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.
Ah, I'm the opposite. I LOVE that, just me, with my thoughts. But then, I can get a good argument going on with myself sometimes, though I never really fall out with myself - which would be a worry
I should be paid to go walking/running/cycling, especially in the countryside, ESPECIALLY at night with no-one else around. I have some of my best or most creative ideas whilst mulling things over gently with no outside stimulation or distraction, without actually giving myself a headache. Same with running - went out last night for 6 miles in the pitch black by Ladybower with not a single soul all the way around, 5 miles tonight urban and I MUCH preferred the Ladybower run
I'm lucky in that the countryside is only 3 miles from my workplace, and likewise from my home, albeit it's 3 uphill miles but rather that than 20 urban miles
So the commute quite often takes a scenic turn
The only "pleasure" urban ride I do is a 10 mile commute which is a quick blast to work via Meadowhell - pretty much the only completely flat route you can do..it's nicer in the morning rather than at night when all the traffic piles into Sheff from the M1 desperate to get home for their tea. I might like urban rides more if it were flatter, I used to do in Hull - but I'll settle for having some of the most beautiful landscapes half an hour from my front door
)
