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15 of Britain's best wild cycling routes

Wild cycling is childlike fun - plainpicture
Wild cycling is childlike fun - plainpicture

Wild cycling is a release: it’s getting back to nature, and even more to our collective childhoods. That’s when most of us first got bikes. Remember how it felt? The freedom, the means to roam and discover places, and the visceral rush of bombing through the woods and bouncing over the bumps. It’s escaping traffic, living in the moment – but above all wild cycling is childlike fun.

Wild cycling means using bridleways, trails and tiny lanes to explore the countryside. Almost any bike, aside from the lightest racers, will do, although rougher trails require bikes with some specific off-road capability. So cyclo-cross, gravel or mountain bikes are the best for wild cycling, but there are off-the-beaten-track rides you can do on almost any bike, if you look for them.

 Mountain biker riding down a hill - Credit: Cultura RF
Almost any bike, aside from the lightest racers, will do Credit: Cultura RF

Prepare carefully: check the weather forecast, wear/take appropriate clothing; check your bike and carry a repair kit; take an OS map and compass, and a phone. If riding into high or remote areas, tell people where you are going and stick to that route. Take care, and enjoy the ride...

Child, enjoying wild cycling - Credit: Sally Anscombe, Digital Vision
Children can enjoy wild cycling from an early age Credit: Sally Anscombe, Digital Vision

The South Downs 

OS grid ref: TQ 5188 0311

Alfriston in Sussex is a good place to start: check out the winged wheel symbol outside Ye Olde Smugglers Inne in Waterloo Square, an old sign of cycling-friendly hospitality. Head north from the Smugglers to a crossroads where the metalled road goes sharp right, and carry on straight to pick up a trail. This takes you along the undulating base of the South Downs. Continue to Bo-Peep Farm, where you cross a metalled road, and carry straight to a fork in the trail at a copse. 

Cyclists on the South Downs
Could the South Downs be the scene of your next cycle?

Take the left fork, then go straight at the next trail junction, and around some farm buildings near Firle Place, family seat of the Gage family. Take care on this section over the deep ruts. Eventually you will reach a lane called Firle Bostal; turn left, then climb the steep hill. Eventually you come to a car park on your left. Enter that and look for a distinct, well-worn trail going off to your left. That’s the South Downs Way, and you follow it all the way back into Alfriston. 

Check the weather forecast, wear/take appropriate clothing; check your bike and carry a repair kit; take an OS map and compass, and a phone

After about a mile of steady climbing you reach the top of Firle Beacon. Pressing on east from the summit of Firle Beacon there’s a gentle descent for 550yd, before a short stiff climb to the top of Bostal Hill. The low circular mounds here are part of a Bronze Age burial ground, and precede the final downward rush into Alfriston.

Winfrith

OS grid ref: SY 8243 7992

Turning your back on the sea, ride uphill from Lulworth Cove and, on entering West Lulworth, take the left fork towards Daggers Gate. This takes you to the top of the hill, where you go left on Daggers Gate Road, which quickly becomes a trail. Follow this undulating trail west, taking time to appreciate the sea views to the south, for two and a half miles, to a junction near the National Trust land around Burning Cliff. Here you join a road: keep right, and then where a trail called Falcon Barn forks left, go right. 

10 of the best cycling holidays for 2017
10 of the best cycling holidays for 2017

Follow the road north past Holworth village, and turn right on the trail at the top of the next hill, Gallows Hill. Stay on the trail, which follows hedgerows and the ridge line, all the way to Winfrith Newburgh, an idyllic peaceful Dorset village. Turn left in Winfrith, then go first right past St Christopher’s Church, and follow this road south through a lovely steep-sided valley to Daggers Gate. Go left there, and follow the trail to Lulworth Camp. Turn right, and ride back through West Lulworth to the start.

Inside the M25

OS grid ref: TQ 4072 5720

Whichever side you come off the M25 at Clacket Lane Services, north or south, park in a quiet corner of the services car park; Clacket Lane – yes, there is one – runs north-south just to the east of both car parks. Barriered service roads link to Clacket Lane on either side, but there’s room to walk around the barriers. 

