So I have almost got an old Dawes ready to tour on (traditional pannier set up and 32mm tyres).

Based in Bolton but don’t mind getting a train to somewhere interesting

Probably wild camp

Quite roads

Long weekend to start

I love the lakes and know it pretty well apart from the west and the coast

Any ideas would be most welcome.

France.

Cycle past a boulangerie in the morning and stick a baguette under your Carradice flap. Waft along the French countryside, doze under a tree for lunch after lunch. Pick up a bottle of red wine in the afternoon (they fit nicely in your bottle cage) and some cheese and enjoy by your tent of an afternoon.

Some of my best holidays were French Cycle tours.

BTW – Trains in France warmly welcome bikes

Check out the Lost Lanes series of books. Think there’s now one covering your area, every ride is an interesting journey down timeless quiet lanes. Or at least the rides Ive done. There’s usually options to join up loops to make longer rides and suggestions of camping spots, local interest etc

Lost Lanes North

https://www.wayoftheroses.co.uk/

Lovely and so well signposted you won’t need a map.

This is good:

Yorkshire Dales Cycleway

Or, from your door, Forest of Bowland?

Further afield there’s a nice two day loop we did from Gloucester over to Ross on Wye, down along the Wye to Chepstow, over the Severn Bridge and back up the side of the Severn. Probably got a GPX somewhere

The secret to touring is, I’ve found, cooked breakfast, pootle for about 25/30 miles, pub lunch, pootle for about 25/30 miles, pub dinner, couple of beers, bed, repeat. Pretty much any quiet country lanes in the UK are suitable for thoroughly pleasant pootling tour

2nd the Lost Lanes books!

Did quite a few by train from North London when the 1st book came out, got most of the bother regions as they’ve come out and they’re a great way of seeing an area, learning a bit and getting some historical, geographical context.

Lovely books even if you never ride the routes. plus he’s recommended pubs/caffs on each route, and links to gpx tracks online

Craig, Forest of Bowland as suggested above is a good call. What do you want to do?

Cheers. Have noticed that book but not read it. Think I’ll order it. I thought maybe a train to Glasgow or even further north. Or Dorset.possibly an island or Ireland. Not sure just looking for a chilled solo adventure in some place different to the north west (which I’m pretty familiar with)

. Not sure just looking for a chilled solo adventure in some place different to the north west (which I’m pretty familiar with)

Perhaps the five ferries route with additions https://www.fionaoutdoors.co.uk/2016/10/great-bike-rides-the-five-ferries-route.html

I had a really nice tour in that area

Further afield there’s a nice two day loop we did from Gloucester over to Ross on Wye, down along the Wye to Chepstow, over the Severn Bridge and back up the side of the Severn.

That’s my standard, getting the high miles in, training ride!

I love arran. I did think about the train to Glasgow and then the port and spend a weekend just idling around arran

the Sustrans route from glasgow to the coast is a decent ride IMO

Islands. After a year where we have pedalled on Arran, Islay, Jura, Mull, Cumbrae and Bute, I am hooked on pedalling on islands….

Any really good ones in South/West Wales?

start small, and get bigger.

way of the roses
coast to coast
brittany coast tour
french coast tour
ronde of holland
belgium beer tour. i am going on one of these in april.
lofoten islands norway
inner hebrides
outer hebrides
black forest

We did a tour of belgium  – Hull to zeebrugge ferry overnight, then visited Ypres, Ghent, and Bruge. That ferry no longer runs but you could do something from Rotterdam

Go to Oban and get the ferry to the Outer Hebrides. Ride north, then either ride back, get a bike transfer back, or get the ferry over to skye and ride back down the mainland (or to Ullapool and get a train)

Get a ferry from Anglesey to Dublin, ride down to wexford, ferry to FIshguard and ride back up Cardigan Bay

Get up to Whitehaven and ride Coast-to-Coast over to Tynemouth. If you;ve time, rideback along the Reivers route

Train to Chester or Ruabon, to do a tour of places like Horseshoe Pass; Bwlch Y Groes/ Hirnant Pass; Road To Hell; Stwlan Dam; Great Orme etc. Could jump on train back towards home from Llandudno or head back along the north coast.

