North Downs Way: Riding In The Shadow Of The Rat Race

This might be what it feels like to be a rabbit, or a fox, perhaps. Scurrying along the edge of hedgerows, through labyrinths of close grown bushes, darting out into sunlight and across a field, then back into the shade of a holloway. It’s not Watership Down I’m riding along – though with my knowledge of southern English geography, it might as well be – but instead the new North Downs Way cycle route, running from Farnham to Dover. This is alien geography to me. There are hills – indeed, the first climb out of Guildford (we start here, as...

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I came to Singletrack having decided there must be more to life than meetings. I like all bikes, but especially unusual ones. More than bikes, I like what bikes do. I think that they link people and places; that cycling creates a connection between us and our environment; bikes create communities; deliver freedom; bring joy; and improve fitness. They're environmentally friendly and create friendly environments. I try to write about all these things in the hope that others might discover the joy of bikes too.