Cycle The Towers and Spires Trail

Take the Towers & Spires cycle trail from St Edmundsbury Cathedral and discover 10 beautiful churches while enjoying the unspoilt countryside of Suffolk.

There are places to stop and eat on the way or you can pack a picnic to enjoy in a tranquil churchyard. There’s a shorter route for families too.

This trail was created in partnership with Discover Suffolk, the Church Buildings Council and Sustrans, the cycling charity.

The full trail is 30 miles, but it also offer a shorter family cycling trail of 19 miles, which takes in Bury St Edmunds and churches in the surrounding villages of Great Barton, Pakenham, Thurston, Tostock, Woolpit, Shelland, Rattlesden, Drinkstone, Hessett and Rougham.

The trail's starting point is the magnificent St Edmundsbury Cathedral in Bury St Edmunds. For over 1,000 years, the site of Suffolk ’s Cathedral has been one of worship and pilgrimage.

The death of Edmund, King of the East Angles, at the hands of the Danes in 869 led to the building of an abbey to house his remains. St James’s Church was built within the precincts of the Abbey, becoming a Cathedral in 1914. The Cathedral building has continued to develop over recent years with the addition of the Millennium Tower, completed in 2005, and its magnificent painted and gilded vault, added in 2010. In 2009 the Cathedral changed its dedication to become the Cathedral Church of St James and St Edmund.

Do stop by the Great Churchyard next to the Cathedral to see the St Edmund Statue by Dame Elisabeth Frink - a trip to Bury St Edmunds would not be complete without a photo of this iconic statue.

The trail then continues through the Suffolk countryside to see churches which date back to the 14th and 15th Century and be rewarded with spectacular Angel roofs, exquisite carvings and spectacular stain glass.

Download the Trail now from the Angels and Pinnacles Website.