Whichever side of the motorway you start from, turn left out of the service road and head north. Turn left on to Pilgrims’ Lane, and pass Pilgrims’ Farm. Next up is the hamlet of Titsey. Turn right and you begin to climb Titsey Hill, but you quickly go right again and you’re confronted with the infamous White Lane, scene since 1955 of the Bec Cycling Club’s annual hillclimb race. Turn left at the top of the hill and ride along the busier B2024, then go first right on Beddlestead Lane. A long and in places steep descent is followed by a shorter, steep ascent. Continue over the crossroads to Fickleshole. Turn right there, then go right again on Sheepbarn Lane, down the steep Jewels Hill, then up the equally steep Salt Box Hill to Biggin Hill Airport. 

Next is an unavoidable bit of main road. Turn right on to the A233 and head south. After about 875yd  you’ll see the trees of Jugg Hill Park on your right. Start looking left for the entrance to Jail Lane, and when you see it turn left. The lane is flat at first, then goes down Berry’s Hill and up Church Hill. Turn right at the top on to Cudham Lane South and head towards Cudham. Go right on entering Cudham on to New Barn Lane. New Barn becomes Buckhurst Lane, then you reach Hawley’s Corner. Cross the A233 and enter Tatsfield Avenue, but quickly go left into Chestnut Avenue. Follow Chestnut Avenue around to The Avenue, which descends diagonally through a wood. Turn right on the A233 for the last time, then almost immediate right on to the Pilgrims’ Way. Cross the B2024, and turn left on to Clacket Lane and back to the services.

Exmoor experience

OS grid ref: SS 8536 3842

Start in Exford. From the B3224 in the village a road runs north-west. Follow it and take the first right, Combe Lane. Carry straight on where this becomes the Samaritans Way South-West, then go left after three quarters of a mile on to a little road. Go left again, then right and immediately left. Follow this lane, continuing when it becomes a trail across Almsworthy Common. Halfway along this section you pass 14 standing stones on your right.

Turn left when you get to a road, then go straight on to a trail section where the road bends sharply left. The trail flows the contours around two low hills to Warren Farm, where it becomes a road again. Follow this downhill into Exe Cleve, where the infant river Exe flows. Cross the Exe and climb out up the other side of the valley. For the next bit you go right on the B3224 and descend to Simonsbath. 

Just before the bridge over the River Barle there’s a trail going off to the right. This is the Two Moors Way: follow it down the Barle Valley, along the river for much of the way. Just over half a mile after a mound called Cow Castle, the trail leaves the Barle and goes uphill, eventually reaching a moorland road. Turn left on the road and follow it, crossing the B3223, back to Exford.

Wiltshire Droves

OS grid ref: SU 0928 2550

Start from Salisbury Racecourse: the road leading west is Shaftesbury Drove. Continue west along the southern edge of a wood called Hare Warren, and ride along the spine of the Downs – first Compton Down, then Fovent, then Sutton and Swallowcliffe Downs. Trees line either side of the trail at first, but they thin out later in places. The land dips steeply to the north, less so to the south, and the down tops are wide. 

 The view - Credit: Chris Sidwells Ltd
The Wiltshire Droves views are worth the climb Credit: Chris Sidwells Ltd

The views are incredible. Continue on Shaftesbury Drove until the second road crossing, where you go left. There’s a very steep descent: keep your speed within your comfort zone and beware of a very sharp right bend at the bottom, just after passing a church. 

Once in Alvediston, turn left at the staggered junction and follow the road to Ebbesbourne Wake, where you keep right and begin climbing a hill called the Hollow to the top of Woodminton Down. Alvediston stands at the source of the Ebble, the river that carved out the valley you are riding around. Turn left at the top of Woodminton Down and follow the road on to Ox Drove. There’s one sharp right turn, after which you go almost immediately sharp left, on Ox Drove. Don’t forget, because if you continue right you’ll enter private land. 

Eventually the trail joins the A354, where you go left on to the main road for 330yd, then take the first trail left. This undulates for just over a mile to the top of Throope Hill, then plunges down to the village of Stratford Tony. Take care descending – it’s rough in places – and go right where the trail forks. In Stratford Tony the trail turns into road: go straight at the crossroads and continue uphill back to the start.

