This route follows the course of the Grand Union Canal and River Soar as they thread their way through three sections of Leicester's Riverside Park.

The Southern section starts at Glen Parva, on the fringe of the open countryside and takes in the delights of Aylestone Meadows, and the historical interest of the Great Central Way.

The Central Section passes through some of the oldest and most interesting parts of Leicester, past Castle Gardens and Abbey Park.

Finally the Northern Section takes the visitor through old Belgrave and out into Watermead Park, where at every new turn of the path a gap in the trees will reveal a myriad of lakes and pools hosting an abundance of wildlife.

There are so many fascinating places to visit and winding paths to explore, in both town and country that you will really need to get hold of the three excellent leaflets produced by Leicester City Council entitled "Discover Leicester's Riverside Park", which contain colourful and easy to follow maps together with details of places of interest. These leaflets can be obtained from the Tourist Information Centre, 7-9 Every Street, Town Hall Square, Leicester, LE1 6AG, tel. 0906 294 1113

For more information on the Leicester City section of The Riverside Park go to www.leicester.gov.uk

6 million people are regular bicycle users, and over 1.1 million are daily commuters (Dept. of Transport, 1993)

Each year more trips are made by bicycle than by train and the London Underground combined (Transport Research Laboratory, 1996)

The majority of cycle journeys (38%) are for commuting and business purposes. (The National Travel Survey)

Currently 92% of journeys to work within Leicester are 5 miles or less.

Riverside Way and Great Central Way are part of the National Cycle Network.

Contact your local map shop or tourist information centre or ring Sustrans on 0845 1130065 to ask for a copy of their South Midlands route map.

Why not visit www.sustrans.org.uk