By: Blonde One


What are the ingredients for a good cycle ride?

Mr Blonde One and I have been enjoying several bike rides lately. Lockdown #3 has given us a good reason to get outside and explore a little bit further afield. Our immediate vicinity was well and truly explored during lockdown #1, so this time we’ve taken to our bikes to discover some great things only a few miles from home.

Here is a list of the things that I think make a really good day out on the bike:

  1. Good weather. Not too hot, not too cold, and certainly no rain.
  2. Well maintained bikes. Luckily Mr Blonde One is good at this!
  3. A well marked trail to follow. We were on Route 28 of the National Cycle Network.
  4. A well placed bench on which to sit and have lunch.
  5. A well placed tree next to the bench to lean the bikes against.
  6. A strategically placed coffee stop.
  7. Said coffee stop producing the best carrot cake ever!
  8. Things of interest along the way. We found a water mill that we didn’t know was there, amongst other things.
  9. A river to follow: thus keeping the trail flat enough not to be arduous.
  10. A route of not much more than 20km so that the legs don’t seize up completely afterwards. We managed 19km in approximately 2 hours and were very pleased with our efforts.

 

Find new cycle routes

The OSMaps app is a really useful tool when you want to look for walking routes but did you know it has plenty of cycle routes too. Uploaded by people who actually use them, these routes can help you find and plan interesting bike rides all across Great Britain. With the current price for a Premium monthly subscription only £2.99, we recommend taking a look today.

Two Blondes Walking has an affiliate advertising relationship with Ordnance Survey