New to cycle rides- advice appreciated

[swfcdan]

I've only done mainly cycling to commute in the past, along with some local rides, but now I'm looking to try some different cycle routes mainly around northern England.

But I'm struggling with planning. A lot of routes I find often look good but they are one way (not circular) routes and quite long so I wouldn't want to/be able to return the same day. Are these routes all intended to be returned on same day, or else how can they work? Planning a stay over and then return next day isn't easy for some like me who find it hard to plan these things- and I don't really want to be carrying overnight gear when doing a ride, I just want some nice one-day rides and nothing too challenging/hilly. For instance how to plan a route on the trans-pennine trail- any advice there?

The circular routes are of course the best, but I'm not finding all that many of them. Can anyone recommend some good ones or a site showing some? I'd obviously prefer car-free routes along most as much as possible, as one big motivation to do these is to be able to cycle free from traffic. And I'm wanting easy/moderate difficulty rides, but most importantly easy to follow and mainly on cycle network routes so I can enjoy the ride and not worry about getting lost

And then there's the issue of transporting the bike. Is taking a bike on trains allowing during these Covid times, if so how to go about that? I think I'd be better off using a car but find my bike rack a pain in the behind to fit and it's come loose when driving before. Can just about fit it in the boot with back seats down though, and that isn't easy to get in either being a large bike but might just be the best way?

[Bullseye]

Hello mate, you could try your local council as they may have local groups who organise rides in your area.
I have the cycle streets app which is extremely good at highlighting the quiet routes in any area. I look at the map and I could plan a route anywhere using that app. I must add that I form the loop myself but I do know the app does A to B route planning as well. Good luck with it.

[Mr.Benton]

Have you tried one of the many apps or websites to plan rides ?
I use cycle.travel website which is excellent, it will even suggest rides from your chosen location.
I also use komoot, which will plan routes for you with a start and destination, as well as recommending places to visit and other peoples rides.

The sustrans website https://www.sustrans.org.uk/ has a maps section https://osmaps.ordnancesurvey.co.uk/52.56000,-2.31946,7 that gives a good overview of their routes, and they also sell these regional paper maps which I quite like https://shop.sustrans.org.uk/maps-and-guidebooks/maps

Bikes on trains is possible, there are lots of threads on this forum discussing the topic. I think it depends on the rail route and operator as to how easy it is.

My bike fits better in the car if I remove the front wheel. It is easier than using the bike rack, which I only use if the car is full of other stuff.

[Traction_man]

for planning routes and while on a ride I'd always have an Ordnance Survey map, either 1:50,000 or 1:25,000 scale (https://shop.ordnancesurvey.co.uk/map-s ... eet-viewer), but I also find this a useful for online route-planning:

https://www.opencyclemap.org/

eg

https://www.opencyclemap.org/?zoom=11&l ... yers=B0000

the map key shows different routes including NCNs.

all the best,

Keith

[DevonDamo]

...Can anyone recommend some good ones or a site showing some?...

My preference, even if I were unhappy about being on roads with traffic, would always be to go from my front door rather than transport the bike by car or train. You'll be amazed at the traffic-free ways you can get to where you want - it just takes a little bit of online research. This saves a load of hassle, and means you're able to have a beer or two en route without worrying about being breathalysed.

To find routes online, I'd do the following:

1. Use one of the many websites which show cycle routes, e.g. Google Maps (with the cycling layer activated), www.cyclestreets.net or cycle.travel
2. Cobble together a roughly circular route which starts and finishes as near to your home as possible. The above websites will provide info to help you decide whether these are routes you'd be happy with, e.g. whether they are busy, traffic-free or signed cycle routes e.g. NCN routes.
3. Finally, use the Streetview function in Google Maps to find a route from your front door to and from this circular route. You'll be able to find whether there are shared-use footpaths or on-road bike-paths to keep you out of the traffic. (You'll always get arguments on here about this sort of thing, but it's up to you whether you prefer to be on a bike path or the road, and Streetview allows you to identify the routes that you'd be happy cycling on.)

You can scribble directions on a bit of paper, or there are ways to export routes so you can view them on one of your phone's sat nav apps. Google is your friend when it comes to working out how to do this, e.g. search for 'importing a route to Google maps app.' If you're really keen to avoid traffic, then do your first few trips after 7pm which will give you a chance to find all the little hidden back routes while the roads are quieter. The more you do it, the easier it gets as you learn all the bike-friendly routes around you - every time I'm staying at a new town for work, I go through this process and even in the most hellish urban jungle, you'll always be able to connect up a bunch of quiet streets, underpasses, bike paths etc. to get where you want.

[Oldjohnw]

I use this to plan routes. You can ask it to suggest routes of varying length.


https://cycle.travel/

[backnotes]

If you tell us (roughly) where you are based, people may be able to suggest a local club / group, or you can find some but not all local groups using this map https://www.cyclinguk.org/groups-listing

You can then ask if they have any suggested routes. Some groups may have a website with suggested circular rides - here's one local to me https://ctccambridge.org.uk/routelibrary - absolutely no use to you as it is not in the North, but a local (to you) club may have something similar.

As above, there are lots of different ride planning apps, each with a loyal following. I use https://ridewithgps.com and the free version of that lets you browse for routes other people have created. You can search for routes within a set distance of your location, and filter by length and climbing etc. This can be a source of ideas, but one person's idea of a nice safe route may not match yours so "buyer beware" applies!

CycleStreets (mentioned above) is good as it gives you quiet / balanced / fastest route options. Cycling UK use that here https://www.cyclinguk.org/journey-planner. There are also some county guides with links to local groups https://www.cyclinguk.org/routes/county ... ing-guides and an assortment of rides of different lengths here https://www.cyclinguk.org/140-routes

Hope you find and enjoy some good local rides!

