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A friend and I are looking to go on a UK cycling holiday holiday with bikes next month, but are stuck for inspiration as to where to go.
Said friend hasn’t done a huge amount of riding before, and will be on a borrowed hybrid. The plan is a week riding on quiet lanes / cycle tracks, somewhere quiet, pretty and with interesting things to do/look at when we want a break. We’ll be camping and only looking to do about 30 miles a day, so want somewhere finding a campsite will be easy (not looking for wild camping).
We’d like somewhere where the cycling will be easy, as I don’t think my friend will find slogging up hills all day a lot of fun. And yes, I know 30 miles a day is pretty much nothing, but I’d rather it be too easy than risk putting them off cycling for good.
Ideas so far include:
Suffolk / East Anglia
Northumbria
Cotswolds
Herefordshire
Anyone got any other suggestions, or comments about the current shortlist?
Thanks all!
Where are you in the UK?
Hop on a ferry to Holland.
Is Scotland too far?
http://www.cyclegrampian.co.uk/trail/deeside.html
I'm sure there's cycle paths all over up there, perhaps other forum members can help.
Failing that... North Wales! Start in Chester and rides to Anglesey. There's traffic free cycle ways most of the way. Check out the sustrans website.
30 miles a day isn't nothing, it's a lot of riding in a week, and if they're occasional riders they'll have a sore bum and probably other things after day 1 or 2!
I'd plan for secondary activities if they're not fully up to speed with this type of thing, i'm at the bottom of the cotswolds, loads of riding around, but it does tend to have a fair few ups and downs, same with Herefordshire, are you looking at doing a to z style riding, or riding each day from the same place, but taking in different routes?
North Norfolk Coast?
^^^ that was going to be my suggestion. Lots of camping options, fairly easy cycling on roads with very little traffic even during the holidays so long as you stay off the main tourist routes. Plenty of interesting places along the way with the option of having the odd detour to Sandringham or Castle Acre along the Peddars Way.
30 miles a day with a few stops along the way would be a great introductory cycling holiday.
Another vote for Norfolk and or Suffolk.
Anglesey is a good shout.
If you start from Llanfair PG you can do a clockwise 70 miler purely on the signed bike routes. Very quiet, flattish, nice camping spots.
The Llyn peninsular is a cracker for first timers - a great mixed use path from just outside Conwy Castle takes you into the heart of things and there's lots to explore from there.
Northumberland would be perfect too. There's no one there and the coastline is amazing.
Can be a bit bumpy though.
Hexham is a nice base for a beginner touring holiday as well.
Great ride into Newcastle along quiet roads (get the train back) a lovely dedicated shared path route from the town centre.
Not that flat though. 🙂
If that other person is your female partner be careful trying to force them into doing something they don't want to do. Consider some of the hills we just get on with... to an occasional cyclist on a hybrid might seem like everest and they might just get pissed off, especially if the weather's vank.
Better to have a base and day rides rather than a planned point to point if that's the case I'd suggest.
Be very careful trying to find any routes inland from the coast around Prestatyn, there's at least several monster ramps there!
New Forest is quite flat, but like a lot of honeypot areas, I'd expect it to be heaving even more than normal during this pingdemic summer.
Some nice flatish lanes to the west of the Mendips heading to around Burnham On Sea, nice and quiet last September, not sure how busy it would be now.
Anglesey, despite the rumours, is not flat. It's got lots of rolling up and down, sometimes gentle but often not.
The Northumberland coast is much flatter by comparison. I'll be there this weekend doing some cafe to cafe rides 😎
Northumberland for the win.
me and the wife had a week there last month.
starting in Alnwick go via Whittingham to join cycle route 68 up to Wooler for 1st night.
then Wooler to Berwick on the same route 68.
then from Berwick follow the castles and coast route back down to Newcastle staying wherever along the way.
Seahouses, Craster or Alnmouth are all very nice.
and the route is very quiet, and very low traffic on the small amount of road it uses.
Another vote for North Norfolk Coast and Suffolk.
Or Suffolk - Essex borders perhaps?
Hop on a ferry to Holland.
He wants a holiday on bikes not 10 days in isolation! Holland have quarantine in place for us.
Camping near the coast in Suffolk could well be booked out for this month and most of next. Norfolk may be similar. Inland may work better for you and pre-book your spot.
(Based on my job booking hotels for folk on cycling holidays in Suffolk & Norfolk).
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jekkyl
Full MemberIf that other person is your female partner be careful trying to force them into doing something they don’t want to do. Consider some of the hills we just get on with… to an occasional cyclist on a hybrid might seem like everest and they might just get pissed off, especially if the weather’s vank.
Better to have a base and day rides rather than a planned point to point if that’s the case I’d suggest.
Not my partner, but I agree, the same applies anyway (I've put off various potential cycling buddies by underestimating how daunting "everyday" rides can be).
Thanks for all the suggestions. My friend is now looking at the Hadrians Cycleway, which I feel may be a step too far... but I also don't want to patronise. I think we'll just approach it with the mindset of "This is an option, let's take it a day at a time". And if we bail part way through, then that's fine.
He wants a holiday on bikes not 10 days in isolation! Holland have quarantine in place for us
D'oh.
@matt_outandabout No worries I only learned of it at lunch on Friday and I'm supposedly a travel professional!