Breckland Brakes

OS grid ref: TL 7838 8660

Start in Brandon, near Thetford. Head south on the A1065. Turn right on Church Road, which becomes Manor Road. Turn left on Cross Street, then right on Bond Lane, which becomes The Drove, the first off-road section. 

Follow this track until Lakenheath Station. Turn right when you get to a road, ride across the bridge over the Little Ouse, and look for a track on your right. Go left along the river bank, then left again over the sluices. Turn right on Nursery Lane. Turn right in Hockwold cum Wilton, then first left on to Mill Drift, another trail section. 

Lakenheath town sign - Credit: Martin Pope
Lakenheath sits below the big skies of East Anglia Credit: Martin Pope

After a mile and a half go right to Weeting, then join the road, and turn right, then left, on to All Saints. This takes you past Weeting Castle, a ruined medieval manor. The metalled road merges into an off-road track at Holme Farm. Follow this track to the A1065, where you turn right, then first left, on to a long, straight lane with trees either side. Take care here: the track is rutted. Cross the A134 at Lynford, again with care, then take the first left and follow this off-road section to a crossroads of trails, where you go right. Turn left on the A134, then first right on to a narrow lane, and take the first trail right after Field Barn. Follow this sandy trail, called Harling Grove, west to the A1065, then turn left to Brandon.

Caerphilly Classic

OS grid ref: ST 1792 8352

From Lisvane and Thornhill railway station in a posh northern area of Cardiff, head east on Cherry Orchard Road, go straight on at the roundabout, then left on Graig Road at the T-junction. This goes uphill, over the M4, then gets progressively steeper until a brutal last 220yd. The road bends sharp right at the top of the hill, sharp left, then plunges downwards. Take care: the road bends sharp left in the trees, with the first trail section, a bridleway, on your right. Come to a complete stop before turning on to the trail so you can check for vehicles behind or coming up the hill towards you. When it’s safe to do so, turn right on to the trail. The first section is quite distinct and reasonably smooth, but after 500yd the trail goes through thick forest and in places is quite green and bumpy. 

At Maenllwyd Inn, take the first left. In Rudry go right at the primary school, and keep right, following a narrow lane to Machen. Enter the town by Green Row, which runs alongside the Rhymney River. Go left on Forge Road, left on the main Commercial Road, and right on Dranllywn Lane. After 330ft you reach the Rhymney Valley cycle path on your left. This is a converted railway line that once carried wrought iron from Machen. Head west on the Rhymney Valley path, which is part of NCN route 4, so look for route 4 signs to help navigate the next section through Trethomas to the Rhymney River, then cross it and go left on Bedwas Road. 

The next section takes you left on to Rudry Road, then right, then left on to a road around the south-east edge of Caerphilly. Take the first exit on the Van Road roundabout. After 765yd, go right on Cefn Carnau Lane to start climbing the mountain. Follow the tiny track/road, which is rough in places, to the A469, and turn left on to it. Turn left after the steep descent and follow the road back to Lisvane and Thornhill station.

Snowdon

OS grid ref: SH 5829 5962

Hard but rewarding. The best route up and down Snowdon is the Llanberis Path. It shadows the Snowdon Mountain Railway, and the path is very steep and rough in places. You have to dismount occasionally and push your bike, or even carry it, both going up and coming down. This is a ride for the fit, and possibly best done on a mountain bike with a good range of gears. 

Snowdonia - Credit: Jon Arnold Images
Snowdonia's wild beauty is a magnet for cyclists Credit: Jon Arnold Images

Llanberis Path starts as a continuation of Victoria Terrace, the last road on your right going southeast out of Llanberis on the A4086. The terrace quickly becomes a narrow lane, where the gradient is already relentless. After passing a few isolated buildings you turn left off the road that follows Llanberis Path. This is a proper trail; rough in places, better in others, all the way to the top. You soon reach a section of rough-cut steps; there will be more, as well as other rocky, unrideable sections. 

