Any of you commuting warriors taken a break from the urbanities of the metrollops......

[betty swollocks]

That's it really.
If you have: how was it...did you miss the buzz, the noise, the smells etc?

 

[Moodyman]

My commute is busy urban roads with a semi-rural mid-section.

My weekend rides tend to be in suburbia or relatively quite surrounding areas. Nice but not pure rural.

But a few weeks ago, I did a 4 hour ride in the heart of the Yorkshire Dales.

Nice for the first hour. Traffic free, smooth roads. Sounds of birds and sheep.

Then...I got bored. It was quiet - spookily quiet. The brain went to sleep. It was green rolling hills after green rolling hills. There was no stimulation, no cars to avoid, no pedestrians to look out for. In fact, no human for miles.

Perhaps a damp day in mid-January was not the best day to enjoy the countryside, but I was kinda glad to be out of there.

 

[Woz!]

The main part of my commute IS through the countryside. I'm kinda lucky considering I'm smack bang in the centre of the southeast commuter belt between the M3 and the M4

Mind you - it has its downsides - I've had to give up the idea of commuting for a few weeks because the bridleway I have to use to cross the M4 is more muddy than a very muddy thing. Pretty much impassable at the moment

 

[Fab Foodie]

I used to be an Urban commuter and now mostly cycle in the countryside. I love to ride into the city tyhough to get an Urban fix. Cycling in London's the best!
Country cycling's overated IMO, the city's where it's at.

 

[Norm]

The main part of my commute IS through the countryside. I'm kinda lucky considering I'm smack bang in the centre of the southeast commuter belt between the M3 and the M4

Sounds similar to mine from Maidenhead to Bracknell, the middle section usually allows me 3 miles without seeing more than a couple of cars (none at all this morning). As well as that, I go from extremes of one section being very busy NSL and another is about a mile of cycle path through a couple of farms / stables and across a very quiet residential estate.

I love my commute, I do.

 

[summerdays]

I like escaping to the countryside occasionally - you get more adrenalin in the city but I enjoy the easier pace of the country (or even the odd bits of quiet cycling in the city are nice).

 

[Adasta]

I miss the countryside. London does my head in.

 

[3tyretrackterry]

pretty much the same for me as User my commute is from the burbs into the city centre but if i turn left off my estate then quiet roads, country parks and horses are the order of the day

 

[BentMikey]

I live out in the country, and ride into London, so I can take some quiet country roads for some of my commute, and besides I regularly do big countryside rides. I love both scenarios, they each have their own high and low points.

 

[GrumpyGregry]

my commute is from one rural market town to another. I ride in London, for kicks, whenever I get the chance, but most weekends will find me out in the countryside. I've taken a break from riding with my club though as they went down my commute route(s) just once to often on a Sunday morning.

and last week I fell in love with the Berkshire Downs, Chilterns and south Oxfordshire.

 

[palinurus]

I'm lucky in that I can vary my commute and do a longer route which is almost free of traffic until I get within a couple of miles of work. During the winter I stick to the shorter, busier (and gritted) route.

 

[fossyant]

Living 10 miles from Manchester I commute in urban and city traffic, but can turn the opposite way at weekends and be up in the hills within 10 minutes.

I've been on a five week 'no-commuting' due to an op, but have just started getting back out, and it's all been country riding. Back to work next week, but shoulder not strong enough for the abuse yet, so will be 'bussing' it for a few weeks.

 

[rb58]

I commute into the City from the suburbs, and have easy access to the Kent and Surrey countryside for weekend and day (off) rides. Love 'em all equally.

 

[gaz]

When i go out for weekend rides it is often in the country. Luckily i live just on the edge of outer london so it's only a few miles down the road and i'm cycling with the cows!

 

[Arfcollins]

My commute, if I use the most direct route, is a particularly shitty section of the A27 west of Fareham. Nearly knocked off this morning by a spotty youth in a rust bucket who overtook then left-hooked me on a roundabout. Have decided in future I will use only the scenic route that takes me mostly along pot-holed dung covered lanes where there are far less opportunities for people to kill me.

But to answer your question properly, I do like to take country rides. I will often just ride with a vague idea of a circular route. I've always managed to find my way home.