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Go easy on the Lycra and the mileage by choosing one of these 10 great bike rides, taking in sleepy villages, cosy pubs and the best of the English countryside MORTEHOE TO CROYDE, NORTH DEVON 22 miles approx Mortehoe is one of those places where it’s difficult to worry about anything – except, perhaps, where your next ice-cream is coming from. Beginning at the bright-and-breezy Victoria House B&B, you glide down a silky-smooth road with the bay stretching out to infinity on your right. The pedalling soon pays off when you get your first glimpse of the beach: golden sand and small waves foaming excitedly as they race each other to the shore. In the distance you’ll see Baggy Point jutting out to sea; beyond this lies Croyde (and lunch). Cruising through Woolacombe and on along a cliff-top path, you’re soon dropping down into Croyde for an afternoon of stretching out on the sand. For lunch, how about a burger in Blue Groove (01271 890111, blue-groove.co.uk )? Sit on the terrace and gaze out over the water. From here it’s a pootle back through Georgeham and down into Woolacombe, heading back to Mortehoe in your own time. Stop and see Croyde Bay – help yourself to 800m of golden sand. There’s an alleyway beside Billy Budd’s pub leading to the sea Eat, drink, sleep Victoria House (01271 871302, victoriahousebandb.co.uk , doubles from £110) has two smart rooms (dark wood and sumptuous linen) plus a kooky beach house with private terrace overlooking the bay Rent Otter Cycle Hire in Braunton (01271 813339) Head downhill and left from Victoria House, following the coast to Woolacombe. At the first junction (in Woolacombe), turn right and head up Challacombe Hill. Take first right, into Marine Drive car park; follow it along the coast and on to the dirt path, until you emerge on to a road. Take next right, signposted Croyde. Arrive in Croyde, at a junction by the car showroom. Turn left for Georgeham (or straight on for the beach, which is down an alleyway beside Billy Budd’s pub). Cycle through Georgeham, past the Lower House pub, and pass the sign for Pickwell. Ignore the signs for Woolacombe, and take a left fork to descend the steep hill into Woolacombe. Now retrace your steps back to Mortehoe. TETBURY TO SHERSTON, COTSWOLDS 13 miles approx Take any road out of Tetbury and you’ll be cruising along quiet country lanes within five minutes. But if it’s pretty pubs and real ale you’re after, head past the church and freewheel down over Bath Bridge. Coasting along with the summer smell of fresh-cut grass wafting your way, you’ll soon be arriving at the blink-and-you’ll-miss-it village of Shipton Moyne. It’s home to the strangely named Cat and Custard Pot pub, where the ale of choice is Wadworth 6X – brewed down the road in Devizes. On sunny days, you can sit on the wall outside and watch people on horses clip-clop past. Suitably refreshed, pedal onward through Easton Grey (the village that time forgot) and on to Sherston, for a plate of Malmesbury Gold sausages at the 16th-century Rattlebone Inn (01666 840871, therattlebone.co.uk ). Post-lunch, you take a peaceful back road over to Westonbirt Arboretum – which is awash with pink, white and purple blossoms each spring – then on to the nearby Hare and Hounds Hotel (01666 881000, tinyurl.com/43udh7x ), which serves the best lemon drizzle cake in the world (fact!). It’s now just an easy three miles back to Tetbury. Stop and see Westonbirt Arboretum ( forestry.gov.uk/westonbirt ) has scenic walks that thread their way through one of the biggest collections of trees in the world Eat, drink, sleep Delicious local food, lip-smacking beers and well-kept, comfy rooms await at the Priory Inn (01666 502251, theprioryinn.co.uk , doubles from £109) in Tetbury Rent Go-By-Cycle in Somerford Keynes (07970 419208, go-by-cycle.co.uk ) Head left from the Priory Inn and follow the road up into the town. Turn right at the town hall and out past the church. Turn left after a mile or so, signposted Shipton Moyne. Follow