Cycling doesn’t have to be all about endurance, speed and derring-do – it’s also an activity that can be relaxing and even meditative. These five routes are perfect for those looking to take on longer rides at a gentler pace
More and more people are rediscovering cycling as a gentle way to exercise and explore new places on their own steam. Cycling lets us experience our surroundings in new ways – from the sights and smells we might miss in the car, to the simple pleasure of feeling the wind in our hair. It’s also something just about anyone can enjoy: cycling is non-weight bearing, and for many people it’s easier than walking. There are also bikes to suit most needs. With some great, flat, traffic-free or low-traffic routes across the UK that you can enjoy at a gentle pace, inspiration and adventure are just around the corner.
Camel Trail
Distance: 18 miles
Start: Padstow
End: Wenford Bridge
Time taken to cycle: one-and-a-half to two hours without stops
A lone sheep grazing on scrubby grass on the south downs Photograph: Alamy Stock Photo
The Camel Trail is one of the UK’s best-loved cycle trails, not least with families, for its beautiful waterside scenery and wealth of wildlife. From picturesque Padstow it follows the Camel estuary’s shore, a designated Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty, and home to little egrets, peregrines, ospreys and kingfishers. The delightful riveted Little Petherick creek bridge once served the former railway line. After an on-road section through Wadebridge it wends through wooded country beside the River Camel, past Bodmin, before briefly skirting Bodmin Moor, to Wenford Bridge.
Pit stop
Treats on Trikes is a traditional tea, cake and ice cream vendor on a tricycle, midway between Padstow and Wadebridge, at Penquean quarry.
Three Parks Trail, Wales
Distance: 13 miles
Start: Sirhowy valley country park
End: Taff Bargoed park
Time to cycle: one to one-and-a-half hours without stops
Explore three south Wales valleys parks by bike. Starting at Sirhowy valley country park, north-west of Newport, you’ll follow a former railway line over the listed Hengoed viaduct, with its 16 towering arches, and past the Wheel o Drams, an 8-metre tall circular sculpture of mining carts. Penallta country park once housed the deepest pit in the south Wales coalfields, and now features viewpoints, wetlands, and the UK’s largest earth sculpture – Sultan the Pit Pony (above, top left). You’ll finish in Taff Bargoed park, once three pits, and now a wildlife haven perfect for a riverside picnic. There are train stations at Crosskeys, Hengoed and Quakers Yard.
Pit stops
Lord Nelson Inn, Commercial St, Nelson, Treharris.
Cafe on the Rock, the Old Drift Mine, Trelewis, Treharris.
The Deeside Way, Aberdeenshire
Distance: 10.6 miles
Start: Aberdeen station
End: Drumoak
Time to cycle: one to one-and-a-half hours, at a leisurely pace
The Deeside Way in its entirety follows a former railway line from Aberdeen to Ballater, of which this is a 10-mile, largely traffic-free section. Start at the Polmuir Road entrance of Aberdeen’s Duthie park, behind the Winter Gardens. One of the largest indoor gardens in Europe, it is well worth a visit, with rare plants from around the world, and the tantalising “corridor of perfumes”.
Follow the leafy path past homes and parkland, and under tree canopies towards Peterculter. You’ll join a quiet country road at Coalford; keep on the path until you reach an access road leading to Drumoak. There are three former stations en route, as well as the Peterculter Heritage Centre and, a short distance from the Deeside Way at Drumoak, the 13th-century Drum Castle. At Drumoak, you can catch a bus back to Aberdeen with the bikes.
Pit stops
Duthie Park Cafe, 25 Polmuir Gardens, Aberdeen.
Newton Dee Cafe, at Newton Dee Village, Bieldside.
The Bieldside Inn, 37 North Deeside Road, Bieldside.
Monsal Trail
Distance: 8.5 miles
Start: Blackwell Mill
End: Bakewell
Time taken to cycle: around one hour without stops
Like most great traffic-free cycling routes in the UK, the Monsal Trail started life as a railway line. The popular route, in the heart of the Peak District, is steeped in geological, industrial and rail heritage. There are six rail tunnels, four of which are around 400-metres long and lit during the day, as well as excellent views from Monsal, Headstone and Miller’s viaducts. From Blackwell Mill, just south of Buxton, head east through enchanting Chee Dale, in the Upper Wye valley. The lime kilns at Millers Dale station are imposing, fortress-like structures, cut into the rock face.
Pit stop
Hassop Station Cafe is in an old station building on the trail, complete with sun terrace. It’s open year-round, serving tea, cakes and ice-cream.
Red Squirrel route
Distance: 16 miles one-way (32-mile return)
Start: Cowes
End: Sandown
Time to cycle: one-and-a-half hours without stops; three-four hours return
Nearly half of the Isle of Wight is a designated Area of Outstanding Beauty, and it’s one of the few places in England with red squirrels. The Red Squirrel route links two traffic-free trails, and the compact island’s north and east coasts, with some on-road sections running through towns. Starting at Cowes, it traces the Medina River to Blackwater, before wending through peaceful countryside, following the River Yar to Sandown. En route are Osborne House (above left), Queen Victoria and Albert’s former holiday home, Cowes Maritime Museum, the Museum of Island History in Newport, Carisbrooke Castle and Dinosaur Isle, in Sandown.
Pit stop
The Pedallers cafe, Langbridge, Newchurch.
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