This stretch of the Trans Pennine Trail follows the old railway line from Thelwall, via Lymm and Heatley, to Broadheath on the edge of Altrincham, around 7 miles in total. It’s a quiet, wooded route that crosses the River Bollin on its way through, and it links neatly into a much bigger network if you ... Read more The post Thelwall to Broadheath railpath first appeared on WillCycle.

The Liverpool Loop Line is an 11 mile traffic-free route on the old railway line from Halewood to Aintree, forming part of both National Cycle Route 62 and the wider Trans Pennine Trail. Abandoned by British Rail in 1964, it fell derelict for two decades before being converted into a walking and cycling route through ... Read more The post DayCycle – Liverpool Loop Line first appeared on WillCycle.

Braver Than You Think tells the story of when Claire Davies took a career break, and cycled from Land’s End to John O-Groats (LEJOG). Most of her ride was done solo, though for significant parts she had a various people cycle with her. Davies presents herself as someone who has done a bit of cycle ... Read more The post Braver than you think, by Claire Davies first appeared on WillCycle.

The Clowne Greenway follows an old railway line for about 4.5 miles, linking Clowne, Creswell and Woodthorpe, and doubling as a rather useful off-road commute to Markham Vale Enterprise Park. It’s part of Derbyshire’s growing Greenways network, and the firm surface makes it suitable for wheelchairs, mobility scooters and prams as well as all types ... Read more The post Clowne Greenway first appeared on WillCycle.

The Blackwater Valley Cycle Way follows the River Blackwater from its source at Rowhill Nature Reserve in Aldershot, through Farnborough, Frimley and Blackwater, taking in a string of nature reserves and country parks along the way. The full Blackwater Valley Path runs 23 miles all the way to Swallowfield near Reading, but cycling is only ... Read more The post DayCycle – Blackwater Valley Cycle Way first appeared on WillCycle.

Druridge Bay is a stunning 7 mile stretch of golden sand running from Amble in the north to Cresswell in the south, part of the wider Coast and Castles cycle route between Tynemouth and Berwick-upon-Tweed. The bay sits within the Northumberland Coast Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty, and Druridge Bay Country Park, centred on a ... Read more The post DayCycle – Druridge Bay first appeared on WillCycle.

The Grantham Canal runs 33 miles from Grantham in Lincolnshire, through the Vale of Belvoir, to West Bridgford where it joins the River Trent, taking in Lincolnshire, Leicestershire and Nottinghamshire along the way. Built in 1797 to carry coal to Grantham, it’s dead flat throughout and follows the towpath almost the whole way, forming part ... Read more The post Grantham Canal first appeared on WillCycle.

The Meon Valley Trail runs 11 miles from West Meon down to Wickham, along the track bed of the old Meon Valley Railway that once carried livestock and produce between Fareham and Alton. It’s your easiest way into the South Downs National Park on two wheels, and links up with the South Downs Way, if ... Read more The post Meon Valley Trail first appeared on WillCycle.

The Montgomery Canal, or “the Monty” as it’s known locally, runs for 34 miles in total from Newtown in Powys to Frankton Junction, over the border in Shropshire, where it meets the Llangollen Canal. However, this route guide only covers the canal up to Llanymynech. The good news for cyclists is that the best section ... Read more The post DayCycle – Montgomery Canal first appeared on WillCycle.

If you’ve not read the first Police Failure post, you really should go read that first, as it provides all the background for what follows here. Since that incident, I raised a formal complaint about the manner in which police conducted themselves. Here’s the utterly bizarre part: when you make a formal complaint about police, ... Read more The post Police Failure – an update first appeared on WillCycle.

I don’t always start off a review with praise, but if you’re in the market for a rear radar tail light, the Coospo TR70 is simply the biggest bargain out there. To be honest, I was never convinced that I needed a rear radar, so I was somewhat sceptical when I received the TR70. In ... Read more The post Coospo TR70 Radar Tail Light first appeared on WillCycle.

Let me introduce you to the WillCycle app - the cycling app you never realised you needed, but now you know about it, you simply must have it! The post The WillCycle app first appeared on WillCycle.

