Central Bedfordshire has quiet roads and attractive countryside, with a wealth of cycle routes to provide enjoyable access.
Family cycling
The Forest Centre and Millennium Country Park at Marston Moreteyne (formerly Marston Moretaine) has 8km of surfaced paths and bikes for hire.
Discover days out by bike on a train with the Bedfordshire and Hertfordshire Line Cycle leaflet (PDF).
Sustrans National Route 6 runs through Central Bedfordshire from Harpenden through Luton and Dunstable to Leighton Buzzard and has long off-road sections.
Sustrans National Route 51 runs off-road from Sandy through Bedford and then mainly on quiet roads through Cranfield to Milton Keynes.
More routes, maps and further guidance are available from the Sustrans website.
On road cycle routes
The Jubilee Cycle Ride has been developed amongst the rolling hills of the Greensand Ridge through the villages of Shefford, Meppershall, Gravenhurst, Shillington and Barton
Circular road cycle rides
Old Warden - Cardington and Cople (PDF 1.7MB) 
- A 25km circular cycle ride along part of the Greensand Ridge and near the popular attractions of the Swiss Garden.
Woburn Wander (PDF 1.2MB) - Enjoy this 30km cycle ride in the countryside surrounding Woburn.
The Shannon Trail (PDF 6.2MB) - A 35 km circular cycle ride along the quiet lanes and roads of East Bedfordshire and around the villages of Potton, Gamlingay, Steeple, Morden and Wrestlingworth.
The Thatcher's Way (PDF 4.5MB) - Enjoy the 38km circular cycle route along quiet roads and cycle paths around the beautiful villages east of Bedfordshire.
The Ampthill - Bedford Loop (PDF 2.1MB) - 46 km route along the quiet roads from the attractive Georgian market town of Ampthill, along the Greensand Ridge and through the county town of Bedford.
Off-road circular cycle routes
The Countryside Access Team have developed a mix of on- and off-road cycling and will use mainly surfaced tracks and quiet lanes and vary from 10 to 16 miles in length. These routes are aimed at keen and competent cyclists.
- Sandy route (PDF 1.8MB) and route description (PDF 439.7KB)
- Old Warden route (PDF 880.2KB) and route description (PDF 444.5KB)
- Clophill route (PDF 805.9KB) and route description (PDF 431KB)
- Barton-le-Clay route (PDF 879.3KB) and route description (PDF 446.3KB)
- Whipsnade route (PDF 953.4KB) and route description (PDF 953.4KB)
- Leighton Buzzard route (PDF 1MB) and route description (PDF 620.9KB)
Greensand Cycle Ride
The Greensand Cycle Ride is a new 59km cycle route following mainly quiet country lanes with several more challenging, off-road sections as alternatives. The route runs between the attractive market towns of Leighton Buzzard and Sandy. Both towns have trains that can be accessed.
The ride can be ridden in 1 day, but you may prefer to split it into 4.
Ride 1 - Leighton Buzzard to Woburn (PDF 935.2KB)
Ride 2 - Woburn to Ampthill (PDF 909.4KB)
Ride 3 - Ampthill to Haynes (PDF 506.1KB)
Ride 4 - Haynes to Sandy (PDF 560KB)
Staying safe
The Sustrans website has advice on cycling safety, cycling after dark and using paths.