Cycling to Work along the Trans Pennine Trail

Cycle to Work Day is all about swapping the car keys for a helmet and discovering the joy of commuting on two wheels. This year, I took the challenge head-on, cycling 30 kilometres (18.6 miles) from Holmfirth to Barnsley Town Centre, mostly along the Trans Pennine Trail (TPT). What followed was a journey that was wet, wild, and wonderfully rewarding.

I set off at 6am on Tuesday, rucksack packed with laptop and office gear. The skies were grey and the rain steady, but with decent waterproofs and a bit of grit, I was ready for the off.

The roads were quiet, and the climb up Dunford Road gave me time to reflect on the challenge ahead, mostly on whether my waterproofs would hold out and if I had calculated my journey timings correctly to land in the office on time.

Four kilometres in, I reached the Trail in Dunford Bridge by which time I had already had my first encounter with nature, clearing a dead deer from Dunford Road.

I made easy progress along the Trail to Penistone with a good, wide riding surface and very few people around, just the occasional dog walker or early morning runner which increased in number as I reached Penistone.

The smell of the damp trees and the sight of wildlife were incredible: a heron took flight ahead of me, pheasant chicks darted into the undergrowth and rabbits scattered as I passed. It was like cycling through a nature reserve.

I was enjoying the journey, even with the rain, but it definitely improved along with my optimism as the rain cleared, and the sunlight started to filter through the trees.

Taking the Silkstone Common route beyond Penistone, there’s a bit of road to navigate and a climb out of Oxspring but the hard work was rewarded with the sight of a rainbow above the Travellers Inn – a moment of magic as I made my way up along Maggott Lane towards Silkstone.

Progress through Stubbin wood at Silkstone was slower but invigorating at the same time as I took on the technical challenge of negotiating the trees and roots along the woodland path.

I was soon back on the wide path of Dove Valley Trail and making up time, passing the sculpture bench commemorating the history of the the local coal and iron industries.

At Dodworth Bottom, I left the TPT to join local roads to Westgate, guided by Google Maps. The roads can be very busy here but thanks to the school holidays, traffic was light.

I arrived at work, 2 hours after leaving home – longer than driving, but I felt energised and stress-free – no traffic jams in Penistone, no queues at motorway intersections, and no emissions from my journey.

I have to be honest though, the ride home was tougher despite being joined by my two cycling buddies, Quentin and Ian, and took a whole hour longer – with the wind and gradients against us and a full day’s work behind me as we made our way back up the Trail to Dunford Bridge and beyond.

Cycling to work was a fabulous experience, to feel the wind in my face, to enjoy the heron, pheasants, rabbits and the rainbow.  It was a great physical workout that beats sitting in traffic and I felt more alert at work although physically exhausted when I got home!

It’s not a journey I could do every day though, but combined with the pretty good train service between Penistone and Barnsley it would leave me with a more manageable 13km (8 mile) commute – watch this space!

Whether it’s once a week, once a month or a one-off, I found cycling to work along the Trans Pennine Trail a brilliant way to reconnect with nature, improve my health, and reduce my carbon footprint.

Do you have a Cycle to Work story to share?  We’d love to read it.  Send it to info@transpenninetrail.org.uk

Robert
Date: 7th August, 2025