15 cycling adventures with a great pub included
The British country pub is both a local landmark and a -national icon. And there’s nothing like -arriving at one under your own steam, -having worked up a thirst and an appetite.
Adapting to the changing times, more and more pubs are upping their food game. This is a boon to cyclists who can devour a Sunday roast and polish off a sticky toffee pudding, all accompanied by a pint, without remorse since all those calories will soon be burned off on the road. Of course, it is always wise to drink in moderation if you still have some distance to cover. A two-wheeled pub crawl is unlikely to end happily.
In devising the routes for my Lost Lanes cycling guidebooks, good pubs – whether rustic, stylish or remote – have always been my lodestars. A pub is a place to be revived in body and spirit, to quench a parched mouth on a hot summer’s day and enjoy the shade of a parasol in a pub garden or warm up and dry out by an open fire after being caught in a rain shower.
Here are 15 of my favourite pub rides on quiet lanes and traffic-free -cycleways through some of the loveliest parts of the country.
South east
1. Farmland fantastic
Bedfordshire, 33 miles, 1,050ft ascent
Start/end Baldock; via Sutton, Potton, Everton, Broom and Ashwell
The terrain Mostly lanes, quieter B-roads and two short sections of off-road path
A gentle ride on the lanes of eastern Bedfordshire, through the arable fields and historic villages of the Ivel Valley to a stunning nature reserve, home to Europe’s largest wildlife conservation charity. Baldock station is on the outskirts of the town and within minutes you reach the open fields of the Bedfordshire-Hertfordshire border. Ashwell is a handsome village with an imposing 14th-century church tower. Take a turn down a forest track to reach the RSPB’s headquarters. Follow a track through beautiful broad-leaved woodland to reach the route across Biggleswade common before retracing back to Baldock.
The pub Only 10 pubs in Britain have no bar or serving hatch, and The Cock at Broom is one of them, a cosy, red-tiled warren of five tiny rooms around a sunken tap room.
The UK's best beaches, pub walks, outdoor pools and seaside hotels
2. River to ridgeway
Berks/Oxon, 29 miles, 1,243ft ascent
Start/end Reading, via Mapledurham, Goring, Aldworth and Tidmarsh
The terrain Mostly lanes; a few sections of unsurfaced track
A round trip heading up the Thames from Reading to a perfect countryside pub set high on the Berkshire Downs. Riding down the hill from Reading, cross the river at Caversham Bridge and cruise through farmland. Mapledurham House is said to have inspired the illustrations of Toad Hall in The Wind in the Willows. Turn your back to the river at Goring and climb up to Aldworth. The lane forms part of the Ridgeway, an ancient trading route. Opposite the pub at the summit is allegedly England’s deepest well, dug in 1868. The run downhill brings you back to Reading and people.
The pub The Bell Inn at Aldworth has been in the same family for five generations. On cold days the inglenook fireplace is welcoming. In summer, the garden is the perfect place to slowly sink a refreshing pint.
3. The fifth continent
Kent, 44 miles, 568ft ascent
Start/end Ashford, via Woodchurch, Appledore, Snargate, Dungeness, Camber and Rye
The terrain Mostly quiet lanes, a few stretches of busier lanes
There are few quirkier, more mysterious corners of Britain than Romney Marsh, a land of underground ossuaries, nuclear power stations, smuggling vicars and historic seaports that sit miles from any coast. Linking these curiosities are some of the most eerily quiet – and flat – roads in the south of England; perfect for exploring by bike.
The landscape here is ever-changing. Today it’s green pasture, with flashes of yellow rapeseed, as far as the eye can see, but before the Romans came there was dense forest, and in the medieval period it was a vast bay. Appledore, now 10 miles from the Channel, was a thriving port on the river Rother estuary, as was New Romney, until retreating tides left them landlocked. This route visits both, with a stop at the tiny 16th-century Red Lion pub in Snargate, where resistance to change is practically a philosophy. Ales are gravity dispensed, it’s candlelit at night, loos are outdoors, and strangers talk to one another. When I showed up there was an English folk band playing in a side room.