[Vorpal]

I've learned all the best routes from other cyclists in the area.

A few I have learned just by exploring with an Ordnance Survey map.

I have sometimes found that if I go down cul-de-sacs, towards schools or parks, or into housing estates that there are routes that aren't always obvious on a map. Also, small rural lanes and byways open to all traffic (aka BOATs) are often quiet routes, though surface quality on BOATs can vary considerably.

As for day tours with train, it can be fun, but you may find it easier to take a train & ride home or vice versa. Most rail companies have some form of cycle carriage, but it varies considerably in quality & ease of booking. If you check the cycle carriage policy of train companies for which you have stations nearby, you may find that one is easier than the others, then you can look for rides to/from or near their other stops.

cycle.travel is a good route planning tool, but it uses an algorithm to determine a balanced route that includes off-road, relatively quiet roads, etc.

https://www.cyclestreets.net/ allows you to choose a 'quiet' alternative, which prefers routes that are not shared with motor traffic. However, it does not have good information about surface conditions everywhere, and 'quiet' is likely to include unpaved surfaces, tow paths, and the like.

[Paradiddle]

Lots of good advice already.

Just want to add that you can also search for routes on Komoot. Proven, pre-made routes are best but you can always plan your own and take bits from other people's routes. If you plan your own you can either create a copy of their map and adjust as necessary. Or if you're starting completely from scratch then start on the Komoot route planner; add your start and destination points and go from there. As already mentioned I would do a bit of a walkthrough on Streetview once you have the rough map. If there are dodgy roads or junctions then you can always change it.

If not going for a circular route, I would aim for a train station. It's usually fairly easy to search the policy on bikes on the train. Make sure you have a plan if things go wrong and let someone know of your whereabouts. It's also best to use a phone app or cycle GPS to help you navigate. Saves you from stopping to check.

I recently went for my first long cycle ride and got lots of great advice from this forum:
viewtopic.php?t=145377

[Vorpal]

If not going for a circular route, I would aim for a train station. It's usually fairly easy to search the policy on bikes on the train. Make sure you have a plan if things go wrong and let someone know of your whereabouts. It's also best to use a phone app or cycle GPS to help you navigate. Saves you from stopping to check.

I think the GPS thing is a personal preference. I like to use a combination because I find it much easier to orient myself in an area & make impromptu changes with a paper map. A GPS/phone app can be nice for directions, though.

Also, batteries run out, phones get dropped, etc. It's best to have paper back-up even if you don't plan to use it.

[Paradiddle]

I think the GPS thing is a personal preference. I like to use a combination because I find it much easier to orient myself in an area & make impromptu changes with a paper map. A GPS/phone app can be nice for directions, though.

Also, batteries run out, phones get dropped, etc. It's best to have paper back-up even if you don't plan to use it.

That’s true. To each their own. I personally find it easier but I do sometimes bring paper maps as a backup too.


Sorry about the previous post. That was a mis-tap


I'm a trendy consumer. Just look at my wobbly bog brush using hovercraft full of eels

[richardfm]

If you want to ride locally, with others you could sign up here https://letsride.co.uk/

[mattsccm]

Ride with GPS shows stacks of saved rides as does Strava. You'll have to register for both but at the basic level it is free.

[eileithyia]

As someone else has said, what area? Northern covers a whole range of possibilities. Around Preston we have the Guild Wheel, accessible by train.

[keyboardmonkey]

As mentioned already 'north' covers a rather large area. Anyway, without knowing more about the OP's needs etc I'm just going to recycle a contribution I made to an earlier thread:

Not sure what accommodation the OP is looking for and at what budget. Anyway, this is an extract from a reply I made to another thread:

... Something like staying in a pub from (we hope) March onwards... If someone was staying near me my suggestion might the highest pub in the Yorkshire Wolds: the Wolds Inn, Huggate. Less than £200 in accommodation for a four-night stay if it's just you plus grub and your fuel to get there and back...

... Staying in this part of Yorkshire (or Pocklington or Sledmere etc.) means that as well as exploring the unspoilt Yorkshire Wolds you have access to the North York Moors, the 'heritage' coast (e.g. Flamborough and Bempton) as well as being able to cycle over the best bridge in the world for a spot of coffee and cake in North Lincolnshire (or flapjack from a petrol station if things are still a bit grim)...

...

Sticking with a fixed base in the Yorkshire Wolds I'd be looking for a self-catering cottage [or pub] or similar. Looking at this web site with the filters 'Yorkshire Wolds' and 'self-catering...

https://www.visiteastyorkshire.co.uk/ac ... &poly=3271

... I'd be going for somewhere in these places from those currently available:

Huggate
Goodmanham
West Lutton
Sledmere
Helperthorpe
Pocklington
South Dalton.

Prices/availability may have changed, but for anyone in the 'north' looking for quiet routes and varied terrain then the Yorkshire Wolds is, IMHO, ideal. If the OP fancies a fixed base (either fairly close to a railway station or just somewhere to park the car) I could put together a week's worth of rides from somewhere like Huggate, Pocklington, Goodmanham if we had an idea of the following:

a) ideal distance of each day ride/loop
b) refreshment stop requirements

Visit East Yorkshire used to link to a more official web site for cycling in the area, but now points to this one, where more information can be found...

https://www.yorkshirewoldscycleroute.co ... hire-wolds

Oh, and at this link the map is out of stock, but in any case can be had for cheaper elsewhere:

https://www.stanfords.co.uk/yorkshire-w ... 1900623452