Avon Cycleway - Distance 78 miles. Easy through to challenging. Circular, way marked route. The full route runs through the countryside around Bristol and passes by Chew Valley lakes. Shorter circuits are available ranging from 34 to 67 miles. The full route can take up to two days to complete, especially for beginners. Contact Bristol City Council, Planning Dept.
The Cheshire Cycle Way - Distance 135 miles. Challenging. A sign-posted circular route which combines the scenery of the Cheshire plains and the Pennine moors with historic Chester. The rout
e runs through villages, forests, woods, gardens and past historic mills, churches and castles. The full route will take two to five days. Contact: Tourism and Marketing Unit.
Cumbria Cycle Way - Distance 259 miles. Easy through to challenging. Fully way-marked route through Cumbria's often hilly countryside. The route officially starts in Carlisle and passes through the beautiful Eden Valley. It is divided into seven stages. Contact Planning Dept.
The Tarka Trail - Distance 23 miles. Easy. Way-marked, traffic free route that runs along a converted railway line from Barnstaple to Petrockstow. It offers a rich variety of countryside from the salt marshes of the Taw and Torridge estuaries to the valleys of ancient woodland. Mostly flat, it's ideal for family cycling. Takes from two to four hours to complete. Contact Country Tourism Association 01271 45008
Colchester Cycle Routes - Distance 12 - 14 miles. Moderate. The local council has mapped out seven routes which follow mostly quiet roads. Highlights include Layer Marney Tower, Langham and Boxted, Coggeshall, Hedingham Castle, and the East Anglian Railway Museum. Contact
C2C Cycle Route (i.e. Sea to Sea) - Distance 140 miles. Challenging. Way-marked route, running coast to coast across England. It starts from Whitehaven (or Workington) on the west coast, skirts the Lake District, climbs from Keswick and crosses dramatic Pennine scenery on the way to Sunderland (or Newcastle). Contact Sustrans
Glasgow to Inverness - Distance 213 miles. Challenging. Long-distance route running on quiet roads and traffic-free paths. The route passes through spectacular scenery on its way through Stirlingshire, the Tay and Spey valleys and up through the Grampian Mountains to Inverness and Moray Firth. It takes about a week to complete.
