“Exhilarating! After the ride, my stress levels disappeared.” (Christine)
**Our Cycling Without Age Nature Rides are back in early 2026**
What are Cycling Without Age Nature Rides?
Enjoy a free, comfortable Ride into lovely green spaces with our friendly volunteers!
Our All Ability Cycling Without Age Nature Rides are a simple but brilliant idea. We offer free, comfortable Rides along lovely green routes and into green spaces in a special electric ‘Triobike Taxi’ or rickshaw. Our supported rides enable most people to fully enjoy nature outdoors, regardless of age, ability or mobility level. You travel at ease up front in a passenger seat for two. It’s been described as a ‘sofa on wheels’! 🙂
Rides start and finish at Cycle Heaven cafe in Hospital Fields Road, Fulford on Tuesday afternoons. They last up to an hour. You meet a friendly, trained volunteer ‘Pedaller’ at an agreed time there, sign an Activity Register, and away you go!
You can ride with a companion, family member, friend or carer as long as you are both within the bike’s 160kg (25 stone) carrying capacity. Alternatively, your companion can enjoy a relaxing hour in the cafe while you ride.
The Rides mostly travel along traffic-free green routes into green parks and spaces. From Cycle Heaven, Rides go across the river at the Millennium Bridge, along the riverside paths and around Rowntree Park, or across Walmgate Stray to the University Grounds, or further afield to the Knavesmire or Hob Moor. The Rides pause regularly so you can enjoy the sights, sounds, smells and feel of nature around you.
All enquiries are welcome. We can offer up to 2 Rides per person at first. A Ride may especially suit you if you have a reduced mobility level and don’t get out as often as you would like. To help with your comfort on Rides, there is easy access to the passenger seat, a hood or poncho to keep off rain and a warm and waterproof blanket.
If you wish to refer or self-refer, please complete our Confidential Referral Form.
What are the benefits of going on a Nature Ride?
After a Ride, you will feel happier, and better in yourself, with a renewed sense of wellbeing. A Ride enables you to get outside for an hour in friendly company, and have a lot of fun! You’ll enjoy moving through the wonderful green spaces of York in the fresh air. You’ll discover a new mobility, companionship and connection with the delights of nature and community life. Overall, it’s a positive, joyful, and exhilarating experience!
Our Nature Rides also offer a chance to tune into nature, with all the additional health and wellbeing benefits that brings. If you are more connected with nature, research shows you have better mental wellbeing. You are happier, more satisfied with life, have more vitality, and feel your life has greater meaning and purpose.
Research also shows that being outdoors and connecting with nature can also boost your immune system, help you relax, reduce anxiety, stress and depression, improve your mood, improve sleep quality, and help you gain a sense of peace. A wonder healer indeed!
The Rides may have particular benefits for those experiencing social isolation, depression, anxiety, and other mental health conditions.
How do passengers feel after their Nature Rides?
Jenny said:
“I felt so free during the rides. I was wrapped up in the snuggly blanket and felt like royalty being taken around all the different locations. Each ride had a special moment, from the ride around Rowntree’s Park following a squirrel, the ride across campus and seeing a tiny rabbit eating an apple to the final ride to railway pond and watching the dragonflies and fish in the sunshine.
I am so thankful for those experiences and just wish I could do it more!
ME/CFS impacts every part of your life and has a huge impact on your mental wellbeing. Being outside, feeling the breeze, regardless of weather, with someone other than my caregiver was wonderful. I got to have this experience independently, on my own, without my husband having to be there, which is such a rarity; I really can’t describe how that feels. I felt like a weight had lifted, even briefly, and I was able to just enjoy the experience.
I was fatigued afterwards but it was worth it for the snippets of joy I held on to from the rides. I am forever grateful.”
Rosie and David said:
“Our ride was very informative, interesting and very enjoyable, I learnt a lot of interesting facts about the local area. A very comfortable ride. Our volunteer Pedaller, Ed, was caring, careful, great company and mindful of others around. A great way to spend an hour. Even though I’m registered partially sighted, it was still a great experience, Ed took time and patience to explain everything around us, so I didn’t miss out.
A brilliant activity, enabling less able people and older people to get out in the fresh air, experience their surroundings and have fun. My husband and I rate the whole experience 10+. Thank you so much to one and all.”
Who are behind the Nature Rides?
The Rides are a YBB innovation, made possible thanks to funding awards from the Green Social Prescribing (GSP) programme from the Humber and North Yorkshire Health and Care Partnership in 2022, the Postcode Neighbourhood Trust in 2024 and the National Lottery Heritage Fund in 2025.
The GSP Programme was one of seven “test and learn” sites across the UK, examining how local community organisations can support more people’s physical and mental wellbeing through outdoor and nature-based activities, and how this work can be embedded into healthcare systems.
The Postcode Neighbourhood Trust is a grant-giving charity funded entirely by players of the People’s Postcode Lottery.
Thank you
Trixie the Triobike Taxi is stored at Cycle Heaven bike shop on Hospital Fields Road, Fulford. A sincere thank you to the team at Cycle Heaven for their continued support.
YBB Programme
Cycling Without Age Nature Rides are part of our free programme of walking, cycling and nature activities, communications and volunteering for York residents, all year round. We arrange additional support and flexibility where needed.
We hope you’ll join our activities. You’ll walk and cycle more, and enjoy a healthy, sociable and green lifestyle. Plus, you’ll get outdoors, feel well, meet new friends, tune into nature, be climate-friendly and enjoy life more!
Can you help our Cycling Without Age Nature Rides grow?
YBB relies on grants, donations and sponsorship to fund our work. Your donation will enable us to offer Rides to more people of all ages with restricted mobility and make a real difference to the lives of some of the most vulnerable people in York. Donate to support our work.
Copyright York Bike Belles 2025. Cycling Without Age Nature Rides is an original York Bike Belles project, all rights reserved.
York Bike Belles 