Author: Rob Ainsley

Cycle route research today north of Swindon, which town is every bit as beautiful – and well-provisioned with good bike routes – as I expected. Not very, in other words.

Day 3 of cycle route research round Tunbridge Wells. I cycled through two different hamlets called Iden Green, each near a hamlet called Four Wents, also unrelated to each other. So you can guess the surreal theme of today’s route. Yes: fish.

Day 2 of my cycle route research round Tunbridge Wells involved visits to Sevenoaks, Four Elms, and One Tree Hill. So you can guess the day’s theme. Hills.

Cycle route research round Tunbridge Wells, and yes, this is necessary work.

Final day of route research, doing the loop round the coast of Arran.

Continuing route research today, on the gravel roads of South Arran.

More cycle route research, on the Isle of Arran, ‘Scotland in Miniature’ – presumably a whisky reference, as the island with no towns still manages to have two distilleries. No drams for me on this trip, though. And nothing miniature about the climbs, I can promise you.

More cycle route research in the lanes and hills round Kirkby Stephen.

More cycle route research, round Kirkby Stephen. Fabulous ride yesterday up the highest tarmac road in Britain and Ireland. The access road to Great Dun Fell’s radar station is closed to traffic and drivers need a permit – but it happens to be a bridleway, so you can cycle it. A smooth, car-free, tarmac road…

Cycle route research on the Wirral Peninsula, on a bright sunny day that was chillier than it looks. The traffic-free prom path from Hoylake to Birkenhead is miles long and was packed today.