the road until you reach the Cat and Custard Pot. A hundred metres past the pub, take the right fork. Take the first left, pass a couple of farms and reach the main road. Turn left, then immediately right, into Easton Grey. Pass through the village and turn right, signposted Sherston. Follow the road for 1.5 miles and turn right at the small grass triangle. Drop downhill and turn right at the Give Way sign, for Sherston. Turn left at the crossroads, pass the Carpenter’s Arms and arrive at the Rattlebone. From the Rattlebone, go back to the crossroads and turn left. Keep going for 2 miles until you reach the main road. Turn right for Westonbirt Arboretum – entrance on your left. Continue along the main road along to the Hare and Hounds. Turn left out of the Hare and Hounds, and left again (away from the main road): signposted Leighterton. Take the first right, signposted Tetbury. Pass Hookshouse Pottery ( hookshousepottery.co.uk ) on your left, after 1.5 miles. Continue past the pottery and keep going until the main road. Turn right (signposted Tetbury) and follow the road past the little church, until you reach a junction. Carry straight on to the Priory Inn, on your right. EAST END TO EAST BOLDRE, HAMPSHIRE 9 miles approx Despite its misleading name, the New Forest is actually pretty ancient. In fact it dates back to 1079, when William the Conqueror fenced the area as his own private hunting ground. Good thing he did, too, as it protected it from future development – creating some gorgeous cycling countryside. Heading right from the East End Arms, the rustic pub owned by Dire Straits bassist John Illsley, you emerge alongside the village “green” – a patch of untamed heathland that thumbs its nose at the neatness of the surrounding cottages. Making a right, you find head-high ferns that drop away to reveal ripe yellow wheat fields petering off into the distance. A few miles later you arrive at Buckler’s Hard, where many of Admiral Nelson’s ships were built in the 1800s. After a nose around the red brick cottages of this open-air-museum-cum-village – and perhaps a boat ride on the Beaulieu river – nip next door for lunch at the Master Builder’s (08448 153399, themasterbuilders.co.uk ). From here it’s a gentle pedal back to East End – via the Turfcutters Arms (01590 612331, the-turfcutters-new-forest.co.uk ) if you’re thirsty. Stop and see Buckler’s Hard maritime museum (bucklershard.co.uk ) Eat, drink, sleep The East End Arms (01590 626223, eastendarms.co.uk , doubles from £98) is a proper country pub with a touch of rock’n’roll. Food is top notch, and there are five upstairs rooms with flat-screen TVs Rent Cyclexperience in Brockenhurst (01590 623407, cyclex.co.uk ) Head right from the East End Arms into East End. Take the first right – on to St Leonards Road. Follow this for about 2.5 miles, passing St Leonards Grange on your left, then take the next right, signposted Buckler’s Hard. Keep going until you see a turning on your right for Buckler’s Hard. From Buckler’s Hard, follow the lane for 1.5 miles then take the second left, signposted East Boldre. Take the first right, signposted East Boldre. Turn left at the next junction, for East End (turn right if you want the Turfcutters Arms). Continue along this road for two miles, reaching East End. ALDBURY TO FRITHSDEN, HERTFORDSHIRE 15 miles approx Two idyllic pubs, pretty parkland and a quiet towpath along the canal … This scenic ride, just a stone’s throw from London, has a bit of everything – including a small vineyard tucked away in a valley ( frithsdenvineyard.co.uk ). Setting off from the Greyhound Inn in Aldbury, you gently climb out of the village and cruise through the scenic Ashridge Estate, before gliding downhill to arrive at the Alford Arms (01442 864480, alfordarmsfrithsden.co.uk ). A sumptuous plate of slow-roasted garlic and rosemary lamb will have you refuelled and raring to go; the post-lunch route takes you through Berkhamsted, where you could stop off for a look round the castle ruins. It’s here that William