Cycling UK Forum

Really useful folks, thanks. The city hire scheme looks ideal for my needs that day. I'll risk it without a helmet!

I'm putting this in the touring section in spite of it being a day ride, but its expeditionary (to me anyway) nature means it fits better here I think!

In late June I'll have a spare day in Tel Aviv so I thought I'd hire a bike. Any good day routes anyone can recommend? Looking briefly at Google maps it seems quiet roads are in pretty short supply, but if anyone knows better...

My only requirement is that it needs to be a circular route, 40-50 miles perhaps (it will be boiling hot), not too fussed about piling on miles, or at a stretch culminate in a short train journey back to Tel Aviv assuming they let you on the trains with a bike. I haven't researched that yet. I suppose a nice little town to have a beer and a bite to eat on the way round would be good too. Anything at all would be really useful folks, thanks.

I enjoyed the best day rides of my life as an Englishman who spent nearly a decade living near Belfast. Lough Neagh is worth your time, where there are lots of very good circular routes. A 45 mile favourite I would do fairly often started and ended in Antrim via Randalstown, Ahoghill, Portglenone, Bellaghy and Toome, with the section back to Antrim taking quiet shore roads past Staffordstown. At the southeastern corner of the lough there are numerous deathly quiet roads which are just perfect on a nice day. If you followed the advice of the earlier poster and did Newry to Portadown you'd be within fairly easy reach (ish) of rides which would take in much of the Ballinderry, Maghaberry, Aghagallon, Glenavy type area. I can't speak much for the Republic or the western side of the lough, but the whole area is well worth investigation.

The overnight ferry from Belfast to Liverpool is convenient, can't say I've ever cycled to the docks though. That route may require research as by car it's motorway - all the way.

This has been really useful everyone, thanks.

Hi folks - a week or so tour of inland Brittany is the plan during early-mid September, starting and ending at Roscoff for the Plymouth ferry. My requirements are quiet roads (preferred to cycle paths), campsites within easy reach of small towns or villages with decent places to eat and have a beer or two and a daily mileage which gives me not much more than perhaps five or six hours peddling a day. I've begun to earmark overnight stops at Chateaulin, Concarneau, Vannes, Loudeac, Callac and Morlaix before return to Roscoff but would appreciate any guidance from experienced hands on must-sees and must-avoids.

All and any hints and tips will be very gratefully accepted!

I live at Torrington and yes, hills are the main thing to be prepared for. A route north to Barnstaple is a pleasant enough flat ride on the Tarka Trail and the path continues nicely as far as Braunton; I've never been any further. I wouldn't bother too much with the trail south of Torrington to Meeth; the surface is quite poor, but by that stage you will be near excellent cycling roads (though they require a toll in sweat and tears!) for Monkleigh, Weare Giffard, back routes to Bideford etc. My chosen method is generally to get ordnance survey maps out and head for the quiet roads and lanes, from which you'll never be far away, and make it up as you go along. I second the advice about avoiding at all costs the A361 and the A39. Overall, the area has difficult but very rewarding cycling, I have found since moving here.

I can't speak for the cycling in that part of the world -though I'm planning a Tirana - Istanbul trip later this year without bike - but I can vouch for Sarajevo for a break from the saddle for a day or two. A fantastic city.

Fantastic responses, thanks very much everybody. I'm no hill enthusiast myself so I suppose there is the option of using the train from San Sebastian to Santander, possibly via Bilbao if it's worth a stop. I'll do more research into Bor(e)deaux; the Paulliac option is attractive, as would be a couple of days of pannier-less wine country circular routes. I'll peruse the links folks have kindly provided and come up with some kind of adaptable itinerary to work round. Cheers!

OK folks, putting the finishing touches to the planning for this tour, hopefully May (ish). Ferry from Plymouth to Santander / Roscoff, haven't decided yet. Has anyone any tips on that, incidentally? The only thing comes to mind just now is that if I find myself behind schedule I don't want to get stuck at the Spain end; the ferry runs only twice a week, I believe. But if north to south is a markedly better route, I'll happily do it that way.

So...main question is suggested stops. Planned mileage would be, well, anything between 45 and 80 a day depending on how far apart desirable stops are. It isn't all about the cycling. Only strong desires thus far are two day mini city breaks in Bordeaux and Bilbao, but other than that I'm all ears. I like small towns with a bite to eat and a beer or two, certainly doesn't have to be rural overnights. I will be camping I expect, am happy to camp wild where needed or check into a hotel/B &B type establishment every now and again.

I know this is a fairly popular route, so if anybody can recommend stops or any general route advice or miscellaneous tips, I'm all ears. Thanks all!

We've very recently moved to Torrington, which you'd find if you continued another ten or so miles beyond South Molton. My advice wouldn't amount to anything (haven't even managed a ride in my new locale yet!!) other than to add my voice to those counselling avoidance of the A361 at all costs. Enjoy; South Molton is a pleasant wee town.

This is the legendary Seal Shore campsite at Kildonan on the Isle Of Arran. I am on there, down on the cyclists and walkers only front section if you have a magnifying glass.



The following night at a semi-official site a mile or so outside Brodick.

Arran is really first class as far as cycling is concerned.

It was a very mild derogatory word!! Rhymed with titch! OK, OK...challenging climb outside Lochranza...

Thoroughly enjoyed Arran last month, though I missed the string road as I did the loop clockwise. Bitch of a climb leaving Lochranza. It's a 56 mile loop just about, so do-able in a day if you arrive early enoughto give you a chance to get the last ferry back to Ardrossan. If you wish to use the string road to do essentially half a loop, I suppose it's a toss up between clockwise or anti. Climbs would be about equal I suppose. Depends if you like gently rolling greenery (south) or the barren dramatic landscape of the north. You'll see why they call it Scotland in minature.

Well, we bought a tourer and a hybrid for ourselves earlier in the year and found that it was a struggle, especially for the tourer. There was nowhere in Northern Ireland which did tourers apparently, the Republic wasn't any better. Without the luxury of spare days and funds to get over to the mainland and shop around, I had to buy blind and have it delivered from a place in Cardiff based on as much prior research as possible. I was lucky; I love my choice (Claud Butler Regent) and it has performed admirably. As for attire, you wont get me in lycra for all the tea in China. I tend to wear an ordinary t shirt with optional lightweight fleece depending on weather with a waterproof packamac which fits in my wee handlebar bag just in case, padded shorts and something like Craghopper walking trousers over the top if it's chilly. I don't particularly gain any benefit from cycling shoes so I'm happy with ordinary running shoes. Wouldn't suit everybody, but the point I make is that so long as you chose a bike which suits your requirements, there aren't too many other significant concerns, especially to inexperienced folks without vast knowledge like me .

PS Just on mudguards; my front one got bent in the back of my car and has been slung out; this was about two months ago and I've planned to get a relacement, but to be honest I haven't really missed it. I acknowledge though that autumn/winter time will probably hurry me up.

Thanks everybody. I've chosen a set - the Cateye HL-EL320 and TL-LD610. They came in a set, were half price ( ) and look compact enough to squeeze on anywhere, a key consideration when I'm touring rather than commuting or on day rides. I also have a head torch somewhere I'll dig out. Thanks again for the responses folks, big help. I note the advice about having alternatives to hand as well!