The Penrith Cycling Hub

Cycle Hubs are a joint initiative that both Cumbria Tourism and Cumbria County Council have developed in line with their Cumbria Cycling Strategy. The Cycling Hub status is award to a town or key service centre when they can meet a list of criteria which includes:

Local cycling friendly accommodation
Cycling shops
Cycling hire
A varied landscape to cycle through
A cycling guide offering safer cycling routes
Good access to public transport
Proximity to a National Cycle Network route
Local attractions
Public toilets

Penrith Partnership marketing officer Andrea Runkee, Mark Brierley Cumbria County Council and Keri Smith of Cumbria Tourism have been working together over the last 6 months on the development of the Penrith Cycling Hub which was officially launched at Brougham Hall. Now the Cycle Hub status is awarded to Penrith the local steering group led by Mark Brierley are identifying funding to market the Penrith Cycling Hub to visitors. There are over 15 000 cyclist that pass through Cumbria and Penrith on the long distance Sea2Sea cycle route and the Hub is a means of attracting them to Penrith as a cycling destination in its own right.

There has been a great deal of local support for the development of the Penrith Hub, this has come from Ron Kenyon, Penrith Chamber of Trade and Commerce Chairman, Tony Brunskill Vice-Chairman of Eden District Council and a director of Penrith Partnership, and from the local cycling businesses in and around Penrith, featured below is Rich Barnard of Cycle Active.