Description
The guidebook contains routes from both Dover and Harwich ferry ports to London. This makes it possible to cycle around the English Channel, when also using the Plymouth link. The Dover to London route takes you though the fruit orchards of Kent, historic Canterbury and the Medway estuary with its impressive castles. The Harwich to London route provides pleasant countryside cycling in Essex and takes you through Roman Colchester. Cycling through the heart of London, our route manages to stay away from busy roads, the occasional busy junction crossing excepted. Most of the cycling takes place on towpaths along the River Thames with spectacular views to enjoy. You will cycle under the Tower Bridge and you'll pass the London Eye, Big Ben, the Houses of Parliament and Buckingham Palace on the way. Greenwich Park, Hyde Park and Richmond Park all provide superb green traffic-free routes. Heading west you'll cycle by Windsor Park and Windsor Castle before making your way to the Aon & Kennet Canal, with the pleasant towns of Newbury, Hungerford and Marlborough to take in. In Sting's "Fields of gold" of Wiltshire you have the choice to cycle either by famous Stonehenge or that other beautiful ancient stone circle, Avebury. Extraordinary engineering awaits you at the twenty-nine canal locks of Caen Hill and the canal aqueducts near Bradford on Avon. You'll cycle through the hilly Cotswolds here, with a canal path providing a majestic flat route to magnificent Bath with its Roman Baths, Jane Austen Museum and Royal Crescent. Via the Bristol & Bath Railway Path you'll make your way to bustling Bristol and its spectacular Avon Gorge. If you only wish to cycle "Coast to Coast" from the North Sea or English Channel, you could stop at seaside Clevedon with its striking views over the British Channel. The route continues via the charming Strawberry Line to famous Cheddar with its cheese museum and gorge. The Somerset Levels provide the last section of truly flat cycling, because from Taunton the big climb starts into Exmoor National Park. From here, the route is for determined cyclists only, as there is serious climbing to take in. To get to the ancient Tarr Steps you'll have to take on two major climbs of about a mile long! Fortunately, from Barnstaple the splendid Tarka Trail provides easy cycling on another former railway. You can choose to cycle to Plymouth from where you can cross the English Channel to France. This Devon Coast to Coast route takes you on high viaducts with fantastic views over Dartmoor National Park. The spectacular Plym Valley Way from historic Tavistock down into Plymouth could be a worthy climax to your journey! Of course, you can also continue into Cornwall, but you have to be ready for more serious climbing here. The section between Bude and Tintagel Castle is particularly rugged. Atlantic Ocean views are the ultimate reward for all the climbing efforts made, as is cycling on the flat and beautiful Camel Trail. This trail leads you to Padstow with its exclusive fish restaurants and the famous surf beaches of Newquay. The striking mining area of Redruth allows you to cycle briefly through "lunar landscapes", before arriving at beautiful Penzance Bay with its striking St. Michael's Mount. The grand finale of the route is a circular route via the spectacular headlands of Land's End and Cape Cornwall. From Penzance, you can take your bike on the fast train service back to London.