Other highlights include a clutch of medieval churches, such as lonely St Thomas à Becket in Fairfield (the village it once served having long since disappeared), before a short off-road section delivers you to the coast – and the full force of the prevailing wind. Plough on to Dungeness – Britain’s only desert, site of a nuclear power station, and an unlikely magnet for artists – and you’re over the worst of it. Reward yourself with an ice cream at Camber Sands, a coffee in picturesque Rye, before the final push to Ashford – and a high-speed train back to the 21st century.
Oliver Smith
4. Sun, sea and Suffolk
Suffolk, 44 miles, 1,033ft ascent
Start/end Dunwich, via Walberswick, Blythburgh, Bruisyard and Leiston Abbey
The terrain Country lanes with a few sections of off-road track
A whizz around the sleepy villages of Suffolk followed by the rich reward of a slap-up meal at The Ship Inn at Dunwich sounds perfect for the cyclist keen to eat up the miles first. Arriving at Darsham from London, though, with breakfast far behind us and Sunday stretching ahead, we cycled the six miles to shrinking Dunwich – a town slowly vanishing into the sea – for carb-loading.
One enormous fish and chips for my friend and a veggie chilli for me later, we slowly pedalled north on our sit-up-and-beg bicycles like two latter-day Miss Marples. My basket cried out to be filled with the fresh eggs and apple juice from the various farm honesty stalls, but it wasn’t worth the groans from Gertrude and Mabel (as we’d nicknamed our bikes) who were feeling a little creaky.
Going slowly means that you can contemplate the corn, stoop to pick up a grouse feather, rhapsodise about which pretty pink house you will live in one day, and maximise encounters with friendly sows. We resisted eating up more of our precious time by joining the throng of crabbers on the bridge at Walberswick and instead turned upstream along the river away from the beach. Mist obscured the views over to Southwold, and the normally bright boats bobbed eerily in their jetties as we clipped along.
On reaching Blythburgh we regretfully set off back to Darsham, arriving at the station having done a respectable 20 miles. The onward delights of Peasenhall, Sweffling, the ruins of Leiston Abbey, and back up to Dunwich would remain for another day, or for those with more time and energy. As tempting as it was to continue on and celebrate back at The Ship Inn with a half of Suffolk cider, Gerty and I had gone far enough for one Sunday.
Boudicca Fox-Leonard
South west
5. Waterworld
Somerset and Avon, 56 miles, 1,663ft ascent
Start/end Highbridge, via Westhay, Glastonbury, Priddy, Axbridge, Compton Bishop and Brent Knoll
The terrain Mostly lanes, a short section of good gravel track
A ride of contrasts, shaped by water; from the flat expanses of the Somerset levels to the limestone uplands of the Mendips and the towering cliffs of Cheddar Gorge. The ride makes an easterly traverse from the coast towards the landmark of Glastonbury Tor. The flat terrain makes for easy cycling, but to fully appreciate the Levels, a little climbing is required. From Priddy Hill, the high point on the ride, it’s a thrilling descent through Cheddar Gorge. The final miles are flat.
The pub Glastonbury’s late 15th-century George and Pilgrim Inn claims to be the oldest purpose-built pub in the West Country. In nearby Lower Godney, The Sheppey Inn is reinventing the rural pub for the 21st century: local ales and ciders, modern cooking and zany décor. Untouched by the modern world is The Railway Inn near Meare, a good, honest, rural boozer. High on the Mendips is the cosy, stone-built The Queen Vic in Priddy.
