Guest post by Andreas Kambanis author of London Cycle Routes eBook
There comes a point in whatever city or town you cycle in that you get a little sick of riding in traffic. A taxi or a bus cuts into your path and you just think I want to get away! At some point I stopped just saying it and decided to find great locations to cycle in London. I wanted to find places where I would be the only user of the road. Or even better not be on a road! In my search I’ve found some incredible routes. I’ve fallen over in the mud in the middle of a random forest. I’ve discovering things I never knew about my city and I’ve enjoyed my bike the way I think it is meant to be enjoyed.
If you are a London cyclist then you can grab a copy of my London Cycle Routes eBook.
If you are not a London cyclist then I encourage you to seek out great cycling in your city. One way to start is to find any books written about your area with good cycle routes. Another great way is to simply load up Google Maps and flick the switch to look at pictures people have posted. When you see a location that looks good see if there is a cycle route there. If there isn’t then what about a footpath? A good way to find these is using websites such as GPS Visualiser. I discover and plan all my routes on there. Of course there are also plenty of websites that list cycle routes others have done. Websites like everytrail.com. Escape your every day route and find some good new trails!
Read my mind today. I use bikely.com for route ideas (and have some of my own up there).
Good post! The internet is a good place to start in a search for such routes, although there are plenty of great places to cycle that aren't mentioned anywhere. One of the best ways to discover new routes though is just to explore – always adds a sense of adventure!
As a relative newby on two wheels and only a leisure cyclist I went to Blackpool on Saturday and cyled from Fleetwood to the Tower at Blackpool along the coastal path – loved it and it was 20 miles there and back – a long ride for me. The best bit was the complete lack of hills, there are so many of them where I live that it makes cycling a chore.