the Conqueror received word of the English surrender after the Battle of Hastings. From here it’s an easy pedal along the canal. A couple of miles later you peel off and loop back to the Greyhound for another delicious meal. Stop and see Climb to the top of the Bridgewater Monument on the Ashridge Estate ( nationaltrust.org.uk ) for a cracking view out over the Chilterns, and have a cuppa in the cafe Eat, drink, sleep Ensconced in the centre of Aldbury, just up the road from the village pond, the cosy Greyhound Inn (01442 851228, greyhoundaldbury.co.uk , doubles from £75) has eight bedrooms and a fab menu, with dishes such as pea and mint risotto Rent Mountain Mania Cycles in Tring (01442 822458, mountainmaniacycles.co.uk ) Turn right from the Greyhound Inn, then left at the junction by the pond, on to Toms Hill Road. Follow the hill up to the junction at the top: turn left towards Dagnall. Turn right for Ashridge College after nearly two miles. A mile later, turn right again for Ashridge College (by the memorial). Continue through the Ashridge Estate, passing the college and dropping downhill. Take the next left, for Frithsden. Pass the Alford Arms and turn right at the next junction, towards Berkhamsted. At the crossroads, turn right towards Berkhamsted. Take the next left, for Berkhamsted. Follow New Road downhill into Berkhamsted. Go under the railway bridge and turn right on the other side – on to Station Road/Lower Kings Road. Shortly after, there’s a bridge over the canal on your left; take the ramp on to the towpath – keeping the canal on your right. At Dudswell Lane – after about two miles – cross over the bridge and continue on the right-hand side of the canal. At the second bridge (about a mile later), bear right to leave the towpath – and turn right at the road. Follow this back to Aldbury – passing the Valiant Trooper pub. FOULSHAM TO HEYDON, NORFOLK 12 miles approx The shepherd’s hut at Norfolk Courtyard B&B is as rudimentary as you can get while still having a roof over your head. There’s (just) enough space for two, a fold-out table and a tiny wooden shelf bed with a small crate underneath. The latter was formerly a cot for orphaned lambs, but is conveniently sized for a holdall. Heading left from the driveway and out through Foulsham village, you find yourself in a network of tiny lanes that thread their way between the fields. Cruising through Guestwick, you pass a 12th-century church where rabbits dart about between the gravestones, before arriving in Heydon. This is probably the prettiest village in England: a clutch of red-brick cottages gathered around the green – all of them in pristine nick. It’s as if someone stopped the clocks here sometime in the 1700s. Pause at the Earle Arms pub (01263 587376, earlearms.vpweb.co.uk ) for lunch (or elevenses in the tearoom), before looping back to Foulsham via the hamlets of Salle and Wood Dalling. Best of all, there’s not a single hill. Stop and see The Village Teashop at Heydon has lacy tablecloths, Victoria sponges and other chintzy treats ( heydonvillageteashop.co.uk ) Eat, drink, sleep If the shepherd’s hut (£85 a night) at Norfolk Courtyard (01362 683333, norfolkcourtyard.co.uk ) isn’t your bag, how about one of its luxury B&B rooms (doubles from £80) with underfloor heating to keep your toes warm? Rent MPG Leisure in Fakenham (01328 853861, mpgleisure.com ) Head left from Norfolk Courtyard B&B and follow the road to Foulsham. In the village, fork right at Bank House (before the church) on to Reepham Road. Take the first left, on to Guestwick Road. This becomes Foulsham Road; then banks sharp left, becoming Station Road. Shortly after, the road turns hard right, becoming Old School Road. This takes you into Guestwick. Leaving the village, the road bends sharply right – signposted Wood Dalling and Cawston. This becomes Guestwick Road (again) and then Heydon Road, following the sign for Heydon. On Heydon Road take the fourth turning left (dead-end sign) to Heydon village. After Heydon, retrace steps to the crossroads