The Halfway House café is good for a brew, then it’s onwards and upwards. You next meet the railway after a steep pull to Clogwyn Station, where you go under the line and need a good head for heights for what’s on the other side. It’s quite safe, just keep away from the edge. It’s hard to get to the summit, but the views when you do are immense. Take care on the descent. This ride is best midweek in spring or autumn; don’t attempt it if the weather forecast is bad.

Gas Street Basin - Credit: Martin Pope
Cycle carefully along the narrow towpaths Credit: Martin Pope

Wild Brum

OS grid ref: SP 0600 8690

We start in the heart of the city at the Gas Street Basin. Canals radiate in all directions. One word of caution about towpath cycling: you’re supposed to get a permit, from waterscape.com, to ride them. There’s a code of conduct, too, but the rules are simple: just good manners. Take the permit with you. You see the town or city’s other face, and there are different people to meet: people who live on barges, or regular towpath walkers. Take as long as you like, and ride as far as you want. Then turn around, and head back to the basin. Of course, you could just carry on…

Robin Hood’s Ride

OS grid ref: SK 626 677

This ride starts at the Sherwood Forest visitor centre near Edwinstowe, and for the first section you head north, following signs to the Major Oak. It is remarkable to see a living thing so old: there’s a wonderful peace about it, and a tangible presence. That peace lingers as you continue north-west through an area of the forest called Birklands. Carry on north-west, and you leave the forest to cross an area of heathland leading to a five-way trail junction. Turn left, then take the next trail right, crossing Netherfield Lane then the much bigger A616, to Hazel Gap car park. 

The avenue - Credit:  National Trust Photo Library
The Lime Tree Avenue at Clumber Park Credit: National Trust Photo Library

The trail you’ve just followed continues east along the southern edge of Gibraltar Plantation, forming an acute angle to the A616. Follow this trail, cross the B6034, and you are in Clumber Park, a great wildlife habitat. To get over the busy A614, there is a pelican crossing to help you on to the Robin Hood Way, going south. You eventually cross the rivers Maun and Meden, which eventually join and become the river Idle. 

Continue south, but take care because the next section can be very muddy and slippery. Roughly half a mile after this bit, you cross a large outcrop of dry red sandstone beside the River Maun. Continuing south, you reach a road; turn right, cross the bridge and take the first left. Follow this trail past Whitewater Farm, over another bridge, and into New Ollerton. Turn right on to the A6075, and follow signs back to Edwinstowe and the Sherwood Forest visitor centre.

Yorkshire Wolds

OS grid ref: SE 8817 5506

Start from the village of Huggate: go south on the main street, then turn right. Turn right again as you leave the village. After one mile there is a green bridleway on your left. It’s a bit bumpy in places and leads to a small lane, and the first Wolds valley on this ride. Turn right and ride down the valley. In just over 1.2 miles there’s a bridleway on your right that climbs up another valley: follow it north. The trail section lasts almost two miles and is uphill most of the way. 

Turn left when you reach a road at the top of the valley, then left on the next road, which crosses the top of High Callis Wold. Just under half a mile after two masts at the top of the Wold, turn left on to Green Bank, a bridleway that follows the course of a Roman road. This section goes steeply downhill, and ends at the road going up the first valley you entered. Turn left, then after 1,300yd go right on to a bridleway. This is very steep as it goes up the side of a valley, but the gradient relents as you ride around the edge of a small copse. The trail is green and bumpy and vague at first, but becomes flatter and more distinct. Turn right on the road at the end of it, then after 1,420yd go left into the last bridleway section, which links the tops of two valleys. Turn left on the road at the end and ride back to Huggate.

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Ennerdale

OS grid ref: NY1087 1571

Start in the Bowness Knott car park. Saddle up and head east: that’s basically it for directions on this one. Once out of the car park the trail follows the shore of Ennerdale Water. It has a hard surface at first, with looser and rougher stuff coming nearer the turnaround. Nowhere is the trail super-technical, though. Ennerdale Water is not a still lake: water flows through it. 

