride through, and continue onto Leighton Buzzard, through many more housing estates.
Luton Town Hall
Leighton Buzzard
Perhaps the most under-rated market town of the whole ride is Leighton Buzzard (Km100) which has over 70 listed buildings in every style of English vernacular. The market on Tuesdays and Saturdays is filled with artisans, selling crafts and food - which makes it an ideal lunch stop. 2km away is Ascott House, a splendid half-timbered house originating from 1606, transformed by the Rothschilds in the late 19th century.
Leighton Buzzard on Market Day
Grand Union Canal
Heading north, the route again follows the Grand Union Canal (GUC), on a good path. Southern England gently unfolds around you, with fields full of grain and grass. Its understated and satisfying in its gentleness.
East Hyde on the NCN 6
Lindford Manor Park
You ride alongside the canal through Milton Keynes. You’d be , hard pushed to realise that you were riding through a city. Water meadows, willows and a path lined with tall poplars sussurating in the wind surround you. The only hint of habitation are the roads you pass underneath. On the far side of the city you suddenly enter what could be a Jane Austen film set - a grand manor house, a village with a wide street and tidy brick and beamed houses. Stately trees, a green, fields and a wood, complete the real-life film set.
Linford Manor Park
Industrial agriculture
The roads to Northampton are gentle and make for easy cycling. The road is bordered by hedges, through which massive oak trees protrude every fifty metres or so. It’s timeless in a tidy sort of industrial agricultural way - large fields of grain and grass and very few animals munching away. Old farm sheds and barns crumble, whilst enormous new grey hangers glint in the sunshine in the distance.
Northampton
The road is easy all the way to Northampton Market square, where there’s been a market since 1235. 78 Derngate, just off the square is the only house in England which was designed by the architect, Charles Rennie Mackintosh and the Northampton Museum and Art Gallery seeks to explain and illustrate the historical leather and shoe trade which made the town so famous. Just seven miles north west of the town is Althorp, the seat of the Spencer family and burial place of Diana, Princess of Wales.
Northampton market square
Have you ridden this route?
Do you have any recommendations for cafe stops, or sections of the route? Feel free to share your experiences with the ‘Wheels’ community.