The beautiful and historic region of Merseyside has something for cyclists of all abilities and needs.

Make the most of the marked cycle routes to commute to work in the city of Liverpool, or venture a bit further to explore the parks, coastal paths, and woods of the county.

You don’t have to choose busy roads to cycle on; there are always quieter alternatives that often take you through beautiful “hidden” parts of the city.

Keep your bike in good working order by checking your tyres are at the right pressure, your saddle is at the correct height, your brakes work and there is lube on the chain.

Front and rear lights and a bell are a good investment. In the region, many of the bike routes involve “share with care” paths. A bell helps to alert pedestrians to your presence.

Front and rear lights and a bell are a good investment.Wear the right clothes for the weather. It rains sometimes in Merseyside! A warm, waterproof jacket can make all the difference to your well-being on a bike ride.

Gloves and a warm hat or beanie are essential in the winter – and sunglasses and sun protection for those balmy summer days!

Plan your route according to your ability, the weather, the daylight hours, and options to get home if something goes wrong. Merseyside is lucky to have a fantastic local rail service where bicycles are always allowed free of charge on all trains. So, you can ride a linear route and take the train home!

Always carry water and a snack with you, however short your ride is. Even better, include a refreshment stop at a local café, and support local businesses.

There are great cafes in many of the region’s parks, including Sefton Park, Calderstones Park, Greenbank Park and Stanley Park, as well as on the Otterspool Promenade.

Cafes that cater especially for cyclists include Ryde Liverpool in the Baltic Quarter of Liverpool, MeCycle next to Ainsdale Rail Station, and Net’s Coffee Shop on the Wirral cycle route at Neston.

If you use your bike to commute or to get into the Liverpool City Centre to shop, you can park it securely in the Liverpool 1 Q-Park bicycle parking facility.

Maps of all the region’s official and recommended cycling routes can be found here on the Merseytravel website

There is also a lot of other useful Liverpool cycling information on that page.

If you have a smart phone, the phone app Komoot is great for shared cycle community knowledge and recommendations and for finding on and off road cycle routes. Routes are searchable by distance, how challenging they are, area and so on.

Komoot is free if you choose the single region option.

Head over to the Merseyrail website to plan the train part of your cycle ride