Biking Routes across Europe
Find info about 3 routes for each country
WHAT'S SO GREAT
ABOUT CYCLING?
Tired of returning home from holiday to a month of dieting? Ever felt you never really got to know the region you were in?
Time you took to two wheels. Cycling is perfect for exploring the countryside and cities: you can cover good distances, but you never feel unable to stop and look at something, as is so often the case when you're in a car.
Not until you've cycled through peaceful countryside do you realise how many natural sounds you miss inside a car. And you can also feel you are doing your bit for the planet.
CAN I BEGIN IN BRITAIN?
Yes, thanks to the 10,000-mile-plus National Cycle Network. Stretching from Land's End to John O'Groats, the numbered and sometimes named routes are a mix of off-road tracks, quiet lanes, closed railway lines and canal towpaths.
Newly opened in 2006 is the 230-mile Kingfisher Trail through Fermanagh, Leitrim, Cavan, Monaghan and Donegal, followed this month by the 113-mile Lôn Cambria Trail from Shrewsbury to Aberystwyth, and from 19 July the 169-mile Hadrian's Cycleway from the Irish to the North Seas.
The Forestry Commission (www.forestry.gov.uk) also has more than 1,600 miles of cycling routes, with occasional restrictions. The network of canal towpaths is usually open to cyclists. The aqueducts at Dundas and Avoncliff on the Kennet and Avon Canal are part of a 40-mile circuit from Bristol using the Sustrans route between Bristol and Bath and taking in the extraordinary series of 29 locks at Caen Hill in Devizes. Part of the Taff Trail on the 55-mile section from Cardiff to Brecon follows the Monmouthshire and Brecon Canal between Merthyr Tydfil and Brecon Canal Basin.
AM I FIT ENOUGH?
You will be amazed how quickly your abilities will increase.
Regular cyclists have a fitness level equal to that of a person 10 years younger, and cycling just 20 miles a week halves your risk of heart disease.
I NEED SOME GOOD ADVICE
Two weeks from today, National Bike Week begins. This is the country's "celebration of cycling" (17-25 June) with more than 1,500 local events (www.bikeweek.org.uk) such as free bike MOTs, charity rides, and encouragement to Bike Work.
For holiday cycling, several websites advise on matching equipment to the kind of cycling you want to do. The CTC (0870 873 0060; www.ctc.org.uk), the UK's national cycling organisation, has a "Getting Started" section on its website. Bike shops usually provide advice, but don't buy a mountain bike unless you are planning to go off-road frequently. A hybrid is the best compromise of gears and tyres - fast enough on tarmac but able to cope with tow paths.