6. The Dart circular
Devon, 26 miles, 2,589ft ascent
Start/end Totnes, via Dittisham, Galmpton, Stoke Gabriel, Berry Pomeroy and Dartington
The terrain Lanes and a short section of steep, unsurfaced cycle path. ￡3.50 ferry
Experience two faces of the famous south Devon river in the hilly South Hams. Cycling the short, steep hills has a Sisyphean quality. Sometimes it’s better just to get off and walk and enjoy the view. Ring the bell to summon a tiny clinker-built ferry across the river to Greenway, the Tudor manor holiday home of Agatha Christie. The route back to Totnes follows the cycle path via Dartington Hall, rescued by American heiress Dorothy Elmhirst in the Twenties and transformed into an internationally renowned centre for art and politics.
The pub The Durant Arms in Ashprington and The Maltsters (once owned by Keith Floyd) in Tuckenhay both do very good food. Dittisham’s Ferry Boat Inn has a great view across the Dart while Stoke Gabriel has a classic example of the medieval church house inn.
7. The old ways
Wiltshire, 45 miles, 1,972m ascent
Start/end Salisbury, via Wilton, Tisbury, Hindon, Boyton and Steeple Langford
The terrain Mostly lanes, some woodland tracks which can be muddy
This route feels rather like riding through time. From the medieval city of Salisbury it’s straight out into the Wiltshire countryside through the monastic settlement of Wilton. I bowl along a Roman road known as the Way of the Wood, a high spring sun beating down. Then it’s on to an even older causeway, known as Grim’s Ditch. The light seeping through from between the trees dapples on to the path in front of me. Conifers throw cool shade on to ferns and bracken. Ahead of me a startled russet fox cub scuttles away.
The dusky purple heads of bluebells are yet to flower, but the vivid green carpet of foliage is visibly ready to burst into bloom. My ears are ringing with birdsong. I really don’t want to leave the woods, but my bike does. It’s not made for this bumpy terrain, which has a base of concrete but a liberal plastering of mud thanks to recent rains.
Next we sweep through villages that are so quintessentially English, so elderflower cordial and Victoria sponge, that they barely seem real. The river Wylye meanders alongside, showing its shallow chalk-bottomed self from time to time. Everything along this route seems picture perfect. Daffodils line the village roads, and further out banks burst with sunny celandine and delicate wood anemone.
There’s time for a brief detour to The Compasses Inn, in the village of Lower Chicksgrove. This is a thatched inn straight out of ye olde worlde, although the food and the lattes are delightfully 21st century and delicious to boot. When I return to Salisbury, after another stint down the oldest of tree-lined ways, I am so rooted in the past I half-expect my car to have morphed into a horse and carriage.
Cathy Bussey
London
8. An eastern excursion
London, 22 miles, 413ft ascent
Start/end Broadway Market, Old Ford Lock, Royal Albert Dock, Millennium Dome, Greenwich, Isle of Dogs and Mile End Park
The terrain Canal towpath, surfaced cycle tracks and a few quieter urban roads
Aren’t signs wonderful? Little morsels of public information pointing us in the right direction or warning us of a danger or telling us the distance to South Mimms services.
OK, you’re right – not all signs are wonderful. I’ve got a bee in my bonnet about the ones that read “NO BALL GAMES”, because they’re not legally enforceable. Also, any sign that forbids you from parking is by default an annoyance (and legally enforceable). The joy of cycling in London is there are signs everywhere. For a leisurely pedal, look out for the National Cycling Network signs: blue arrows with the image of a bicycle and a number in a red box. They have a knack of picking traffic-free paths.
Having decided to do this route anti-clockwise (all the better to expedite my riverside pub lunch), I found myself following Route 1 for miles through Mile End Park and the Isle of Dogs. It’s an uncanny way to see London’s most schizophrenic region: in a few short turns, you pass skyscrapers and deprived estates, all while barely seeing a car go by. Then Greenwich foot tunnel hastens you underneath the Thames and you come out the other side to south London gentrification.
I paused at the Cutty Sark pub to take on sufficient fuel to complete the second half. If you make it to the towpaths of Stratford and Hackney without stopping, you’re a better cyclist than me.
