Cycling in England: advice for Canadians please :)

I'm not currently a cyclist and, frankly, find them a real pain on the roads, especially when the lycra-clad fraternity insist on using the road when there's a cycle path adjacent (and safer!).

Having said that, there are some good cycle routes. You should check the Sustrans website as they have maps of their routes, which are open to cyclists. I don't know about the Cornwall coastal path - I would imagine a bike would be dangerous on some bits. At least some towpaths are OK for cyclists and the Sustrans routes include former railway lines, several of them in my area of NW Durham.

Hope some other people are more helpful. Have a good holiday next year!

Derbyshire Peak District has some excel.ent cycle routes and the countryside is lovely.

The Tissington Trail is a very well-known one:
You can start your ride from Parsley Hay or Ashbourne (bikes can be hired from either end)

www.wanderlust.co.uk/content/best-off-road-cycling-routes-peak-district/

I know you’ve said England, but there’s some fantastic cycle routes in SW Scotland, away from main roads, along the coast and through the forests.

Lots of information here -
www.sustrans.org.uk/national-cycle-network

And here -
www.cyclinguk.org/guide/great-british-rides

www.cycleplan.co.uk/cycle-savvy/the-best-cycling-routes-in-the-uk/

www.visitbritain.com/gb/en/things-to-do/cycling

https://www.gransnet.com/uploads/talk/202208/medium-867282-tarka-trail-guide.jpg https://www.gransnet.com/uploads/talk/202208/medium-355255-tarka-trail-routes.jpg

Not quite Cornwall, but you could try the Tarka Trail in North Devon. It's a lovely ride.
Also the Exe estuary.
The coast path is tricky on a bike.

Just Google Books on Cycle Paths in the UK. Lots of lovely ideas out there.

Not much to add to the excellent advice given above, but just wanted to say welcome.
Provision for cyclists has improved here in recent years thank goodness.
If you are looking to cycle a canal pathway then the Avon and Somerset is a good one.

Thank you all for such quick responses! I do have the Sustrans book (ordered about a month ago), and found it all a little overwhelming to try and plan. There is nothing like local knowledge so that's why I asked here. I will follow up with each of your suggestions to see what makes sense for us; we were hoping to go it on our own rather than through a tour group which would make it easier I know but not necessarily what we are looking to do. Again, many thanks!

This may be a useful website.
waterways.org.uk/waterways/using-the-waterways/cycling?gclid=Cj0KCQjwgO2XBhCaARIsANrW2X1kOvxEOYVtGOu9KNua1EMr1dpF0wdrky_uUtI_736Ld5AsHuJuerUaAlifEALw_wcB

You used to have to have a permit to cycle on towpaths but it was either free or just a couple of pounds.
I have a feeling that you may not need one anymore. Worth checking though.

Hope you have fun planning your trip.

Why not look at the "tour group" options for inspiration. Where they are going will obviously have been researched.

Thanks NotSpaghetti, will look into those as well as the website, I appreciate your info!

It very much depends on whether you are coming for a cycling holiday - that is cycling from a to b, spending a little time/overnight there and then cycling on to c, d, e etc, and if so, how much time you have, whether it needs to be a loop, and the kind of distances you’d like to cover each day - or whether you plan a holiday somewhere and want to cycle in and around that area.

It is theoretically possible to cycle over 3000 miles on towpaths, but the reality is that many are poorly maintained (a few near me are impassable presently) and/or don’t run in areas you might want to go.

The UK is generally dire for cycling infrastructure, if I’m honest, but there may well be good routes people can suggest that are a mix of off-road and quiet roads, if we had a little more information.

The UK is generally dire for cycling infrastructure, if I’m honest, but there may well be good routes people can suggest that are a mix of off-road and quiet roads, if we had a little more information.

I am not a cyclist although my husband is one of those MAMILs, but I would have thought too that cycling in the English countryside would be pretty risky as it is all narrow, unmarked roads with high verges and even hedges.

I am glad to hear that there are routes off the beaten track and I have heard of people doing 100 miles so it can be done. It really is a beautiful country and would be lovely if more of it were accessible to cyclists.

Have you thought about doing your trip on mainland Europe? Alone in Germany there are countless cycle paths - all the main rivers have cycle routes running alongside them. France is catching up here*, too, and both countries have picturesque routes newly built cycle tracks along disused railway lines. And in the Netherlands the bicycle rules.

*Pistes blues - towpaths along rivers
Pistes vertes - through the countryside along railway lines

I would have thought too that cycling in the English countryside would be pretty risky as it is all narrow, unmarked roads with high verges and even hedges

I’m happier cycling on rural roads than those in towns and cities unless they are segregated from traffic. Generally, cycling in England is safe, town or country, and I think choosing routes carefully would help keep the risk as low as possible.

I agree it’s definitely worth considering other countries, including other parts of the UK, and Ireland.

The Manifold Valley is an easy and pleasant route:
letsgopeakdistrict.co.uk/the-manifold-way/

As Callistemon21 suggested - Tissington is popular.

Kennet and Avon Canal cycle route is lovely

Just found this in a "local" paper about Tissington:
www.manchestereveningnews.co.uk/whats-on/whats-on-news/fairytale-peak-district-village-step-24831830

I loathe busy roads, but Yorkshire has an abundance of beautiful quiet lanes with fantastic views, we just use an OS map and make up the routes as we go. Rutland is also good with very pretty villages and the route around Rutland Water is fantastic. Suffolk and Norfolk good too.