The Rea Valley Cycle Route was officially opened on the 4th April 1991, as the first planned cycle route in Birmingham. Cycling UK Chair, David Cox, wrote a review at the time (PDF copy below), celebrating the alternative that the route provided to the Pershore Road, with the sound of the River Rea giving a welcome alternative to the sound of HGVs, buses and cars. The Rea Valley Cycle Route has proved very successful, providing both a leisure route at weekends and a commuter route into the city centre during the week. The Rea Valley Cycle Route is something that Birmingham City Council can be proud of: It is evidence that good cycle routes will help build communities who cycle even in a city that seems as car-mad as Birmingham.

To celebrate the 25th anniversary of this success, Push Bikes organised a ride. We met at Victoria Square, rode down along NCN 5 to the Rea Valley route, and then through to the new town centre at Longbridge. About 50 people joined the ride, filling the cycle stands at Longbridge to capacity. The weather was fine, but we were struck by the puncture fairy a few times. Shards of glass (from the city centre), stone chippings and old air-gun pellets were among the culprits, but experts in puncture repair were on hand to swiftly get us going again. So swiftly in one instance that the rear-guard (which I was leading) over-took the main body of the ride at Cannon Hill Park. We met up again just before Longbridge after we realised our mistake (Our short video of the ride shows the main group reaching the vanguard).

The route has improved since David wrote his review 25 years ago. The paths have generally been widened, and many of the barriers have been removed. Only in a couple of places did the ride come to a stand-still as we wound our way, one by one, through motorcycle barriers. When riding alone, we become accustomed to these, but when encountering them with more than 3 or 4 other riders, we are soon reminded of how much they slow down cycle users. The route is fairly clean, but it is still unlit at night, so although the gates of Cannon Hill Park are not closed at dusk, the route does not have the same sense of social safety as brightly lit roads do. Despite these imperfections, the Rea Valley cycle route is much beloved and appreciated by the people who cycle it.

In celebration of the Rea Valley Cycle Route’s 25 years, we’d like to collect your memories of it. Robert, our Systems Manager, rode along it as it was being built. Meeting another cycle user coming the other way, they compared notes on how rough the new gravel path was before realising that they were riding on the core bed for the smooth bitmac surface that had yet to be laid. Use our contact form to send us your memories: We will publish a selection of your memories on our website.