We’ve all heard that England is a friendly country towards cyclists, but what’s it really like cycling in UK England? After years of hesitation, I finally mustered the courage to buy a second-hand bicycle. On fb market, I found this baby for just 60 pounds. Not bad, right?

I haven’t ridden a bike for many years, but I slowly worked it out. First through the local neighborhood, and then through the city. For a beginner cyclist, I must admit that the road infrastructure for cyclists and the car driver’s behavior is very encouraging. There are literally everywhere segregated routes from car traffic for bicycles, clearly marked dedicated lanes that are usually physically separated by some kind of barrier (green space, curbs, stanchions, etc.). But by far the most encouraging factor is the behavior of car drivers towards cyclists in UK England. Every time or at least 8 out of 10 cases, when they see you approaching an intersection, they slow down or come to a complete stop and signal you to pass. And if you have to share the road with cars, the drivers stay calm behind you until the opposite lane is clear, and then they overtake you with generous clearance to the bicycle. That is, without horns, close calls overtaking, without harassment, verbal abuse, etc, you know the usual in Romania and East Europe in general.
Of course, in most cases, as a cyclist, you simply have no reason to be on the road. But some cyclists insist on being a…holes and prefer not to use the dedicated Bike lanes for various reasons (one of the excuses is that the track is not cleaned of gravel and shards, I for one never had that impression). I must admit that, as a car driver, I hate these kind of people who practically block the already congested traffic due to their slow moving bicycles. Traffic is even slower due to the newly build cycle lanes that took precious car lanes, so not using them as a cyclists just makes you a c…t!. Somehow the local authorities figured out that if they convert the only 4-lane avenue in the city, it into a 2 car lanes + 2 bike lanes road, it will solve the traffic problem. Brilliant! Anyway….

At the moment, we only went on the coastal route, towards the ferry terminal in the port. This route (like most routes in England UK), is dedicated exclusively to the use of cycling and walking. Often these routes cut through neighborhoods, parks, forests, make use of river fronts or sea front, are paved and illuminated. On these kind of cycling routes it’s an absolute pleasure to ride. But on the painted ones on the road where you ride among cars and lorries through noxious fumes and noise, and you have to share the lane with buses and taxis, I can’t say it’s a nice experience. Fortunately you don’t have to go on them if you don’t want to, there are detour alternatives completely separated from car traffic for those who know where to look. (photo sources: own photos, and 1, 2)





The longest route in our area is called the “Trans Pennine Trail”, and it’s got a length of only 215 miles or 346 kilometres! It connects the East coast from Hornsea with the West coast at South Port, passing by Hull, Manchester, Sheffield, Liverpool, with branches to Leeds and York. Cool right? The route is well marked, has it’s own special signs (locations, directions, distances, everything you need), bridges, footbridges, and everything you need throughout its distance. In essence, it is a coast to coast express road dedicated to cycling. And it’s just one of the cycling corridors that make up the UK’s national Bike lane network.



Okay, everything’s fine and beautiful isn’t it? So then, how come there isn’t a bike for every single person in England and they all prefer to sit in their cars clogging all the roads and highways? Well…, you see now, this is where reality steps in. In England UK, it’s raining! And it’s raining a lot, and I mean a lot!
If in the South of the country, the weather is a bit milder, here in the North, in the Yorkshire area in our case, it pretty much rains constantly with various volumes of water. A week without rain is somewhat of a rarity. You might a break during the summer months if you’re lucky, but that’s about it. If you happen to live near one of the coasts, you will discover that it is not only likely to rain when you are cycling in UK England, but you are also likely to face the relentless cold sea wind.
Now imagine your self on your morning commute to the office via bicycle. It’s raining and the cold wet wind is blowing in your face. You will arrive at work wet, exhausted and probably depressed and with a developing nasty cold. Put in the work (preferably physical labor for 8 to 12 hours), and then go back outside to your bicycle with the intent to go home. Surprise! it’s still raining! But now it’s not just a light splash, it’s absolutely pouring and there is even some hail despite the fact that it’s July! Driving a car, suddenly starts to make sense right?