The River Liza at Ennerdale just before it flows into Ennerdale Lake - Credit: terrence armstrong / Alamy Stock Photo
The River Liza at Ennerdale just before it flows into Ennerdale Lake Credit: terrence armstrong / Alamy Stock Photo

The river Liza flows into its eastern end, and from there you follow the Liza upstream, always to the north of it. Keep following the trail to Black Sail Hut, a former shepherd’s bothy that is now one of the most delightfully isolated youth hostels in the country. Turn around and retrace your outward journey. Take care going down the steeper first section.

Durham Dales

OS grid ref: NY 9389 4292

From the Rookhope Inn on the main road in the village of Rookhope, Northumberland, go due north off Front Street on to a little lane. Continue past a row of cottages, then go left on to a trail where the lane turns sharp right. You have 1,420yd of steep climbing now, but the further up you go the better the views get, and the trail surface is quite good. It’s part of Sustrans route 7, which goes from Sunderland to Inverness, as well as making up two-thirds of the C2C (coast-to-coast) route. 

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With the first ascent behind you, the trail passes Bolt’s Law hilltop, and continues around the edge of a deep valley. Eventually you reach a road. Turn left, then go right on the next road for a long downhill section. Look out for Smiddy Shaw Reservoir on your left. You need to turn right just after the entrance to the reservoir and ride up the short drag to Waskerley. Here you pick up the C2C trail again, following a disused railway line, going west this time, for the next section of the ride. 

Keep an eye on the weather forecast before undertaking this ride

Turn right on to the trail and head up a long, steady incline, past Waskerley Reservoir, to the site of the Weatherhill engine. Turn left on the road and descend to Stanhope, taking great care through the very steep Crawleyside bends near the bottom. Turn right on to the A689 Wear Valley road, then after 1,100yd go right at the caravan park to follow a former mine road over the edges of Rookhope Moor and back into Rookhope. Keep an eye on the weather forecast before undertaking this ride.

The Bloody Bush Road

English start – OS grid ref: NY 6469 9021

You can start at either the English or Scottish end of this cross-border ride. The English start is in a car park where Lewis Burn flows into Kielder Water. Follow the trail up the left bank of Lewis Burn, going right at The Forks to cross Akenshaw Burn and continue up its valley. Keep right at the next trail fork, and on up the Bloody Bush Road. A lot of forest has been cleared, so the views are fantastic. 

A family cycling along the Lakeside Way, Kielder Water - Credit: Paul Harris/AWL Images RM
A family cycling along the Lakeside Way, Kielder Water Credit: Paul Harris/AWL Images RM

Eventually you reach the Bloody Bush Toll, where a huge pillar indicates the Scottish border. The road continues to drag up after the toll, crossing the Larriston Fells, then plunges down. Finding your way down the long descent is relatively easy, so long as you don’t miss the sharp left off the main forestry road that descends to Dinlabyre. 

There are a couple of undulations after that; then you reach the turnaround point at the Dykecrofts visitor centre’s car park. Retrace your outward journey back to Kielder. This journey suits a mountain bike best.

Edinburgh Innertube

OS grid ref: NT 2313 7335

The Innertube is Edinburgh’s cycleway network. Start at Balbirnie Place Innertube access point and just follow the signs. The Old Town with its ancient buildings and monuments is just over a mile due east, and behind that stands the mass of Arthur’s Seat and Holyrood Park. Together they are the landmarks of Edinburgh, and it’s possible to explore Holyrood Park using the Holyrood-to-Musselburgh leg. 

For this route, though, head north-west along the tree-lined Roseburn Path, then take the right fork after the Craigleith junction access point. Another Innertube cycle path goes left all the way to the Forth Bridges. Go left at the next fork, because the right leads to the Port of Leith, then head north – your nose will lead you towards the salty tang of the Forth estuary.

Turn left when you get there to ride along West Shore Road, then right on to Marine Drive, and continue to the terminus of this ride at a roundabout. Retrace your path, or turn left to pick up the Innertube cycle path to Crammond and the Forth Bridges. The cycle path leads to the road bridge, and crossing the Forth by bike is unforgettable.

Wild Cycling by Chris Sidwells (Little, Brown, £12.99) is available from books.telegraph.co.uk