and go straight over. Follow this lane until you reach the gatekeeper’s cottage opposite Salle Park Estate: turn right. Pass through the village and take first right, The Street. Stay on this road to Wood Dalling. At the church turn left on to Church Lane and follow to the end. Bear right on to Guestwick Lane (which becomes Reepham Road), and follow along until you come out opposite Guestwick church. Now turn left (following signs for Foulsham) and simply retrace your steps back. CLIFFORD CHAMBERS TO HIDCOTE GARDENS, WARWICKSHIRE 17 miles Stratford-upon-Avon may be famous for its Shakespearean connection, but the nearby hamlet of Clifford Chambers is allegedly the Bard’s true birthplace. Riding along the (one) street, you pass rows of red-brick cottages with immaculate topiary. Soon you’re peeling off along a bridleway, and pedalling on to Preston-on-Stour, where Nina serves up a mean beef and horseradish sandwich in the village shop. Washing it down with a cuppa in the sun-soaked garden, you probably won’t see a single car drive past. From here you press on to Hidcote Gardens, with its Arts-and-Crafts nooks and crannies. It’s worth nipping along the lane, too, to where thatched cottages encircle a small pond and white ducks snooze on the green. The route back to Clifford Chambers takes you through Ilmington – where the fish and chips at the Howard Arms (01608 682226, howardarms.com ) are to die for. Stop and see Bring a picnic to Hidcote Gardens ( nationaltrust.org ) and shut yourself off for an afternoon of peace and quiet Eat, drink, sleep Cross o’th’ Hill Farm (01789 204738, cross-o-th-hill-farm.com , doubles £94) has three spacious farmhouse rooms with great views Rent Stratford Bike Hire (07711 776340, stratfordbikehire.com ) From Cross o’ th’ Hill Farmcorrect, turn right on to the main road and follow for almost a mile. Then turn left for Clifford Chambers. Head down the street; at gates of big house, ahead, turn right on to bridleway. Follow this along the edge of the fields (left, left, right), emerging on to tarmac at Atherstone-on-Stour. Turn right. Follow road to Preston-on-Stour. Carry on through village, to crossroads: turn right. Turn right at junction after 2 miles. Take the next left. Follow road for 2.5 miles, passing entrance to Kiftsgate Court Gardens; take next left, signposted Hidcote Gardens. From Hidcote, retrace route back to junction opposite Kiftsgate Court Gardens; turn left for Hidcote Boyce. Follow road downhill and take next left, signposted Ilmington. Continue on to Ilmington, passing the Red Lion and the Howard Arms. Carry on out of village, following signs for Stratford. Pass entry sign for Wimpstone village, and turn left at crossroads – signposted Preston-on-Stour. At next junction go straight over, into Preston. Retrace route back through Preston, Atherstone-on-Stour, and across bridleway to Clifford Chambers and Cross o’ th’ Hill Farm. HEBDEN BRIDGE TO TODMORDEN, WEST YORKSHIRE 9 miles approx One of the first questions you ask yourself when you arrive in Hebden Bridge is, “How on earth am I going to get out of here without going uphill?” Tucked away in the Upper Calder Valley, the town is surrounded by steep (and I mean steep) wooded hillsides. But take a closer look, and you’ll find there’s Another Way: the Rochdale Canal. There are swans snoozing on the bank and a narrowboat gliding along silently up ahead. Half a mile later you’re outside the Stubbing Wharf pub, where groups of friends are gathered around tables, chatting in the sunshine – bikes leant against a nearby wall (unlocked). Before long you’re leaving the trappings of town life behind. At certain points, where the towpath sweeps right or left to follow the contours of the valley, you get fleeting glimpses of the moorland that lies beyond. Then, after four miles of hill-free cycling, you arrive in Todmorden and cross the bridge for a long lunch in the Golden Lion (01706 816333). Stop and see Sunshine and ales by the waterside … Be warned: if you stop at the Stubbing Wharf (01422 