The route begins in Bromsgrove town centre on road before opening out onto country lanes which lead to Droitwich Spa. Here the route joins the Droitwich Canal towpath. Alternatively, here you can join National Cycle Route 45.[1]
Leaving the towpath, NCR46 then passes through residential streets, country lanes and another short section of the canal before reaching Worcester city centre and the River Severn.[1]
NCR46 continues to follow the River Severn, however the connection to Hereford is still under development.[2][3] There is a short section of NCR46 in Malvern, which has been changed from National Cycle Route 45.[4]
Known as the Heads of the Valleys Route,[7] this section of NCR46 has a mixture of major and minor roads as well as off road trails. Out of the 60miles of this route, 40miles are segregated from traffic. This includes towpaths, disused railway trails[8] and tarmac cycle paths.[7] Beginning in Gwent Valley this section of the route ends in Merthyr Tydfil.