Like thousands of others, my bike came with cable disk brakes. Obviously, upgrading to full hydraulic disk brakes is possible, but is very pricey, as that would also involve changing the shifters, in addition to the calipers. Fortunately, there is another way: these Zoom Xtech HB100 cable-actuated hydraulic disk calipers. What are cable-actuated hydraulic brakes? ... Read more The post Zoom XTech HB100 Cable-actuated Hydraulic Disk Calipers first appeared on WillCycle.

When a book starts with the sentence “Life’s a funny f*cker”, you just know you’re onto something different. This book tells the story of when Killick, aged 53 and somewhat overweight, decided he needed a big adventure in his life. Well, he made that decision years before, but various things, including the Covid lockdowns, interfered ... Read more The post Basingstoke to Benidorm, by Craig Killick first appeared on WillCycle.

For a long time now, I stopped using WillCycle to do direct cycling advocacy, but something happened recently that forced my hand, hence this post. Devon and Cornwall Police and I have a bit of a history. When I originally started making complaints about bad driving, with supporting video, I was laughed off. An Inspector ... Read more The post Police Failure first appeared on WillCycle.

I haven’t posted anything new on WillCycle for what feels like an eternity. I haven’t been slacking though. No, I’ve been extremely busy on the back-end of the site. New features WillCycle now has what I can honestly describe as a superb mapping system. It started off as an idea, quite some time ago, to ... Read more The post The future’s so bright first appeared on WillCycle.

in 1976, the TransAmerica coast-to-coast cycling trail was launched, as part of the USA’s bicentennial, and since then, many thousands of cyclists, from around the world, have cycled the route. One such cyclist is the ever-amazing Juliana Buhring (who makes a cameo appearance in this book). However, the most remarkable stories about the TransAm comes ... Read more The post TransAm, by Paul K W Dunt first appeared on WillCycle.

No, not that Central Park. This route runs through Central Park, in Plymouth. The land that forms Central Park is held in trust, and may only be used for leisure facilities, for the people of Plymouth. Started in 1928, and formally opened in 1931, despite what the local legend says, Plymouth’s Central Park isn’t older ... Read more The post Central Park first appeared on WillCycle.

I’ve a new feature on some of my traffic-free route guides: Fairy Trails. Fairy Trails are additional, GPS-enabled, mini adventures, aimed at kids 3 to 5 years old. Taking kids on a bike ride can be a great adventure in itself, but kids have fertile imaginations. That’s why we read them fairy tales. And also ... Read more The post Fairy Trails first appeared on WillCycle.

Revelstoke drive was created in the 1880s, by Edward Baring, the first Baron Revelstoke, as a horse-carriage route, to show off some of the most scenic parts of his Membland estate. Edward’s bad financial luck meant he was forced to dispose of the Membland estate (the manor house was demolished later) but it’s our good ... Read more The post Revelstoke Drive first appeared on WillCycle.

Penzance to Marazion cycle path The Bay To Bay Multi-Use path runs from Penzance station to the edge of Marazion, some 2.3 miles away. The path was built in 2022, using smashed concrete from the Penzance promenade as sub-base. The path runs along the coastal flood defences, and is sandwiched between the railway line, and ... Read more The post Bay to Bay Multi-use path first appeared on WillCycle.

The Tarka Trail is simply stunning, and this section is exceptional, in so many ways. With glorious views over the incredible Taw and Torridge estuary, the route offers waterside tranquillity, mixed with rural, traffic-free bliss, along a disused railway. There are a number of cafés along the route, from the start at the Barnstaple train ... Read more The post Tarka Trail – Barnstaple to Braunton first appeared on WillCycle.

The Tarka Trail offers some of the very best traffic-free cycling available in the UK. This 3.5 mile segment is disconnected from the rest of the Tarka Trail though. Starting adjacent to the site of the old Ilfracombe railway station, the route follows the track of the old Ilfracombe branch of the London & South ... Read more The post Tarka Trail – Ilfracombe to Willingcott first appeared on WillCycle.

Somewhere along some of WillCycle’s traffic-free routes, there are stickers hidden. It has been placed there deliberately, in a spot that requires effort to reach. It won’t appear on any map. Nobody is going to tell you where it is. And the first WillCycler to find it and send proof will have their first name ... Read more The post Treasure Hunt: A Cycling Adventure You Can’t Plan For first appeared on WillCycle.