Jonny Cooper
Wales
9. Mortimer country
Borders, 37 miles, 2,300ft ascent
Start/end Ludlow, via Ashford Carbonell, Batchcott, Richard’s Castle, Leinthall Moor, Leintwardine, Hopton Castle, Aston on Clun, Onibury
The terrain Lanes
A ride from Ludlow, gastronomic capital of England, into the lands of the medieval Marcher lords. Roger Mortimer, the 14th-century Earl of March lived a fast-paced, high-stakes life. This ride takes a tour of his Shropshire. A climb through Batchcott leads to Richard’s Castle, one of the earliest Norman castles built to defend the English border with Wales. The final section through Oakly Park is a real treat culminating in a dramatic reveal of Ludlow Castle.
The pub The Sun Inn at Leintwardine is one of the last remaining traditional parlour pubs in Britain: a series of small rooms, very much like a home. When Flossie Lane, Britain’s longest-serving landlady, died in 2009 aged 94, many feared it was the end, but the pub has been saved. Further on is the excellent Apple Tree in Onibury.
10. Usk Valley ramble
South Wales, 41 miles, 2,162ft ascent
Start/end Newport, via Caerleon, Llancayo and Usk
The terrain Lanes, short section of surfaced cycle path
A pastoral ride to a perfect pub up one of Wales’s greatest rivers. An inauspicious start in Newport’s industrial armpit makes the sudden appearance of a 6,000-seater Roman amphitheatre a surprise. Known as Isca Augusta, Caerleon was a major Roman army fortress. North out of Usk the most prominent landmark in this section of the valley is the windmill at Llancayo, built during the Napoleonic Wars. A stiff climb takes you up to Coed-y-Bwnydd, the largest and best preserved Iron Age hill fort in Monmouthshire. The return journey starts with a run through the landscaped grounds of Clytha Park.
The pub The Clytha Arms has it all: a great selection of local ales and ciders, outstanding home-cooked food, blazing log fires and an elegant veranda that’s perfect for relaxation on sunny days.
Britain's 40 best beaches – according to our experts
Scotland
11. Union Canal cruise
Edinburgh, 16 miles, 420ft ascent
Start/end Lochrin Basin, Edinburgh; west to Ratho and back
The terrain Traffic-free canal towpath
Canals are the linear parks that snake unnoticed through cities. Havens for wildlife and precious breathing spaces away from the hurly-burly, towpaths are also traffic-free escape routes. This leisurely ride heads west on the Union Canal to the village of Ratho. Built to bring coal to the city, the canal goes all the way to Falkirk and onwards to the Clyde. Once the cutting edge of civil engineering, there are relics of Scotland’s industrial heyday all the way along.
The pub The Bridge Inn at Ratho has an outdoor terrace overlooking the water. Inside, there is a cosy bar with open fires on cold days. A cut above typical pub food, produce is from the pub’s kitchen garden. Local beer, a decent wine list and more than 50 malt whiskies.
North and Midlands
12. Crag and lake
Yorkshire Dales, 19 miles, 2,041ft ascent
Start/end Settle; via Stainforth, Malham and Airton
The terrain Quiet lanes, hilly
This circuit of Kirkby Fell features two big climbs and verges speckled with primroses, fields of gangle-legged lambs and, come May, hawthorn in blossom. From the main square in Settle, head up Constitution Hill and left on to The Highway towards Langcliffe Scar, the first and biggest climb of the day. Up on the high moorland plateau there’s the option of a loop around Malham Tarn, England’s highest lake, on the traffic-free nature trail. Back on Tarmac, it’s a glorious descent to the pub stop in Malham.
The pub The Lister Arms features slate floors, rustic furniture, woodburners and an inglenook fireplace – and there’s a courtyard outside for sunny afternoons. The food consists of well-executed pub classics and there is always a good selection of local brews from the Thwaites brewery plus local guest ales.
