News & Features

There are two remaining FREE bicycle workshops this month, which are being held in Alton Community Centre. These free workshops will be led by Hilary Hill of Cycle Alton and are open to everyone over 13 years, though under-18s must be accompanied by an adult. Each week a different topic is being covered. The remaining two sessions are: 18th October: how to adjust your gears 31st October: general bicycle maintenance All workshops will be from 14:30 to 16:30. Booking is esse

Walk Wheel Cycle Trust, the organisation formerly known as Sustrans, is delivering a project around cycling in Alton, funded by East Hampshire District Council and supported by Cycle Alton, and it wants to understand what the community needs. The project will offer a range of activities designed to make cycling more accessible, enjoyable and achievable for people who might benefit from a little extra support. This could include people who are less active, lacking confidence

Beech Parish Council has announced the completion of the major renovation of the bridleway running from Wellhouse Road to Thedden, number 265/704/1. Rainwater had carved the parts of the path into a narrow, V-shaped trench, making it very difficult for pedestrians, horse riders and cyclists. Most of the route has now been levelled and a geotextile membrane laid to block weeds. The path was rebuilt with a 200mm deep layer of fine stone over a coarse aggregate base. To stop

Cycle Alton celebrated its 6th anniversary yesterday with a gathering of supporters in a room off the Market Square, and listening to an inspirational talk by Andy Key of Cycle Winchester. He recounted some successes of their group, such as child-centred 'bike bus' schemes for safe cycling to schools, and mass-participation bike rides around the city centre. It led to many of us in Cycle Alton considering how similar schemes could be implemented here. We thank Andy for his ti

Following the success of our previous bicycle maintenance workshops, we’re pleased to announce another course to be held in Alton Community Centre. These free workshops will be led by Hilary Hill of Cycle Alton. While earlier classes were for women only, these instead will be open to all. Each week a different topic will be covered. The dates, times and topics are: 4th October: puncture repairs 10th October: how to adjust your brakes 18th October: how to adjust your gears

Good news from Beech Parish Council: We applied to East Hampshire District Council (EHDC) for Community Infrastructure Levy (CIL) funding of £12,000 towards resurfacing the Beech to Thedden bridleway, around half of the total £24,000 cost. The Council will cover the remaining half from its own Neighbourhood CIL funds and reserves. Our application has been approved by the EHDC team, and we plan to make this a much better route for walkers and riders in the Autumn. The br

Work has taken place in the Flood Meadows to upgrade some of the paths by rebuilding, widening and tarmacking. Alton Town Council say these improvements and repairs are funded from a budget set aside for their maintenance. The paths were causing safety concerns, due to root damage causing narrowing and uneven surfaces. Cycling is permitted along the paths but they're too narrow to safely cycle past pedestrians. It is suggested that a project for minimum 3m width shar

Redbrown Limited has submitted proposals to develop land in Holybourne for 160 homes. Sue and Les of Cycle Alton submitted a superb technical response stating our objections, and Les presented this to the Alton Town Council (ATC) Planning Committee. We’re pleased to note that in their response to East Hampshire District Council (EHDC) Planning Department a few days later, ATC included the points we raised: On transport, we note that there is no significant public transport

Great news! Twenty new Sheffield Stands are being installed in various locations around the town, both in the town centre and in public open spaces. These were funded by part of a grant from East Hampshire District Council for active travel projects. One of the ways to encourage more people to cycle instead of driving is to provide convenient bicycle parking. Alton now has numerous Sheffield stands all around the town, which will help us achieve our goal of increasing bicycl

Once again we're offering a FREE series of confidence-building rides, aimed at anyone who feels the need to gain more confidence to cycle in local Alton traffic. These will be held over four Saturdays during the summer and below are the dates and locations: 23rd May: by Holybourne Play Area 30th May: by football pavilion, Jubilee Playing Field 13th June: by Holybourne Play Area 1st August: by football pavilion, Jubilee Playing Field The rides will be led by experienced cycl