The Wye Valley Greenway is a stunning, 5 mile route that is not only useable by trikes, cargo bikes and more, but is also wheelchair-friendly. Do note though that the kilometre-long Tidenham tunnel is only open between the 1st of April to the 30th of September, and closed at night. There is a signed, on-road ... Read more The post Wye Valley Greenway first appeared on WillCycle.

This route guide actually covers more than just the Great Central Way, and includes some towpaths, and other traffic-free paths, to extend the route to 11.7 miles, ending in Cossington. It makes for a gorgeous, almost entirely traffic-free day out. Great Central Way cycle route overall rating: (Colour explanation: blue = good, yellow indicates some ... Read more The post Great Central Way – Leicester to Cossington first appeared on WillCycle.

This scenic 7.7 mile path mostly follows the track of the old Midland and Southwestern Junction Railway, linking Chiseldon and Marlborough. It’s a shared path, and also a bridleway, so expect to encounter horses at times. Chiseldon to Marlborough Railway Path cycle route overall rating: (Colour explanation: blue = good, yellow indicates some warning, and ... Read more The post Chiseldon to Marlborough Railway Path first appeared on WillCycle.

We’ve all been there: you planned a glorious route for a bike ride. You checked OS Maps and confirmed it’s a bridleway that you may legally use. You planned a 50 mile loop, using that bridleway to avoid a nasty, busy A-road. Then you arrive, and that “legal right of way” is a chest-high sea ... Read more The post Why one map is never enough first appeared on WillCycle.

<p>In the Tour de France, the Lanterne Rouge is the rider who finishes dead last. They are the survivor, the tail-light in the dark, and if we’re being honest, the person who probably had the most interesting day. While the hardcore roadies are busy staring at their power meters and sweating through their Lycra to ... <a class="read-more" href="https://www.willcycle.com/2026/01/27/lanterne-rouge-ride/" title="Lanterne Rouge Ride">Read more</a></p> <p>The post <a href="https://www.willcycle.com/2026/01/27/lanterne-rouge-ride/">Lanterne Rouge Ride</a> first appeared on <a href="https://www.willcycle.com">WillCycle</a>.</p>

Those of you who (like me) are of a certain age, will probably fondly remember the film The Breakfast Club. Released in 1985, it brilliantly tells the story of a bunch of teenagers doing after-school detention. This post is entirely unrelated to that movie, except for a gratuitous intro paragraph, and the same name. Cycling ... Read more The post The Breakfast Club first appeared on WillCycle.

The TL:DR version of this book is Moats and her 18yo son cycled across Europe, to Asia, unsupported. And to be fair, that alone should give you plenty of reason to read this book. After all, how many long-distance cycling tales of a mother and son combo have you heard of, let alone read? A ... Read more The post A Time Of Birds, by Helen Moat first appeared on WillCycle.

I recently reviewed another cycle touring book by Steve Silk, and that reminded me I never got round to doing a review for The Great North Road, despite having purchased my copy quite a while ago. Harper Silk is a great fan of the writings of Charles G Harper, who in 1903 published a book ... Read more The post The Great North Road, by Steve Silk first appeared on WillCycle.

I have a confession to make: I don’t like all those Red Bull extreme cycling videos. The reason for that is really simple: real people get hurt doing ever more extreme things, as marketing for a company. Arms race Think about it for a minute. You’re watching a Red Bull video showing someone doing a ... Read more The post Bigger, better, faster, MORE first appeared on WillCycle.

Bugle Trail overall rating: (Colour explanation: blue = good, yellow indicates some warning, and red indicates issues to be aware of) The Bugle Trail runs for just over 5 miles from near St Blaizey, past the Eden Project, to the village of Bugle, in Cornwall. It’s part of the Cornish Clay Trails, and offers a ... Read more The post Bugle Trail first appeared on WillCycle.

After reading the account of a bike ride to Milford Haven, over 100 years ago, Steve Silk set off to replicate that adventure, and this book does an excellent job of telling that story. The post Go West, by Steve Silk first appeared on WillCycle.

The word surrender usually conjures up negative connotation, often centred around war, or battle. Surrender means giving up, and that’s usually see as a bad thing. But there is one kind of surrender that can change your cycling. Rain The UK is exquisitely beautiful and green. The reason behind all that lush greenery, and many ... Read more The post Surrender first appeared on WillCycle.

