Hamsterley Forest, Co Durham
2000 hectares of mixed woodland lying between the Wear and Tees valleys on the edge of the North Pennines Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty. Hamsterley is an oasis of broadleaved and coniferous woodland, sprawling along the sides of a sheltered valley that provides a range of cycling from family friendly blue routes to technically challenging blacks.
North City and Centre, Edinburgh
Leave from Granton Square next to the Forth, where you can head south to Murryfield Stadium. After this you can follow the Leith back into the centre, going through Parks and past the Royal Botanic Centre before reaching Leith Harbour where you can visit the Royal Yacht Brittania.
Glentress and Inrelathen, Tweed Valley
Glentress is possibly the best biking centre in Britain, with brilliant trails of all grades, a top-notch cafe, a bike shop with bike hire, changing and showering facilities, and a great atmosphere. Innerleithen, situated just a few miles south east of Glentress, is quite different from its better-known sister – away from the hustle and bustle, it’s a venue for the more experienced rider.
Cairngorms, Scottish Highlands
Britain’s biggest National Park, which includes the largest area of sub-arctic mountain landscape in the UK. Be warned, it is a paradise for experienced mountain bikers and to add to the spirit of adventure, trails are rarely waymarked.
Howe of the Mearns, Aberdeenshire
This figure of eight route can be broken in two to halve the journey. You will tour the foot of the Grampian Highlands from Fettercairn to Auchenblea and then all the way south to Edzell before the last push back to Fettercairn. It takes in some glorious scenery and impressive stone architecture with just 2 miles being off-road.
The Coast to Coast, Whitehaven to Sunderland
This is a grawling traverse of England at its narrowest point, through amasing upland scenery including the Lake District and the Durham Dales and is Britain’s most popular long-distance cycle route, tackled by some 15,000 cyclists every year. Start at Whitehaven lighthouse and finish at Sunderland lighthouse.