13. The Hope Valley rising
Derbyshire, 15 miles, 1,473ft ascent
Start/end Hathersage; via Abney, Great Hucklow, Bradwell and Offerton
The terrain Lanes, a section of off-road track and one big climb
The route starts in the village of Hathersage, its quaint shops and cafés dwarfed by the peaks rising in the background. Within a few minutes you are off the main road and join a quiet country lane that takes you on a steady but persistent climb to the hamlet of Abney. And this sets the tone of the whole route: lots of uphills that would perhaps suit the seasoned cyclist better than my eight-year-old son.
Of course, at the top of every incline comes a much-needed downhill where your calf muscles get a rest and you can enjoy the scenery: undulating green hills, wreathed in pearly mist. It was a sure sign we’d reached a peak when we cycled past Derbyshire gliding club before dropping down through Hucklow Edge, Little Hucklow then into the daffodil-lined village of Bradwell.
A warm welcome and meal awaited us at the Samuel Fox. With sausage and the creamiest of mash for my son, Archie, and a bowl of pasta in tomato sauce for my two-year-old daughter, Tilly, there were smiles all round. My husband, Iain, tucked into chicken with couscous, chorizo, red peppers and smoked cashews, while I had gnocchi with butternut squash, kale and stilton.
Fuelled, we set off on the last third of our journey. We were grateful for those carbs: uphill hairpin turns were paired with spectacular descents. There’s a ford to cross and a section of muddy tracks, but on the whole the ride is mainly on country lanes, until you hit the main road back into Hathersage. All in all, stunning and easy-to-follow, showing Derbyshire at its best. It’s not for the faint hearted – if taking a young family be prepared for plenty of stops.
Michelle Rawlins
14. Valley and vertical
Lake District, 19 miles, 1,535ft ascent
Start/end Ambleside; via Elterwater, Little Langdale, Coniston and Barngates
The terrain Lanes and good unsurfaced tracks
The Lake District is a five-star cycling destination if you’re prepared to pedal a bit, but this circuit between Ambleside and Coniston avoids any really big hills and makes use of quiet lanes. Starting out of Ambleside, the route follows the river Brathay to Elterwater, with the sheer rock faces of the Langdale Pikes rising in the distance. On the road to Little Langdale are the Colwith Force waterfalls. From Little Langdale a track through Moss Rigg Woods follows the narrow river valleys south towards Coniston and its famous lake. From here the road then heads up Hawkshead Hill and just over the top sits The Drunken Duck Inn.
The pub With just a short downhill left there’s every reason to take your time in this stylish pub-restaurant in a beautiful location. The lunch menu is inventive – chicken gumbo, ribollita, char siu pork, salt beef or falafel sandwiches – with a roast on Sundays. Top food is matched by excellent ales, brewed on-site.
15. Shakespeare shuffle
Warwickshire and Cotswold Edge, 32 miles, 822ft ascent
Start/end Stratford upon Avon, via Welford-on-Avon, Honeybourne, Ilmington and Long Marston
The terrain Flat country lanes and traffic-free cycle path
The Midlands gave birth to the modern bicycle, and Warwickshire’s gently rolling countryside has been a favourite among cyclists for well over a century. This ride begins in Stratford upon Avon and heads south-west towards the Vale of Evesham and a northern tip of the Cotswolds. The route follows the Avon out of the town, crossing through Welford-on-Avon, a village of picture-perfect cottages. It picks up Icknield Street, a straight Roman road. Striking east, the road heads up onto the tip of the Cotswolds at Meon Hill, a place with long-standing associations with witchcraft.
The pub The Howard Arms at Ilmington is a stylish, golden-stone Cotswold inn with beamed ceilings, flagstone floors and comfy leather armchairs around the large inglenook fireplace. The lunch menu offers a modern take on hearty pub classics and a good selection of traditional ales and modern craft beers. The route back is easy riding thanks to the traffic-free Stratford Greenway, built on the course of an old railway line.
Jack Thurston’s latest guide, Lost Lanes: West, is out now (Wild Things Publishing, ￡16.99)