The world tells us that journeys need to be big to matter. That the real adventures start where maps start to fade, where days stretch long, and where you lose sight of home. But the humble five-minute ride – the trip to the shop, the detour to the post box, the spin around the block ... Read more The post The Art of the Five-Minute Ride first appeared on WillCycle.

Lights. We all-too-often hear about drivers ranting about seeing cyclists riding at night, without lights. Ignoring for the moment that they admit they saw the cyclists, the fact is it really is a VERY good idea to have lights on your bike at night. To see, or to be seen? That is the question Lights ... Read more The post On the bright side first appeared on WillCycle.

Dartmoor is England’s last true wilderness, and receives millions of visitors each year. It’s easy to see why – Dartmoor is beautiful. From the annual Ten Tors event for school kids, to the Dartmoor Classic sportive, to smaller events like Dartmoor In A Day, to just casual visitors and families having a picnic, Dartmoor caters ... Read more The post All you need to know about cycling on Dartmoor first appeared on WillCycle.

I recently obtained a Coospo CS600 cycling computer to review. Full disclosure from the outset: I didn’t pay for the unit. However, I do honest reviews, and that’s exactly what this one is. Overview The CS600 is the top-of-the-range bicycle computer from Coospo, a Chinese manufacturer. This is by no means the best cycling computer ... Read more The post Coospo CS600 smart cycling computer first appeared on WillCycle.

When the blurb for a book start with “Award-winning author”, you immediately have high hopes for the book. In this book, Herrick tells of when he crossed France by bicycle, from west to east. The book is somewhat unusual in that Henrick didn’t do a continuous 1 200 km journey. Instead, at times he hired ... Read more The post Baguettes and bicycles – Steven Herrick first appeared on WillCycle.

William Spencer, and his mate Brian, were young men when they decided to set off from 1970s England, and cycle to India. Inspired by what he read about Auroville, in India, Spencer developed a growing interest in meditation (though it wasn’t something he could actually do). Newbies The pair weren’t very experienced cycle tourers, but ... Read more The post Far Sweeter Than Honey – William Spencer first appeared on WillCycle.

This Secret Cities route runs through Torbay, and includes several delightful surprises. You can even download the GPX, and watch the route video from here!

So, you're based in, or near London, and you're looking for a great, ready-made, two or three day cycling adventure? Oh, then I have really good news for you!

Throughout this site, you will find regular references to Leave No Trace, but what does it actually mean? Is it simply about picking up your litter, or is there more to it? Actions have consequences In South Africa, there’s an area known as Namaqualand. It’s barren desert most of the time, but when it does ... Read more The post What does “Leave No Trace really mean? first appeared on WillCycle.

Secret Plymouth routes are part of the Secret Cities series of cycle route guides. This one sets off from Coypool Park & Ride, to go explore some roads and lanes in Plympton that you probably never even knew existed. Why is this route called Plumtown? Plympton is considered to have taken it’s name from the ... Read more The post Secret Plymouth – Plumtown first appeared on WillCycle.

During the economic crash of 2008, Leon McCarron was in a predicament: jobs were few and far between, and after a 6 month stint of working in New York city, he’d had enough. What he needed was an adventure, and what better adventure than to cycle across the USA? This book tells the story of ... Read more The post The Road Headed West – Leon McCarron first appeared on WillCycle.

Let us be honest: it will cost a lot of money to take a few years out to go cycle around the world. Mark Beaumont’s latest world record cost over £250 000, placing even an attempt well beyond the reach of most people. Even if your budget was to survive on just £10 per day, ... Read more The post But travel is for the rich… first appeared on WillCycle.

I’m not sure that I’d want to cycle in the Siberian winter, and even if I did, I’m quite sure I wouldn’t simply rely on an untested postie pair of winter over-trousers to keep me warm. Clearly, Lilwall and I have different approaches, but I’ll freely admit his approach makes for a better story. Camping. ... Read more The post Cycling Home From Siberia – Rob Lilwall first appeared on WillCycle.

There’s something magical about ending a long day in the saddle with your tent pitched, water for coffee bubbling on your stove, and the night sky slowly revealing its secrets overhead. For cycle tourers, stargazing isn’t just a bonus – it’s part of the adventure. Whether you’re wild camping in Wales or tucked into a ... Read more The post A cycle tourer’s guide to stargazing in the UK first appeared on WillCycle.