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Northwich – Frodsham

40 km road cycling loop216 m climbing1½–2 hoursGPX

Northwich, England, United Kingdom · Road

A rolling 40 km road cycling loop from Northwich, England through Bartington, Weaverham and Kingsley, with 216 m of climbing. Most of it (24.4 km) is on main roads without a cycle lane, 15.6 km where the limit is 80 km/h or more.

Route contributed by Richard Chapman · Created from a ride on Saturday 3rd August 2019

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At a glance

Best for
Rolling day rides for confident riders at ease in traffic
Distance
39.8 km
Loop
Elevation gain
216 m
5 m per km
Riding time
1½–2 hours
moving time, estimated
Difficulty
Easy
Bike
Road bike
from the mapped surface
Surface
Paved
94% paved · 2% unpaved · 5% no data
Traffic
Mostly main roads
24.4 km on main roads without a cycle lane · 15.6 km where the limit is 80 km/h or more · 2.4 km on cycle paths or lanes
Food & water
Regular
60 cafés and restaurants · 12 shops · 4 petrol stations · 5 public toilets · 2 bike shops
Navigation
GPX download
free, no sign-in
Start and finish
Northwich

Map and elevation profile

Elevation profile

Total ascent
216 m
Distance
40 km
020406080100m0 km10203040 km97 m · highest, at 17.7 kmStartFinish · back at the start

Route description

  1. Northwich
  2. Bartingtonkm 5
  3. Weaverhamkm 8
  4. Kingsleykm 15
  5. Nethertonkm 20
  6. Sutton Weaverkm 24
  7. Preston Brookkm 27
  8. Dones Greenkm 31
  9. Barntonkm 36
  10. Northwichkm 40

This 39.8 km loop ride starts and ends in Northwich, passing through several villages and towns including Bartington, Acton Bridge, Weaverham, and Frodsham. The route features a mix of road types: 35% on main roads, 26% on major roads, and smaller shares on minor roads, quiet streets, paths, and cycle lanes, with 94% paved surface and some gravel sections. From Northwich, the route heads north to Kingsley by km 15, where the first climb starts at 14.4 km, lasting 2.5 km with an average gradient of 2.5%, reaching a top height of 93 m.

Highlights

  • Passes beneath Frodsham Hill near km 19
  • Two main climbs: 2.5 km at 2.5%, 1.7 km at 2.7%
  • Longest descent is 2.3 km dropping 79 m
  • Bail out points at Acton Bridge (9.9 km) and Frodsham (20.1 km)

Along the route

Measured from the route line, the Copernicus elevation model and OpenStreetMap.

Places passed

  1. Bartington 5.3 km
  2. Acton Bridge 5.8 km
  3. Weaverham 8.3 km
  4. Crowton 12 km
  5. Kingsley 15 km
  6. Overton 19.2 km
  7. Netherton 20.4 km
  8. Frodsham 21.5 km
  9. Sutton Weaver 24 km
  10. Brookvale 25.1 km
  11. Preston Brook 26.5 km
  12. Dutton 27.4 km
  13. Dones Green 31.3 km
  14. Little Leigh 33.4 km
  15. Barnton 35.5 km
  16. Anderton 37.2 km

Climbs

Climbs in ride order: where each starts, what this ride climbs, and the full named ascent
ClimbStarts atOn this rideTop on this ride
Unnamed climb14.4 km2.5 km · 60 m · 2.5 % · max 3.4 %93 m
Unnamed climb22.6 km1.7 km · 45 m · 2.7 % · max 4.1 %52 m

High point 97 m at 17.6 km; low point 6 m. Passes beneath Frodsham Hill.

Traffic, surface and gradient

Measured from OpenStreetMap along the track and the elevation profile.

This is not a cycle-track route: 61% is on main roads without a cycle lane, 15.6 km of it where the limit is 80 km/h or more. Riders should be comfortable sharing the road with faster traffic.

Roads
35% main road · 26% major road · 17% minor road · 9% quiet street · 13% other roads and tracks
Main roads
24.4 km on main roads without a cycle lane — likely busier
Fast roads
15.6 km on roads with a limit of 80 km/h or more
Cycle paths
2.4 km on cycle paths or roads with a cycle lane
Main roads used
Northwich Road (5 km), Runcorn Road (4 km)
Surface
Paved: 94% of the route is mapped as paved, 2% as unpaved and 5% has no surface data.
Gradient
13% climbing · 13% descending · 74% flat
Longest descent
2.3 km from 18 km, dropping 79 m

Food, water and services

Within a few hundred metres of the track, from OpenStreetMap. Opening hours change — treat this as where to look, not a promise.

No stretch is longer than 15 km without a café, shop or water. Along the route: 60 cafés and restaurants, 12 shops, 4 petrol stations, 5 public toilets and 2 bike shops.

Food, water and shops in ride order

  1. 5.2 kmThe Green Kitchen · café · 70 m off route
  2. 8.3 kmWeaverham Pharmacy · pharmacy · 590 m off route
  3. 10 kmHazel Pear Inn · pub · on the route
  4. 15 kmThe Red Bull · pub · 130 m off route
  5. 15.2 kmCo-op · supermarket · 50 m off route
  6. 16.5 kmWharton Lake Garage · petrol station · on the route
  7. 20.1 kmBoots · pharmacy · 40 m off route
  8. 20.4 kmCars 'n' Bikes · bike shop · on the route
  9. 20.5 kmToilets · on the route
  10. 20.6 kmDevonshire Bakery · bakery · on the route
  11. 25.2 kmPerky Grinders · café · 190 m off route
  12. 25.2 kmAldi · supermarket · 50 m off route
  13. 31.5 kmStarbucks · café · 30 m off route
  14. 31.5 kmWhitley Services · convenience store · 40 m off route
  15. 31.6 kmApplegreen · petrol station · 30 m off route
  16. 35.5 kmWell Pharmacy · pharmacy · 300 m off route
  17. 36 kmThe Penny Farthing Tearoom · café · on the route
  18. 38.2 kmToilets · 270 m off route

Need to bail out?

  • 9.9 km — Acton Bridge (station), 60 m off route
  • 20.1 km — Frodsham (station), 110 m off route

Whether bikes are carried depends on the service — check before relying on it.

Worth a stop

  • 6 km — Weaver Valley Cruises (attraction)
  • 17.2 km — Lady Heyes Craft Centre (attraction)
  • 22 km — Frodsham Water Sports Centre (attraction)

Start and access

Starts and finishes at Northwich. Mapped within a short walk of the start, from OpenStreetMap.

At the start and finish

Food and coffee
Spinner & Bergamot (280 m)

Know before you go

  • 24.4 km on main roads without cycle lanes
  • 15.6 km on roads with speeds 80 km/h or more
  • Longest stretch without café, shop, or water is 5.5 km from km 26 to 31.5
  • Gravel or unpaved sections amount to 2% of the route

Routes are for inspiration. Roads, surfaces and conditions change — check locally and ride within your limits.

3 photographs from the road

Photo: Ian S · CC BY-SA 2.0 · Wikimedia Commons · Photo: Peter McDermott · CC BY-SA 2.0 · Wikimedia Commons · Photo: Jeff Buck · CC BY-SA 2.0 · Wikimedia Commons

About this route

Ridden by
Richard Chapman
Date ridden
Route line
Built from a GPS recording of the ride.
Elevation
Recalculated from the Copernicus GLO-90 terrain model every 50 m, not the device’s barometer.
Roads, surface, services
Measured along the line from OpenStreetMap extracts.
GPX
Generated from the route line: track points only, no timestamps or personal data.
Page added
Page last updated

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