Good UK mini-cycling break destinations?

Yost

Me and a mate are looking at heading somewhere for a spot of cycling for a couple of days next year, either in England (preferably West/South West) or Wales. I guess we would look at something like a couple of days doing 80-100 miles per day, and the final day a bit shorter, maybe 50 miles. We are both relatively new to cycling, I completed my first 100 miler at Ride London last week fairly comfortably, so we might struggle with anything too challenging (I am thinking big hills/mountains here). Basically looking for somewhere scenic with maybe some hills thrown in, road cyclist friendly. It wouldn't be a problem if we relocated our base/hotel from one place to another after each ride as long as it was in the vicinity.

So, any suggestions where would be good to try? I am in East Anglia, and was thinking Devon or South Wales, but open to other suggestions....

mercia_man

Devon has busy roads and steep hills. You may find the up and down cycling there tougher than if you went to real mountains like Snowdonia. And the traffic in Devon's narrow lanes is a nightmare in the holiday season.

South Wales, such as Pembrokeshire, could be a good option. The Welsh border country around Shropshire and Herefordshire (my neck of the woods) is a great cycling area and a shorter journey for you to get there than Pembrokeshire. You could base yourself at somewhere like Ludlow, a beautiful and interesting town with good places to eat and drink, with plenty of scope for harder hilly riding into Wales and the south Shropshire hills or easier more rolling riding east and into north Herefordshire. All this area is attractive unspoilt countryside with quiet roads. Further south on the Welsh border is another good base at Hay on Wye, with plenty of nice cycling in the Golden Valley and over Hay Bluff.

Yost

[url=http://www.bikeradar.com/forums/viewtopic.php?p=19677276#p19677276]Mercia Man[/url] wrote:

Devon has busy roads and steep hills. You may find the up and down cycling there tougher than if you went to real mountains like Snowdonia. And the traffic in Devon's narrow lanes is a nightmare in the holiday season.

South Wales, such as Pembrokeshire, could be a good option. The Welsh border country around Shropshire and Herefordshire (my neck of the woods) is a great cycling area and a shorter journey for you to get there than Pembrokeshire. You could base yourself at somewhere like Ludlow, a beautiful and interesting town with good places to eat and drink, with plenty of scope for harder hilly riding into Wales and the south Shropshire hills or easier more rolling riding east and into north Herefordshire. All this area is attractive unspoilt countryside with quiet roads. Further south on the Welsh border is another good base at Hay on Wye, with plenty of nice cycling in the Golden Valley and over Hay Bluff.

Thanks for this. Useful stuff. Will research your suggestions.

whoof

There are some nice rides in Wales, I was there last week.

However don't discount Devon, having lived there for a number of years I know there are plenty of lovely routes that are quiet in the summer.

The Devon Coast to Coast is 99 miles from Ilfracombe to Plymouth. You could ride to Okehampton on the first day stay at the YHA the go to Plymouth and take the train back to Barnstaple before riding the 12 miles back to Ilfracombe to pick up your car if you are driving. If you don't want to drive you can get the train direct to Barnstaple and return home from Plymouth.

http://www.sustrans.org.uk/ncn/map/route/devon-coast-to-coast

andymiller

If you fancy the West Country there's Somerset where the hills aren't as steep as Devon and Cornwall. You could take the train to Bristol Temple Meads and then the NCN from there to Chew Magna.

There's this route for example:

http://www.discoversouthsomerset.com/media/63892/2011_cycle_route_final_version.pdf

There's lots of potential on your own doorstep though: there's some beautiful riding in Suffolk/Norfolk and Essex. If you've only got a couple of days then there's a lot to be said for *not* having to spend a couple of days travelling there and back.