So in conclusion, cycling in England is a very pleasant and healthy physical activity and the country offers you all the necessary infrastructure to encourage you to do so. But only during your free time and when it’s sunny.
If you have a really short distance commute you might be able to do it by bicycle. But this means carrying a spare set of clothes or having access to a locker room at work. There are plenty people who do this around here, so it’s possible. But for the vast majority of the population, it is simply not a realistic daily transportation option. So, cycling in UK remains just a healthy leisure activity. What do you think? Would you commute or do you commute by bicycle in England UK? I am waiting for your opinions and suggestions on the comments section or on the GarciaCalavera.com Fb page, which if you like you can give it a like to subscribe to future content.
Check out other expat lifestyle articles:
- How is life in Hull? England – UK – Impressions after 3 years as Expat
- How is living in Romania compared to UK?
- How to find a house to rent in UK and make sure you get it! Full procedure explained
- The Romanians that left the UK for Romania – what do they say, is it better home or they will return to the UK?
- How much does a house cost in England? London & South vs the North
- How to change your EU driving license to an UK driving license
- How are taxes in Romania compared to West Europe, do we pay more?
- Immigration from EU to UK England after Brexit Work and Family paths – Who can do it and how?
- Is it better to live in Germany or UK on the long term? Why?
- How is cycling in UK? Is the bicycle a reliable transport option here?
- What is something that you can do in Romania that a person in the United Kingdom can not do?
- How shocking is the weather in UK England for foreigners like us?
- What are the most shocking facts about UK?
- UK Point Based Immigration System 2021 – How does it work?
- Memories from my first voyage on the Albatros school ship
- UK cost of living in England – What salary do you need for a decent living here?
- Which country is better to live in: UK England or France? – Why?
- UK- How much does food cost in UK? – Is it cheaper than East Europe – cost comparison UK vs Romania
- UK Residence – How to Apply for SETTLED or PRE SETTLED STATUS
- What do the Romanians in UK think about Brexit – their lives here and is it still worth coming to the UK?
- Expat Marriage in England UK – Procedure and Costs
- How to get your UK Provisional Learner License
- Professional conversion for Seafarers – What can you work ashore?
- UK NINO – How to get it and how long does it take?
- UK Immigration – how much does it costs to relocate to England?
- First 30 days in Hull UK as Expat
- Marseille – France one year impressions
- How to get PACS in France
- Expat beginner’s guide to moving to France
- First 48 days as expat in Marseille -France
- After six years at sea
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- London or Paris? Which is better to visit as a tourist? ,
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- One week in Valletta – Malta ,
- Krakow – Poland surprisingly good vacation ,
- TOP 10 most Beautiful and Authentic cities to visit in EUROPE ,
- Lisbon – Portugal vacation,
- The London Week ,
- Saint Tropez – France ,
- First 48 days in Marseille France ,
- Romania road trip across the country in 7 days ,
- Budapest Hungary road trip ,
- Prague – dream vacation ,
- Excursion Dobrogea: Enisala, Ibida, Histria ,
- Vacation Madrid Spain,
- Two days in Jacksonville USA,
- Paralia – Greece road trip,
- Brasov 12.2014 ,
- Buzau quick stop ,
- Lepsa & Vrancea county ,
- Chisinau city break ,
- Nessebar Bulgaria ,
- Bucharest weekends 2014 ,
- Busan Korea ,
- 40 days in Cluj Napoca ,
- Hunedoara Castle ;
- Singapore 2013 ,
- Brasov 02.2014 ,
- Istanbul 01.2014 ,
- Cluj Napoca 08.2013 ,
- Sibiu 07.2013 ,
- San Pedro-Ivory Coast ,
- Bucharest 2013 ,
- Varna 2012 ,
- Los Angeles 2012 ,
- Budapest & Viena trip ,
- Salerno Italy ,
- Cluj Napoca 2012,
- Florence Italy ,
- Brasov 02.2012 ,
- Amsterdam ,
- Antofagasta-Chile,
- Valencia Spain ,
- Lima-Peru ,
- Bremen Germany ,
- Istanbul 2009 ,
- Valletta Malta ,
- San Juan-Puerto Rico ,
- Barcelona Spain ,
- Singapore 2010 ,
- Los Angeles 2010 ,
- Transilvania road trip ,
- La Spezia ,
- Bosphorus by ship ,
- Sydney Australia ,
- Melbourne Australia ,
- Auckland New Zealand ,
- San Francisco USA ,
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Check out other articles from Romania:
- Tales of the past – Unique photos of Constanta Trams and Trolleybus in 1991 ,
- Why Romanians are still mourning the communist regime after 29 years ,
- Tales of the past – unique photos of Constanta park and miniature train line in 1991 ,
- Once upon a time – the lost train line from the park
Alternative tourism: Detroit , Georgia , Burning gate of Turkmenistan , North Korea , Pripyat & the alienation zone , Nouadhibou graveyard
How the other half lives : Karachi , Guayaquil , Lagos
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