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🇬🇧 Central England

Central England · Moderate

East Midlands Cycleway

Rolling hills, market towns, village pubs and quiet lanes… the East Midlands could be Britain’s most overlooked cycling region. This east–west route across Leicestershire, Rutland and Cambridgeshire is an ideal…

Central England · Moderate

Mercian Way

This could be the quintessential English cycle route. Four cathedrals, glimpses of Severn and Thames, the Cotswold countryside, the Ironbridge Gorge… all connected by canal towpaths, railway paths, and miles…

Central England · Moderate

National Byway (Central England)

The National Byway is Britain’s secret cycle-touring network – a meandering signposted route following the quietest lanes through the sleepiest villages. It’s been going for over 20 years now, with…

Central England · Easy

Norfolk Coast and Rivers

“Very flat, Norfolk” – a famous author’s curse on one of England’s most under-rated counties. It might not have mountains, but Norfolk has lots else: wild coast partly on a…

Central England · Moderate

Oxford to Birmingham

One of the original National Cycle Network routes established for the Millennium, this tour of the southern Midlands takes in some great tourist landmarks – Oxford, Blenheim Palace, Stratford-upon-Avon, and…

Central England · Moderate

Oxford to Cambridge

Nowhere in Britain does cycling better than Cambridge. Bikes throng the roads both there and in its great rival, Oxford. So why not take a weekend to cycle between the…

Central England · Easy

Rutland Water

Someone in the 1970s had it in for Rutland. First they flooded England’s smallest county, then they abolished it entirely, absorbing it into Leicestershire. But 40 years on, Rutland has not…

Central England · Challenging

Six Castles Cycleway

For centuries, the Marches were the fortified lands between insurgent Wales and conquered England. The hilly terrain encouraged rebellions and a certain disrespect for the rule of law. Fast forward to the 21st century…

🇫🇷 France

France · Easy

Avenue Verte France

Cross the Channel, and you’ll be truly delighted by the second half of the London–Paris cycle route – a lovely amble on rural lanes and superb traffic-free cycle paths, right…

France · Challenging

Crossing the Volcano

France’s largest volcano – don’t worry, it’s been extinct for two million years – is the Puy Mary. It’s a favourite climb of the Tour de France, crossing the Pas…

France · Moderate

Isère Valley

The sillon alpin (‘Alpine furrow’) is a dramatic cleft in the French Alps, a river valley amid a landscape of jutting peaks. Which makes for a stunning cycle route –…

France · Moderate

La Véloccitanie

The 80km PassaPaïs rail-trail is a dream cycle route, a traffic-free glide through the hills of the Haut Languedoc. Mountains, woodland, Mediterranean garrigue (shrubland), and hillside villages – including Olargues…

France · Moderate

La Vélo Francette

If you were to devise the ideal cycle route, it would look a bit like this. 50% traffic free, very little climbing, miles of smooth tarmac, beautiful river scenery… oh…

France · Easy

Lille to Paris

History, not hills. Cycling from Lille to Paris, through the battlefields of the First World War, you’re riding a route known as La Véloroute de la Mémoire – the Route…

France · Challenging

Pyrenees Coast-to-Coast

This emerging new challenge route tours through the piémont Pyrenéen – the Pyrenean foothills. From the Atlantic coast at Biarritz to the Mediterranean near Perpignan, you’ll experience the scenery of…

France · Easy

River Loire

The Loire is France’s longest river, and the Loire à Vélo is France’s most popular bike route. 600km of level cycling with very little traffic and a steady stream of…

France · Easy

River Seine

After the success of the Loire cycleway, and the increasingly popular Rhône route, a route following the River Seine was surely a no-brainer. From Le Havre to Paris, the 340km…

France · Moderate

Seine to the Sea

Ideal for a circular tour of the Seine Maritime département, this country-lane route links the Seine at Saint Wandrille with the coast, crossing the chalk plateau of the Pays…

