Cycling The Beeches Cycleway and Jubilee River
Start / Finish: Black Park Country Park, Black Park Rd, Slough, SL3 6DS
Distance: 36km (22 miles)
Elevation Change: +/- 156m
GPX File: get via Buy Me a Coffee
Other Routes Touched (walk): Beeches Way, Grand Union Canal Slough Arm
Other Routes Touched (cycle): NCN 61
Map: OS Explorer Map (172) Chiltern Hills East and OS Explorer Map (160) Windsor, Weybridge & Bracknell
Links: Black Park, Burnham Beeches, Burnham, Jubilee River
Having visited Black Park parkrun well over 100 times I’d often passed the signs for the Beeches Cycleway and even cycled on parts of it. This was the trip to find out where it went.
The Cycleway starts at the entrance to Black Park and follows Black Park Road North along the Western perimeter of the park. I already had a better idea and cycled through the park along the Western path until Fulmer Common Road. Turning left on here you connect back with the Cycleway heading West. Following the Beeches Cycleway takes you past Stoke Common and Farnham Common and into Burnham Beeches. From here the Cycleway turns South through Bunham Village and meets the A4 Bath Road by the railway bridge west of Taplow station.
After around 750m you’ll meet the NCN Route 61 South off the A4 and will follow it along the Jubilee River. Although the Cycleway signs were previously pointing to Dorney Lake, they seemed to stop at the A4. If you actually wanted to go to Dorney Lake you would need to turn right off the Jubilee River at Lake End Road. This would give you an option of a longer circular route using the Thames Path. Instead I continued along the Jubilee.
About 1km before the end of the Jubilee River at Datchet you’ll reach a wooden footbridge. Follow the signs for NCN 61 and cross the bridge, then the M4 crossing into Upton Court Park, home of Upton Court parkrun. Follow the NCN 61 through the Upton Court Park and Ditton Park, the North through residential areas of Langley. Just over 1km after the Grand Union Canal you’ll reach the edge of Langley Park and eventually the A420. Cross over this (carefully) and you’ll reach the South-East entrance to Black Park, From here its a few minutes ride back to the main gate.
