your saddle to the correct height – too low is a very common mistake for novices, resulting in pain and unnecessary fatigue in the thighs. The saddle should be roughly hip-height and your leg should be almost (but not completely) extended at the bottom of the stroke.
If there is room and it is safe to do so, use the width of the route to zigzag. This eases the gradient and also helps to relieve monotony.
Off-road cycling
Grassy bridleway near Chavenage House (Route 19)
It takes time to get used to off-road riding but the following tips may help those who are new to the fun.
Initially set the saddle a little lower than usual – this lowers your centre of balance and psychologically feels safer.
The bike generally heads to the point you are looking at, so look at where you want to go (the route around the obstacle, not at the obstacle itself).
Stay loose, grip the saddle lightly with your thighs, and let your knees and arms act as natural shock absorbers. Allow the bike to move around underneath you; in time you will find you act as a natural counterbalance to it.
Often a bit of speed helps – but not so much that you couldn’t stop or swerve out of the way if something (or someone) is unexpectedly encountered.
Bike geometry makes a difference and it’s worth reading up on this. I personally found a longer-than-usual frame length made a great difference to my off-road skills; other people prefer the fast response of a more ‘twitchy’ shorter-framed bike.
How hard are the routes?
Descending on the bridleway near Berryfields Farm
Everyone has different opinions on what makes a route difficult. Some people consider long distance the hardest thing, others the gradient or length of the steepest hill, or maybe the roughness of the surface underwheel or the use of A-roads. The information boxes at the start of each section in this book help to show the overall difficulty of individual routes.
Terrain
The terrain statistics shown in the information boxes at the start of each route give some clue as to the amount of off-road involved.
‘Trails’ are purpose-made traffic-free cycle routes, such as Sustrans-style routes. Such sections tend to be gently graded with a smooth, firm (gravel or tarmac) surface.
‘Off-road’ is any other non-road (or sometimes a former road) section, which may be steeper, rougher and muddier – or just an unclassified bit of road. In technical terms, it’s a middle ground between ‘out and back’ totally car-free cycling and that which more properly falls into technical mountain biking. Hybrid bikes (often referred to as ‘sturdy’ bikes, although this term includes any road bike that isn’t too narrow-tyred or fragile to be taken off-road) should usually manage most off-road routes in dry conditions, except for rough sections. Most of these are highlighted in the route description, but remember that the condition of the ground is variable depending on prevailing weather conditions. Also see additional notes in the information box at the start of each route.
The routes use many of the region’s quiet lanes, bridleways, byways and ancient paths. You will need traffic sense as the routes do use public roads, but most are suitable for families with older children who have mastered the rules of the road sufficiently to be safe in traffic.
Grades
For the purpose of this guidebook I’ve graded the routes Easy, Moderate or Challenging according to the following criteria. However, while the harder routes tend to include more challenges, the terrain statistics show that the easy routes aren’t devoid of them!
‘Easy’ routes are relatively short (less than 25km), not overly steep and should not climb one hill after another (cumulative ascent no more than 300m). They only travel along A-roads for very short sections in urban centres (although they may well have to cross them, and other minor roads can be surprisingly busy). They will not usually have much off-road terrain; any off-road tends to be easier than that found on harder routes, but short sections may seem unrideable if you have limited experience of off-road cycling.
‘Moderate’ routes can be longer (14km to 45km), have steeper ascents and more hills in general (cumulative ascent no more than 500m); they may also have very steep downhills. They may tackle short sections of A-road (sometimes outside of urban areas) where needed to join up parts of a good circular route, and may encounter rougher terrain on a more frequent basis or for a longer duration (eg lumpy but solid surfaces, mud and loose stones). These more challenging sections will never last too long, but again, short sections may seem unrideable if you have limited experience of off-road cycling.
Everyone has their own opinion on what makes a route hard – here the off-road climb is tough but short (Route 2)
‘Challenging’ routes may feel noticeably harder than the other routes in the book. They are the longer routes (35km to 60km) and typically have more than 500m of cumulative ascent. Although they’re likely to include short sections of technical mountain biking (Routes 21 and 17 in particular), they are never out-and-out technical off-road routes. However, they may contain short sections that many riders will consider unrideable on an otherwise great route.
Day route vs multi-day route
Although no stage in Route 22 is tougher than a ‘challenging’ route, riders should not underestimate the cumulative effect of fatigue on a multi-day outing. On the other hand, its relatively few off-road sections are optional and it is well suited to all types of bike. Keen, fit and experienced riders, particularly those on road bikes, may well wish to compress this route into a two- or three-day challenge.
Wet conditions
After prolonged rain (and often in winter) many routes change character completely from their hard-baked summer surface. Woodland bridleways in particular are notoriously slow to dry. Some route descriptions give suggestions for on-road detours to avoid more awkward off-road sections; it is recommended that you use an OS map in conjunction with these. A few of the routes may be simply impractical in very wet conditions due to the amount and state of the off-road. On all surfaces, remember that braking distances should be considerably extended in the wet.
Using this guide
The bridleway between Aston Somerville and Childswickham (Route 5)
This guide describes 21 day routes and one multi-day route, arranged roughly in order of difficulty from easy through to challenging. To find a route to suit your location and your ability, check the table in Appendix A. Timings are not given for routes because the variation between those who like to amble along enjoying the scenery and those who want to do the route with head down and flat out is simply too great. Also, your speed on any given route or day will vary based a whole variety of things such as terrain, poor weather (including it being too hot or facing a headwind) and fatigue.
As a vague rule of thumb, the day routes in this book are designed to occupy from a fairly leisurely half day (easier/shorter routes) to a full day (moderate/challenging, longer or particularly off-road routes), with stops for refreshments.
At-a-glance information is provided in a box at the beginning of each route: start/finish (OS map reference and place name); distance; total ascent and descent; grade; terrain (percentages of road/trail/off-road); refreshment, parking and cycle hire options; suitability for road bikes; details of connecting routes; and any additional notes relevant to the route. Route 22 (multi-day) also includes accommodation options. Clear route maps at 1:100,000 (1cm to 1km) and also simple profiles