Wivenhoe Trail
Published as part of the Keep Colchester Cycling Project.
Here’s the companion piece to the previous Alresford Creek bike ride video, this time showcasing the route from Wivenhoe out towards the Hythe. The Wivenhoe Trail is the main cycle path linking Colchester to Wivenhoe and vice versa. It is greatly valued by local cyclists, providing a much needed alternative from the busses along Boundary Road.
The Trail is a route that one of our Keep Colchester Cycling supporters cycles everyday, partly as a daily commute, partly out of a love of seeing the landscape change week by week, day by day.
It may not possess the natural beauty of the sister route out towards Alresford Creek, but there is some sense of industrial interest once you start to approach the Hythe and the old shipping port.
Cyclists, runners and dog walkers are always out on the Trail, even during the harsh estuary winter that we recently experienced. With one foot of snow and an iced over Colne around the water edges, the Trail was still passable.
The route itself twists and turns, more or less following the path of the railway line. It’s pretty much a flat ride, but one that is best suited for a MTB or a hybrid. This isn’t the best route to try out your urban fixed wheel fixation. Sightings of a solitary unicyclist however are legendary amongst locals.
On a good clear dry day, point to point can take fifteen minutes at a leisurely pace. Once the sandy surface takes in any excess water, an extra ten minutes can be added to the ride.
But it’s not all about the speed - it truly is about the journey itself. There is much to see and hear, with this stretch of the Colne being a happy estuary resting place for many beautiful birds during the migration season.
Being stuck behind a bus going up Boundary Road, or the beauty of a scenic estuary ride? I’ll take the Trail every time.
Chapeau!
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