France · Moderate

Tour of Burgundy

Two-thirds traffic-free, one-third quiet lanes, and barely a hill to speak of… holiday cycling doesn’t get more relaxing than the Tour de Bourgogne. This delightful circuit of Burgundy follows canal…

France · Moderate

Via Allier

Following the spectacular valley of the Allier, this could be the most attractive of the Loire-to-Mediterranean cycle routes. Although the full V70 isn’t yet complete, the 415km of the Via…

France · Easy

Via Fluvia

France’s two greatest rivers, the Loire and the Rhône, come tantalisingly close… but to cycle between them, you need to conquer the hilly country of the Haute-Loire and the Ardèche. …

🇩🇪 Germany

Germany · Easy

River Rhine – North Germany

Germany’s western river has been at the heart of commerce and industry for centuries. The cycle route following its course – EuroVelo 15, or German national route D8 – gives…

🇬🇧 Land's End to John O'Groats

Land's End to John O'Groats · Epic

Easy East Coaster

Why waste your ride of a lifetime on an uninspiring slog? This Land’s End to John O’Groats route takes in great tourist sights – Gloucester, Stratford, York, the glorious Northumbria…

🇳🇱 Netherlands

Netherlands · Easy

River Rhine – Netherlands

The classic river route… in the world’s capital of cycling. The Rhine Cycle Route in the Netherlands, aka EuroVelo route 15, is 260km of smooth, flat cycling on traffic-free cycleways…

🇳🇿 New Zealand

New Zealand · Moderate

West Coast Wilderness Trail

Wilderness… but not too wild. The sort of wilderness where you feel you’ve conquered tough terrain, but you’ve done it without overly exhausting yourself or encrusting yourself with layers of…

🇬🇧 Northern England

Northern England · Moderate

Bay Cycle Way

“Slow tourism”, they call it. No mountains to conquer, no exhilarating five-mile descents, no twisting singletrack. That’s not what the Bay Cycle Way is about. On the other hand, if you could…

Northern England · Challenging

C2C

Tackled by thousands of cyclists every year, this is the iconic coast-to-coast route that started it all. From the Lake District to Sunderland and Newcastle, it’s an unforgettable ride that…

Northern England · Easy

Coast & Castles

The Coast & Castles cycle route has become one of Britain’s most popular, and it’s not hard to see why. Coast? Check. Castles? Check. Little fishing villages? Check. Hills? Nope. Sounds good, doesn’t it? The full route continues north…

Northern England · Easy

Hadrian's Cycleway

If you’re tempted by a coast-to-coast ride, but fear that the hills will be too much for you, Hadrian’s Cycleway is the one to choose. Never too difficult and with great…

Northern England · Epic

Pennine Cycleway

The single most epic ride on the National Cycle Network, this is an unforgettable route along the spine of England. Nowhere else will you find scenery so wild, lanes so…

Northern England · Challenging

Tour de Yorkshire

The Tour de France is the toughest sporting event in the world – but you don’t have to be an elite cyclist to experience the exhilaration of its Yorkshire route. …

Northern England · Moderate

Way of the Roses

The Way of the Roses is exhilarating rather than exhausting, from the valleys of Lancashire through the Dales of Yorkshire to the lovely, but little-visited Wolds. An instant hit from its launch…

🇬🇧 Scotland

Scotland · Moderate

Hebridean Way

Britain’s remotest cycle route puts you cheek-to-windswept-cheek with the wild Atlantic. Cycling the Outer Hebrides from heel to head, you’ll experience stark scenery like nowhere else in the country. With ferries shuttling you from…

🇬🇧 Southern England

Southern England · Easy

Avenue Verte UK

Your very own Tour de France starts at the London Eye. Launched in 2012 to celebrate the London Olympics, this capital-to-capital ride takes the familiar Sustrans recipe of quiet lanes…

Southern England · Moderate

Cotswold Line

Cycle as far as you like, then jump on the train home. That’s the idea behind the Cotswold Line Cycle Route, a beautiful ride following the scenic Cotswold Line railway…