844107, stubbingwharf.com ) on your way out, you may not get much further Eat, drink, sleep Book into the swish Holme House (01422 847588, holmehousehebdenbridge.co.uk , doubles from £77) for fluffy towels and Gilchrist & Soames products. It’s approximately 17 seconds’ cycle from the canal Rent Blazing Saddles in Hebden Bridge (01422 844435, blazingsaddles.co.uk ) Turn left from Holme House and turn right when you reach canal towpath. Follow towpath for next 4.5 miles, to Todmorden. When you see the Golden Lion pub, on opposite side of canal, leave the path at the next bridge. To get back to Hebden Bridge, just retrace your steps. EAST WITTON TO JERVAULX ABBEY 11 miles approx Walking into the Blue Lion at East Witton is like winding the clock back 200 years. The old stone floors are worn from centuries of shuffling feet and the fireplace stained from countless roaring blazes. The countryside surrounding East Witton has hardly changed since then either. Within minutes you’re pootling over an old stone bridge that’s barely wide enough to fit a car, then on past freshly ploughed fields the colour of cocoa. It’s enough to get you thinking about food – chocolate ice-cream in particular – and a few easy miles later you’ll arrive at High Jervaulx Farm, where 30 flavours are on offer in the cafe. It’s all made fresh, the cream coming from cows chewing away in the nearby fields. On the way back to East Witton, why not stop off at Jervaulx Abbey ruins? They date back to 1156 ( jervaulxabbey.com ), making the Blue Lion look positively new-build. Stop and see Family-run High Jervaulx Farm ( abmoore.co.uk.about.htm ) is a dream come true for ice-cream junkies. Be sure to try the raspberry cheesecake flavour Eat, drink, sleep The Blue Lion (01969 624273, thebluelion.co.uk , doubles from £94) has 12 uniquely styled rooms and excellent food in its atmospheric bar. Rent Dales Mountain Biking in Richmond (01748 884908, dalesmountainbiking.co.uk ) Head right from the Blue Lion, towards Middleham, and follow A6108 out of village. Turn right opposite the Cover Bridge Inn – signposted Spennithorne. Carry on up lane for 1.5 miles to second crossroads: turn right towards Finghall. After three miles, turn right towards Jervaulx. At crossroads, go straight over, towards Jervaulx. At next junction after 1.5 miles, turn right towards Middleham – on to A6108 (for Brymor Ice Cream shop, turn left towards Masham). After half a mile on A6108 towards Middleham, you’ll reach a brown sign for Jervaulx Abbey. The Blue Lion is 1.5 miles further along this road. CONISTON TO LITTLE LANGDALE, CUMBRIA 7.5 miles approx You know you’re in the countryside when you find shed doors left wide open and the owners nowhere to be seen. Mind you, the only likely “intruders” at Yew Tree Farm – home to children’s author Beatrix Potter in the 1930s – would be one of the stray puddle-ducks waddling about the yard. Take the slate path leading from this 300-year-old idyll, and before long you arrive at a babbling brook. From here the landscape gets increasingly dramatic: craggy cliffs rise up on either side to meet dramatic, swirling clouds. Soon even the tarmac can’t hack it any more, reverting to dirt track as you pedal past a disused quarry. But just when it feels like you’ve disappeared off the radar, civilisation springs up across the valley: a wisp of smoke from the chimney at the Three Shires Inn. After sipping the froth off a pint of Old Man Ale, it’s back to Yew Tree Farm for a barbecue on the lawn. Stop and see Tucked away from the Lake District crowds, the Three Shires Inn (01539 437215, threeshiresinn.co.uk ) has been a favourite with thirsty walkers since the 19th century Eat, drink, sleep With stone floors, big comfy beds and Beatrix Potter’s old grandfather clock ticking away in the hall, Yew Tree Farm (01539 441433, yewtree-farm.com , doubles from £104) equals instant relaxation Rent Grizedale Mountain Bikes (01229 860369, grizedalemountainbikes.co.uk ) From the farm, turn left on to bridleway before you reach the road. Follow