Posts - WillCycle

Know your place!

13/01/2023 by Will

Cycle camping at Redlake, as part of a mini cycle tour

Wild camping on Dartmoor Dartmoor is the last remaining wilderness in England, and the only place in all of England and Wales where wild camping is legal. Or rather, was legal! The Darwall Effect Alexander Darwall is a hedge fund manager and wealthy landowner, who owns a large estate in Scotland, and a huge tract ... Read more

Whitehaven to Workington & Camerton Railway Path

01/02/202611/01/2023 by Will

Whitehaven to Workington & Camerton Railway Path cycle route overall rating: Another routes built on a disused railway, the Whitehaven to Workington & Camerton Railway Path cycle route is 12 miles of scenic bliss. The route starts off on smooth tar, with spectacular sea views.Soon, the route will veer away from the sea. You will ... Read more

Ultimate Guide to Planning Your 1st Cycle Tour

10/01/2023 by Will

Are you planning your first cycle tour and feeling overwhelmed? Don’t worry, you’re not alone! Cycle touring can be a fantastic way to see the world and have unique travel experiences, but it’s normal to have questions and concerns about how to plan your trip. To help you get started, here is the ultimate guide ... Read more

Lanchester Valley Railway Path

01/02/202608/01/2023 by Will

Lanchester Valley Railway Path cycle route overall rating: (Colour explanation: blue = good, yellow indicates some warning, and red indicates issues to be aware of) The Lanchester Valley Railway path runs for 12 miles between Consett in the west and Broompark, near Durham in the east. Like most longer distant paths in County Durham, it ... Read more

South Tyne Trail cycle route

28/03/202608/01/2023 by Will

South Tyne Trail cycle route overall rating: (Colour explanation: blue = good, yellow indicates some warning, and red indicates issues to be aware of) Let me start this guide with an important notice: overall, the South Tyne Trail is not a family-friendly, easy route, though parts of it (notably between Haltwhistle and Slaggyford) can be ... Read more

The Ugly Truth About Cycle Touring

06/01/2023 by Will

The Ugly Truth? If you visit this site regularly, you’d know that I’m a big fan of cycle touring, and for good reason, too! I wrote many times about the sense of freedom you can get while cycle touring. Yes, even from very short tours. Especially when wild camping – as I prefer to do ... Read more

Chester Millennium Greenway

22/02/202605/01/2023 by Will

The Chester Millennium Greenway is a 9.1 mile almost completely traffic-free cycle route, built mainly on a disused railway line. As the name suggests, it runs right through the heart of Chester.Because it’s built on a disused railway, the route can feel very disconnected from its surroundings, and even in Chester can feel surprisingly rural. ... Read more

We don’t want no cycle paths here

14/03/202304/01/2023 by Will

Say hello to Cycling Judy Judy is a cyclist and a song-writer, and I suspect you will enjoy her work. She has an entire YouTube channel, but I thought I’d introduce her work with this song, We don’t want no cycle paths here.Judy’s on Twitter, and on Mastodon, so give her a follow!Enjoy!

Staffordshire & Worcestershire Canal cycle route

28/03/202602/01/2023 by Will

Staffordshire & Worcestershire Canal cycle route overall rating: (Colour explanation: blue = good, yellow indicates some warning, and red indicates issues to be aware of) This 25-mile, almost completely traffic-free cycle route links Stourport with Wolverhampton, using the towpath of the Staffordshire & Worcestershire Canal. The Staffordshire & Worcestershire Canal towpath had some TLC, and ... Read more

The Exe Estuary cycle route to Exmouth

01/02/202630/12/2022 by Will

Exe Estuary cycle route overall rating: (Colour explanation: blue = good, yellow indicates some warning, and red indicates issues to be aware of) The Exe Estuary trail is stunning, and mostly traffic-free, with some on-road sections. This 13-mile, mostly traffic-free cycle route is on the northern side of the estuary, leading to Exmouth. Especially in ... Read more

Why YOU should use RideWithGPS

27/12/2022 by Will

All the maps on WillCycle are done with RideWithGPS, and that’s for very good reason. I have tried practically every mapping site out there, and find RideWithGPS the most feature-rich, and most straightforward to use. Best of all, you can use most of the functionality with a free account, and they have an excellent app ... Read more

The Rail-Hike-Camp map

22/12/2022 by Will

A map aimed at hikers? Well yeah, the Rail-Hike-Camp map was created specifically with hikers in mind. The idea is simple: a map showing camp sites within a day’s hike from a train station. Obviously, that allows hikers to greatly expand where they go adventuring, by using trains. The benefit to cycle tourers The Rail-Hike-Camp ... Read more

So this is Christmas…

21/12/2022 by Will

and what have you done? Another year over, and a new one just begun. Those are the opening lines of my all-time, most-favourite Christmas song, Happy Xmas (War Is Over), by John Lennon. Around this time of year I always do a Christmas roundup post. More of a friendly chat with friends, really, and I ... Read more

Brunel Trail

01/02/202621/12/2022 by Will

Brunel Trail overall route rating: (Colour explanation: blue = good, yellow indicates some warning, and red indicates issues to be aware of) Brunel Trail is a 9-mile, almost entirely traffic-free cycle route. The route links Neyland with Haverfordwest, mostly via a disused railway line. The full route includes sections on the shared pavement, next to ... Read more

Alton Water cycle route

18/02/202618/12/2022 by Will

Alton Water itself is a reservoir in Suffolk, just south of Ipswitch. This 7.5 mile traffic-free cycle route guide is for the route that encircles the reservoir. Depending on the season, and the maintenance schedule, parts of the route may be somewhat overgrown. Alton Water overall route rating: (Colour explanation: blue = good, yellow indicates ... Read more