It’s always nice to go local first to test out body,bike and kit.

the Sustrans route from glasgow to the coast is a decent ride IMO

👍 will have to check that out next time.

Northumberland?

Quiet lanes big scenery!

fasthaggis – be careful as you go thru darkest paisley

if you love Arran, how about
ferry to Arran
short/long/longer cycle to lochranza
cycle to kennacraig (be careful on the A83 bit)
ferry to Islay
cycle round and about Islay
ferry to colinsay (Islay to colinsay only goes once a week so you need to time that one)
cycle round colinsay
ferry to oban
and then either train home
or ferry to mull
cycle round mull , maybe go to Iona
ferry back to oban
and then either train home
or ferry to barra
cycle and ferry your way to stornaway
ferry to ullapool
bike bus to inverness
train hone

Islay and Jura seconded (thirded?). Not many miles but superb scenery and very little traffic.

If starting from a train the B road down the east side of Loch Awe is a great road to head towards the Islay ferry from. Home via Arran.

Worth knowing is that central Scotland local trains don’t need bike bookings. So ferry from Aran to Arddrossan and just jump the first Train to Glasgow.

cycle round and about Islay
ferry to colinsay (Islay to colinsay only goes once a week so you need to time that one)
cycle round colinsay
ferry to oban

I *think* that there’s been a minor change to the ferry, meaning an overnight stay on Colonsay now. This was a glance at the timetable last Easter.

Lost Lanes books are great, I’ve had a couple of good trips in Wales based on linking a few of the routes in the LL Wales book. You need climbing legs and good brakes there if you’re to avoid some of the busier roads but it’s worth it.

Anyway in general, Wales as you’re pretty close or France when you have more time. The Caps and Marais d’Opale Regional Natural Park is just outside Calais and the riding and scenery there is lovely. Nothing dramatic, just quintessential touring roads and villages.

Northumberland?

Quiet lanes big scenery!

+1

TBH, if you’re just starting out the easiest answer is “anywhere you want”.

That’s what i did when i started in my teens. Load up and pick a direction and then a vague intent for a destination.
Also got to work out what i should (and shouldn’t) be packing, and what i was capable of in a day, and still being able to look after myself. I mean, there’s a difference in how far i’d be happy riding depending on if i was bivvying/camping/hostelling/BnB/Hotel/stopping with a mate. And if stopping with a mate, how far i could ride the following day 😉

Had a lot of fun, and not many disasters. (Snapped rear axle at the top of a pass somewhere in the Lakes was a high/low point…)

You need climbing legs and good brakes

Especially if you’re towing two little boys in a trailer!

The plan is to do a few local overnighters and then jump in.

I’ve been looking at France. The ferries are cheap which just leaves either driving down or getting the train. Had a little look on Google maps at Brittany which looks perfect as far as I can see.

Something I’d also love to do. Drive to somewhere near Portsmouth. Ditch the van. Ride to port. Ferry to Caen or St Malo.

Re brittany. Take a look at the tour du manche and its petit sister. There are many routes you can do via chwrbourg, caen, St malo, and even via geurnzey and Jersey.

Drive to somewhere near Portsmouth. Ditch the van. Ride to port. Ferry to Caen or St Malo.

I did that with Ireland, drive to Fishguard then ferry to Rosslare. Would have taken the train, but couldn’t get the bike (tandem) on. Rode west until we almost got to Cork, then north about 2/3rds of the way to Limerick, then back to Wexford and the ferry.

It rained solidly for the last 48 hours.

Also Brittany: Roscoff then coast to Brest, ferry to Crozon, back along the Brest > Nantes canal and back to Roscoff via NP de Amorique. 3 or 4 days.

When you are up for longer than a weekend – Germany! Been out here for 3 years on the French border and it is beautiful, cyclist are welcome and the cyclepath network is amazing!

East Anglia – ‘undulations’ rather than hills, loads of pubs and miles of quiet roads to explore (plus you might bump into Andy & Lance).