The basics

It’s this easy:

• Click on the map to set your start point;
• Click somewhere else on the map to set your destination;
• We’ll find the best route!

Adding more points

If the route doesn’t go the way you want, you can simply drag it. A new numbered ‘via point’ will appear.

You can extend the route by clicking points on the map.

• On desktop: Tick the option on the left that says ‘Click map to add more points’, then click at the new end of your route.
• On mobile: Quickly double-tap (iPhone) or long-press (Android) the new end of your route.

You can remove a via point by clicking on it and selecting ‘Remove via’ in the popup.

To get the best out of cycle.travel, remember that it’s a route-planner, not a plotter. In other words, its aim is to find you a great route from A to B, not to draw a route you already know. (There are lots of other sites that do that!)

Finding by address

You can type street or town names for the start/end of your route. A pop-up menu will appear as you type – choose the matching place. Click ‘Get route’ when you’ve chosen the start and end.

Our map data comes from OpenStreetMap. OSM doesn’t usually record house numbers, so just type the street without a number.

You can add a via point at a named place, too. Click ‘Add at…’ and type the name.

Your planned route

When you’ve planned a route, it’s highlighted in blue and green on the map. Blue for paved sections; green for unpaved.

You’ll see summary statistics on the left. These show how much there is of each road type.

Saving your route

You’ll need a (free) account on cycle.travel to save your route. You can create an account by clicking ‘Log in to save routes’, or at the top of the page, ‘My bike’. If you have a Facebook, Google or Apple account, you can log in with that.

Once your account is set up, you can just click ‘Save’ to give your route a name and save it. Your routes are listed on the left of the screen; on the ‘Routes’ tab on mobile; and under ‘My bike > Journeys’.