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…
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…
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…
“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…
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…
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…
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…
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…
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’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…
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 –…
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…
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…
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…
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…
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…
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…
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…
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…
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’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’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…
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…
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…
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…
“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…
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…
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…
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…
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…
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. …
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…
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…
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…
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…
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…
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…
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…
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…
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…
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…
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 –…
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…
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…
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 –…
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…
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…
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 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…
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…
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’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…
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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