Southern England · Easy

Kennet & Avon

You don’t have to head north to enjoy the National Cycle Network’s signature rides. The 100-mile route from Reading to Bristol, following the Kennet & Avon Canal, is just 25…

Southern England · Moderate

London to Brighton

The word “iconic” is over-used but... the London to Brighton bike ride really is. Britain’s best-known one-day route, it has a simple appeal: wake up on a sunny Saturday, get…

Southern England · Easy

Thames Valley

Britain’s grandest river is an obvious candidate for a cycling break from London – and the Thames Valley route doesn’t disappoint. You can’t cycle along the river all the way…

🇬🇧 South-West England

South-West England · Easy

Cornish Coast-to-Coast

Yes, you did read that right. The North has the number one C2C. Devon isn’t far behind. Cornwall’s one is much less well-known… but rather fun. Its first distinguishing feature…

South-West England · Moderate

Cornish Way

Ask a Land’s End to John O’Groats cyclist for the hardest part of their route, and without doubt, they’ll say “Cornwall and Devon”. So you’d expect the Cornish Way to…

South-West England · Easy

Devon C2C

Coast-to-coast rides are all in the north, right? Wrong. Devon’s own C2C has all the scenery of its northern brethren, and fewer of the hills. Railway paths dive under tunnels…

South-West England · Moderate

West Country Way

Devon is a county of quiet rural lanes, an intricate mesh of narrow, twisting connections between tiny villages and isolated farms. You might think this is ideal cycling territory –…

🇨🇭 Switzerland

Switzerland · Easy

River Rhine – Switzerland

1,200km of downhill cycling awaits… and it all starts on a remote mountain pass in Switzerland. The Rhine Cycle Route is one of Europe’s greatest cycling adventures, from the Alps…

🇬🇧 Wales

Wales · Epic

Border Raid

If you liked Lôn Las Cymru, you’ll love this – just as challenging, equally spectacular scenery, and a whole new set of tiny lanes and market towns to discover. Our Border Raid route runs south-to-north…

Wales · Moderate

Celtic Trail

What does South Wales mean to you? The industry of the valleys, the castles of Chepstow and Caerphilly, or the beautiful Pembrokeshire coast? The Celtic Trail offers all this –…

Wales · Moderate

Chepstow to Hereford

Without doubt, the Marches – the border region between Wales and England – are among the finest cycling territory in the country. The rural country lane routes of the National…

Wales · Challenging

Cycle across the Beacons

This really is a ride of two halves. From Abergavenny to Brecon, it’s a gentle towpath amble along the lovely Monmouthshire & Brecon. After Brecon… let’s just say it’s a…

Wales · Moderate

Heads of the Valleys

This could be one of the best-kept secrets of British cycle routes. 60 miles of which two thirds are traffic-free; some genuinely breathtaking views; all in a part of the…

Wales · Moderate

Lon Cambria

Wales is known for its mountains, and its cycle routes are no exception. But Lon Cambria, which crosses the centre of the country from Shrewsbury to Aberystwyth, gives a chance…

Wales · Challenging

Lon Las Cymru

Thousands may choose the C2C as their cycling challenge, but the cognoscenti know that it’s Lon Las Cymru that really tests your mettle. This 250-mile route traverses the country’s most…

Wales · Moderate

Lon Teifi

Ceredigion and Pembrokeshire are best known for their glorious coastlines – but the cliffs and bays do tend to exercise the weary cyclist’s legs. What if there were a way to explore…

Wales · Easy

North Wales Coast

Wales’s cycle routes don’t have to be hilly. This glorious ride follows the North Wales Coast all the way to Bangor, with miles of traffic-free path, seaside promenades and quiet…

Wales · Challenging

Radnor Ring

Mid-Wales is the remotest part of Britain south of the Highlands – and that makes it ideal cycling country. Countless lanes wind over the hills and along the valleys of…

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