bridleway until you reach tarmac road by the stream; turn right. Stay on this road for 2 miles, passing the disused quarry, continuing on to woodland track then emerging on to tarmac by a farm. Follow road around left, dropping downhill into valley to reach a ford. Cross ford and follow lane; turn right at next junction, into Little Langdale. Three Shires Inn is just along on your left. From pub, retrace steps route back to ford and cross over. But instead of going back to the road, take first right, following blue cycle-path sign (“37″). Follow this track along edge of wood; after a quarter of a mile you’ll pass a slate slagheap on your right; trail follows edge of this, so do not fork left (which is slightly downhill). Shortly after, you reach another slagheap and climb uphill along slate path; here you join another trail coming from the right. Keep going. Reach a farmyard and go straight through, to rejoin tarmac road at hamlet of High Tilberthwaite. Follow this road through valley, until you reach junction with A593. Before you reaching road, turn left on to path running parallel with it. Path brings you out opposite bridleway by the stream, which you came along earlier. Simply retrace your steps back along it, to Yew Tree Farm. NORTH SUNDERLAND TO BAMBURGH, NORTHUMBERLAND 15 miles approx When you’re curled up on the sofa at St Cuthbert’s House, it’s hard to imagine that a local congregation once gathered here to worship. But when Jill and Jeff Sutheran bought this 200-year-old former Presbyterian church in 1998, they turned it into a snazzy B&B – the perfect base for a relaxed ride. For the first two miles or so you can ease back in the saddle, following the road that wiggles south-west on this circular route. Along the way you’ll pass a disused railway line – built by fishermen in the late 19th century to transport fish from nearby Seahouses to London. Before long you’re outside the Apple Inn at Lucker (01668 213450), where a hand-pulled pint will be yours. Then it’s just a short ride to Bamburgh, where you can stop at the castle for a walk through medieval history, or catch some rays at the beach. When you’ve had enough sea air, you’re only a couple of miles away from that sofa at St Cuthbert’s. Stop and see Bamburgh Castle ( bamburghcastle.com ) was once one of the most powerful places in England Eat, drink, sleep Stay at St Cuthbert’s House (01665 720456, stcuthbertshouse.com , doubles from £90), with six rooms, gourmet breakfasts and in-room massages Rent Boards and Bikes at Swinhoe (07563 040195, boardsandbikes.co.uk ) Head right from St Cuthbert’s House and stay on same road for two miles (following blue cycle route sign). At T-junction, turn right for Newham. About 400 metres later, turn left, signposted Newham. A mile or so later, you reach Newham: turn right towards Lucker. At next junction, turn left towards Warenford. Cross over railway line and turn right at crossroads, towards Lucker. Pass the Apple Inn, and bear right by the memorial, to leave village. At next junction, bear left. Shortly after this, the road bends sharp left – but you go straight on. At next junction, turn right and carry on for another half a mile, crossing railway again – before another junction: turn right towards Bradford. After passing through Bradford, you come to another junction: bear left, on to B1341. Follow this road into Bamburgh, to the castle. From castle, retrace your route, and at the Victoria Hotel turn into Ingram Road. After 2.5 miles turn left, following blue cycle route sign for Seahouses. Stay on this road until reaching T-junction on the edge of North Sunderland: turn right. At the next junction, turn right. St Cuthbert’s House is just along on your right. correct • These routes and 50 others feature in Matt Carroll’s Escape Routes (Punk Publishing, £16.95, escape-routes.co.uk ), a selection of stunning cycle rides around England Cycling holidays Day trips Short breaks Family holidays Devon Gloucestershire New Forest Norfolk Stratford-upon-Avon Lake District guardian.co.uk