Finding new local routes

[Si]

Is it just me?

When I go out for a leisure ride I tend to stick to a mish mash of mostly quiet roads, parks and cycle paths. But the last three weeks all the parks have been jam packed with people - impossible to keep 2m apart plus need to ride very slowly. Thus having to re-access my 'go-to' routes and have started using my old commuting routes that I was on 10-15 years ago before the new paths were put in. On many of them the traffic is lower than normal...and riding around Brum city centre is just spooky.

But it is strange - wanting to ride somewhere local and having to scratch head and think about the route before setting out.

[PH]

Maybe you need a theme, I've been ticking off local trigpoints with the help of this website
http://trigpointing.uk/
There's a lot more of them than I though and obviously they're all uphill.

[Si]

I was doing some work that required using the NHLE website recently (https://historicengland.org.uk/listing/the-list/) - tempted to try to ride to every listed building in my area!

[PH]

I was doing some work that required using the NHLE website recently (https://historicengland.org.uk/listing/the-list/) - tempted to try to ride to every listed building in my area!

Thanks, I can see that being many hours of fun, both looking and riding.

[eileithyia]

I've also been coming up with variations on a theme and finding little add-ons to normal routes, or breaking out the MTBs to explore some nearer routes less often used.

[Pete Owens]

One thing that is worth including are the sort of busy A roads you would normally try to avoid.

[Cyril Haearn]

I dinnae mind riding the same routes again and again, the light and colours change from hour to hour, the trees change from day to day now in spring

[rmurphy195]

I have an excellent Ordnance Survey map from the OS Historical range called "Ancient Britain" that just oozes with places to see

https://www.ordnancesurvey.co.uk/shop/maps/old-maps.html

[Mike Sales]

I have an excellent Ordnance Survey map from the OS Historical range called "Ancient Britain" that just oozes with places to see

https://www.ordnancesurvey.co.uk/shop/maps/old-maps.html

They do a "Roman Britain" too.

[Campag]

I've been re-visiting local roads that I used to ride quite regularly. Over recent years not so much as I have focussed on audax and used the car to travel short distances so that I can cycle on different roads.

It has been quite pleasant with the good weather and less traffic. I suppose if I wanted to add interest a look at that old OS maps site would be worthwhile. An obvious theme for me would be coal mines. In the 1940's there were more than 100 in County Durham, a lot of these would be in reach of a short local ride. No obvious trace for many of them now although most of the former pit villages will have a memorial of some sort.

[mjr]

One thing that is worth including are the sort of busy A roads you would normally try to avoid.

Or even routes crossing them. I rode a bridleway that has been on my "I should check that for rideability" list for ages, but it crosses the busy A47T on the brow of a hill where you'd usually wait ages. I've ridden it twice, straight across with no vehicles in sight both times. The first time, I was rewarded with a view the photo doesn't quite do justice to.

[gaz]

A recent 'reward'.

A combination of exploring without a map and poor waymarking by the local authority meant that Mrs gaz and I ended up walking our bikes on a footpath and permissive path across a farmyard rather than riding the footpath that uses the adjacent industrial road.

Had the latter been properly marked I'd have chosen it, glad now that it wasn't.

Sleepy time.

Run to mama.

[foxyrider]

i've certainly been tempted into using bits of road that i'd otherwise avoid due to traffic - in an attempt to avoid the increased traffic on the usually quieter lanes/trails.

Sometimes though you realise that it wasn't just the traffic you were avoiding but some horrible climb or bizarre junction.

[Grandad]

Part way round a recent ride I realised that I had not replaced the pump on the bike after mending a puncture at home. I'd been using the usual selection of narrow potholed gravel infested lanes so a puncture would not be a complete surprise. In a minor panic I headed to the nearest A road and home. The first time I have used it for over 10 years. The very light traffic was no problem but the hills hadn't got any easier.

[philvantwo]

You'll have to invest in some C02 canisters like that chap down in Devon, what's his name?...............Oh yeah, mick f!