Active Essex 2022 (745 km / 462 miles / 1,087,108 steps)

Chelmsford

Starting point


Welcome to the Essex Big Team Challenge! To celebrate RideLondon coming to Essex and the Queen’s Jubilee, this challenge will include a walking team leader board and a cycling team leader board! All you have to do is create a team, choose which leader board you’d like to join and take part in the challenge over the next 4 weeks. The challenge will start on Friday 13th May with a route that starts and ends in Essex. We can’t wait to see you all take part, so make sure to tell your workplaces, friends and families to sign up to the challenge now.

Cambridge

+ 65 km / 40 miles / 96,149 steps


Cambridge is situated on the River Cam about 50 miles north of London  at the heart of the high-technology Silicon Fen.

Cambridge is also home to the Cambridge Biomedical Campus, one of the largest biomedical research clusters in the world.

The University of Cambridge, founded in 1209, is the world's 4th oldest surviving university and, like Oxford University, is one of the world’s top universities whose alumni include Sir Isaac Newton, Charles Darwin and John Milton.

Cambridge’s notable buildings include King's College Chapel, begun in 1446 by King Henry VISt John's College and Great St Mary's Church, the Church of Cambridge University.

Cambridge and Oxford Universities compete in the annual Boat Race  on the River Thames in London.

Peterborough

+ 58 km / 36 miles / 85,345 steps


Peterborough is a cathedral city in Cambridgeshire and the largest city in East Anglia in the east of England.

The River Nene passes through the city centre. 

For much of the twentieth century the area was the UK's leading producer of bricks.

Peterborough Cathedral is one of the most important 12th-century buildings in England to have remained largely intact, despite extensions and restoration. Catherine of AragonQueen of England, and first wife of King Henry VIII is buried in the cathedral.

Other highlights include Peterborough GuildhallThe LidoJohn Clare CottageLongthorpe Tower and the nearby Bronze Age archaeological site of Flag Fen.

To the north of Peterborough is the impressive16th-century Burghley House which hosts the annual Burghley Horse Trials.

Lincoln

+ 81 km / 50 miles / 118,989 steps


Lincoln in the East Midlands of England is located at the north end of a major Roman road now known as Fosse Way.

By the 12th century, Lincoln was among the wealthiest towns in England and by the 13th century it was the 3rd largest city in the country.

The city is famed for the Lincoln Minster which succeeded the Great Pyramids of Egypt as the tallest man-made structure in the world until 1549 when the central spire collapsed.

The cathedral is the fourth largest in the United Kingdom after Liverpool Cathedral, St Paul's Cathedral in London and York Minster.

Another attraction is the 12th century High Bridge, the oldest bridge in the UK which still has buildings on it.

Lyme Park

+ 117 km / 72 miles / 171,216 steps


Lyme Park is a large estate south of the village of Disley in the county of Cheshire in North West England. It lies in the beautiful Peak District National Park; the United Kingdom’s first national park.

Lyme Park was the family home of the Leghs of Lyme from 1398 until 1946 when it was given to the National Trust.

Lyme Park consists of a mansion house dating from the 16th century surrounded by formal gardens and a deer park.  The house is the largest in Cheshire.

The Lyme Caxton Missal, on display in the Library, was published in 1487 by William Caxton who introduced the printing press into England in 1476 and was the first English retailer of printed books. 

Manchester

+ 22 km / 13 miles / 32,591 steps


Manchester is the largest city in North-West England.

Manchester grew rapidly in the 19th century becoming the world's first industrialised city and the largest marketplace for cotton goods, earning it the nickname of "Cottonopolis".

Designated a UNESCO City of Literature in 2017, the city, known for its "radical literary history",  boasts two writing schools, numerous arts and culture festivals, including the Manchester Literature Festival, and several independent publishers.

When it opened in 1852 Manchester Free Library was the first public lending and reference library in England. Today’s libraries include the Central Library, John Rylands and Chetham's Library, the oldest free public reference library in the English-speaking world, established in 1653.  

Writers associated with Manchester include Elizabeth Gaskell and Anthony Burgess.

Ironbridge

+ 110 km / 68 miles / 161,746 steps


Ironbridge Gorge in Shropshire contains the River Severn as it flows south towards the Bristol Channel.

The deep exposure of the rocks cut through by the gorge revealed commercial deposits of coaliron orelimestone and fireclay which enabled the rapid economic development of the area during the early Industrial Revolution.

Now a UNESCO World Heritage Site, Ironbridge Gorge contains mines, factories and workers' housing created. Originally called the ‘Severn Gorge’, the gorge is named after its famous Iron Bridge, the world’s first iron bridge, and a monument to the industry that began there. The bridge, built in 1779, linked the town of Broseley with the mining town of Madeley and Coalbrookdale where iron ore was first smelted using coke.

Oxford

+ 143 km / 88 miles / 209,069 steps


Oxford in South East England is known as the "city of dreaming spires”.

The city is home to University of Oxford one of the most famous and prestigious higher education institutions of the world.  Teaching in Oxford dates back to 1096, making it the world's 2nd oldest surviving university.

Oxford’s attractions include the University Church of St Mary the Virgin  and Radcliffe Square, named after John Radcliffe, a student of the university who became doctor to the King and left a significant legacy to the University.  The centrepiece of the Square is the circular Radcliffe Camera, part of the Bodleian Library, the University’s main research library

In 1954, Roger Bannister ran the first sub-four-minute mile in Oxford.

London

+ 91 km / 56 miles / 133,016 steps


London is the capital and most populous city of England and the United Kingdom

The city contains 4 UNESCO World Heritage Sites: the Tower of LondonKew Gardens; the site comprising the Palace of Westminster, Westminster Abbey, and St Margaret's Church; and the historic settlement of Greenwich (in which the Royal Observatory, Greenwich marks the Prime Meridian, 0° longitude, and GMT).

Other famous landmarks include Buckingham Palace; the London residence and principal workplace of Queen Elizabeth II, the monarch of the United Kingdom, the London EyePiccadilly CircusSt Paul's CathedralTower BridgeTrafalgar Square, and The Shard.

The Government of the United Kingdom is housed in the Palace of Westminster.  The Prime Minister's residence is at 10 Downing Street.  

Chelmsford

+ 54 km / 33 miles / 78,983 steps


Congratulations! You have completed the Journey to the Jubilee Route. That was an amazing team effort to complete over 745km together so a big well done to you all!

Top Tip: If you still have some days left of the challenge, you don’t have to stop now… you can keep going and see how far you can get around the route again.